Posted April 11, 2020 06:04:01

It's a secret of unspoken heartache doing the rounds in rural Australia.

Regional folk may be happy to spout volumes about the fertility of their livestock, but find it much harder to talk about their own battles to conceive.

Raine Holcombe is a tough-as-nails contract musterer, raised on a crocodile farm in the Northern Territory.

She's able to stare down just about any rogue animal and withstand the toughest of conditions alongside her husband, Potter Holcombe.

The couple envisioned growing old wrangling their cattle and kids in the rugged landscape they love.

"Ever since I was a little girl playing with dolls and looking after our friends' young siblings, I've always loved children and dreamed of having our own family," Ms Holcombe said.

After they got married, Mr and Ms Holcombe faced a flood of questions from well-meaning but sometimes insensitive friends, who didn't grasp the silent battle the couple was waging.

"In the first 12 months you sort of brush it aside, and then the next 12 months was the harder part," Mr Holcombe said.

"If you're on social media, there'll be a birth announcement sometimes there's six in a week [and] that really gets you down, but at the same time you have to be happy for them and thankful they've had better luck and good fortune," Mrs Holcombe said.

It's been a gruelling process.

The couple have had two egg collections and seven embryo transfers.

The logistics of fertility treatment are 10 times harder from a remote cattle station.

"Our local closest IVF clinic is Darwin and because we travel around for work, it's up to six hours [travel], sometimes further," Ms Holcombe said.

"We can't really go to the local clinics that are close by because we need the blood results the next day or a couple of days later and those remote clinics take a week or longer to get the results."

Much of the treatment also puts the Holcombes substantially out of pocket.

"There are some payments that come from Medicare for your egg collection surgeries, there's nothing available for your embryo transfers, and there's no subsidies for travel if you live remotely," Ms Holcombe said.

All of the couple's IVF attempts have failed, and in a cruel blow, they have only recently learned that the $100,000 process was never going to work.

Undiagnosed for years has been a rare genetic condition. Both Raine and Potter carry the same DQ alpha gene, which causes an embryo to self-abort.

It has forced them to explore a different path at a clinic in Melbourne, 4,500 kilometres away from where they work.

It's their last hope and the only treatment option left.

The process involves mixing Potter and Raine's blood to create a serum, which will ideally give them up to six months to try more IVF.

If that doesn't work, it's back to the drawing board.

According to the Fertility Society of Australia, difficulty conceiving is a nationwide trend.

It estimates one in seven couples will experience some form of infertility within one year of trying.

This is partly due to the rising age of women and their declining fertility, as well as more diagnoses of fertility conditions, like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.

This is made all the more difficult by scarcity of clinics in regional Australia.

Doctors like Nicky Purser know only too well the barriers facing remote couples, particularly when it comes to hormone and fertility tests.

"Sometimes the woman might need blood tests every two or three days, and if you are 300 or 400 kilometres from a blood collecting centre and you've got to do a 600- or 800-kilometre round trip every two or three days, that's just an enormous thing to have to undertake," she said.

For testing in Darwin or Adelaide, the couple would have to spend two or three weeks in town, a trip many find logistically impossible.

"For a lot of people in IVF generally, often it is all too hard and [they] give up, besides all the extra issues that happen in the bush," Dr Purser said.

Healthcare delivery across all areas of medicine is no doubt harder in the bush, but fertility experts say addressing limited ultrasound availability, reducing sluggish turnaround times on blood tests at remote clinics, and increasing access to financial assistance could make it easier.

"The issue about blood tests and ultrasounds with a population like we have, it's not something that's going to be solved easily," Dr Purser said.

"It's always going to be a big source of sadness for people. I don't think that's really going to change."

Kimberley Mackay and her husband Angus welcomed their third baby in January.

Umbearra, their sprawling cattle station on the South Australian and Northern Territory border, is a kids' paradise, with poddy calves, motorbikes and endless plains to explore.

But while their herd of cattle boasts some impressive fertility rates, their own journey was taxing.

"A lot of people can't relate, so it was quite awkward with the people you were talking with and we did feel quite alone and isolated, especially living out here where you don't see too many people," Ms Mackay said.

She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and fertility help was a 13-hour drive away in Adelaide.

She began treatment with a fertility drug, Clomid, which forces egg production and enabled her to fall pregnant with their first child, Ollie.

Their second attempt was more heartbreaking.

The couple went through six cycles of Clomid and then three rounds of IVF, resulting in a pregnancy that didn't last.

But they persisted, and 37,000 kilometres and four rounds of IVF later, they had Millie and considered their family of four complete.

It was a complete surprise when they found Ms Mackay was pregnant with their third child, naturally-conceived Aubrey, last year.

"We didn't believe it," Ms Mackay said.

"It was a miracle baby, really.

"We were told it wasn't going to happen. Sometimes you get lucky."

Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline on Sunday at 12:30pm or on iview.

Topics:health,fertility-and-infertility,reproduction-and-contraception,rural,rural-women,healthcare-facilities,healthcare-clinic,nt,australia,melbourne-3000,alice-springs-0870

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The long, lonely journey of infertility in the bush can involve a six-hour drive for one blood test - ABC News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Share thisinformation with your clients, in your newsletter and social media, to educatethem on the benefits of your massage therapy. They will need healthy touchsoon, once the pandemic is over and your practice is back online.

Editors note: A healthy immune system is important at any time. This article is not suggesting that massage therapy, or any other known health care practice, can prevent coronavirus (COVID-19) or any other illness.

The healthbenefits of massage are well-known, and according to the MayoClinic include the treatment of soft tissue strains or injuries; headache relief;and help with digestive disorders.

Massageis also great to increase circulation within the body, which improves tissuequality and allows people to move and function better, Kipp Dye, MSPT,owner of OrthosportsMED PhysicalTherapy, told MASSAGE Magazine.

Crucially,massage therapy also relieves pain, which can significantlyaffect your immune response. Research confirms thatpain has a significant immunosuppressive effect on the human body. Scientistshave also found strong evidencethat pain reduces the levels of important parts of the immune system that dealwith infection and even help fight cancer.

Clinicalresearch also suggests that regular massage naturally increases the healthy immunesystems ability to kill certain cells, while decreasing the number of T-cells,for an improvement of the bodys overall immune function.

In this study, 20 HIV-positivemen received five 45-minute massages per week, for a month. The participantsshowed both an increase in serotonin and in the cells that comprise the immunesystems initial defense against infection and disease.

Theoretically,said Dye, [massage] allows for faster recovery due to increased circulation ofthe lymph and blood vascular systems, said Dye.

A randomizedcontrolled trial involving 52 healthy pregnant women examined whetheraromatherapy massage offered immune-boosting benefits.

The womenwere split into two groups: one receiving 70 minutes of aromatherapy massagewith 2% lavender essential oil every other week, the other no massage at all.

Researchersfound that the group receiving aromatherapy massage showed significantly reducedlevels of the stress hormone cortisol, and improved levels of other immune markers.

Accordingto researchers, this study presents evidence that aromatherapy massage couldsignificantly decrease stress and enhance immune function in pregnant women.

Thefindings can guide clinicians or midwives in providing aromatherapy massage towomen throughout the pregnancy, the studys authors wrote.

Recent research from Cedars-Sinai findsthat people who undergo even one session of massage experience significant changesin their immune and endocrine responses. The researchers compared the effectsof either a 45-minute session of Swedishmassage or light touch.

Participatingmassage therapists were trained in the delivery of Swedish and light touchusing specific and identical protocols.

Massageis popular in America, with almost 9% of adults receiving at least one massagewithin the past year, said Mark Rapaport, MD, chairman of the Department ofPsychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences and lead study author, said in a statement.

He emphasized,People often seek out massage as part of a healthy lifestyle but there hasntbeen much physiological proof of the bodys heightened immune responsefollowing massage until now.

Bloodsamples were collected at various intervals before and after each session, andresearchers found that those who received Swedish massage experiencedobservable changes in lymphocytes,which play an important role in a healthy immune system that protects us fromdisease.

TheSwedish massage group also had decreased levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP),a hormone associated with increased stress hormone (cortisol) levels, and adecrease in inflammatory cytokines,which are produced by infection-fighting white blood cells.

Thisresearch indicates that massage doesnt only feel good, it also may be good foryou, said Rapaport. More research is ahead of us but it appears that a singlemassage may deliver a measurable benefit.

Does thismean a relaxing massage session can help reduce your risk of catching a cold orflu?

Massage offers relaxation and stress relief, and when people are less stressed, theyre much less likely to fall ill. This is because chronic stress impairs your bodys inflammatory immune response, increasing your susceptibility to infection, according to research published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchersrecruited 34 post-surgery breast cancer patients, diagnosed with stage 1 or 2breast cancer, to a massage therapy group receiving 30-minute massages threetimes per week for five weeks, or a control group.

On thefirst and last day of the study, participants were assessed for both theirpsychological state and levels of immune system markers in their urine samples.

Accordingto the studyfindings, immediate effects of massage therapy included reduced anxietylevels, depression and anger, while longer-term benefits showed direct impacton the bodys immune markers such as increased dopamine, improved serotoninvalues and better lymphocyte levels.

Theresearchers concluded that breast cancer patients experience significantlyimproved immune, NK-cell(natural killer cell) and neuroendocrinefunction after receiving massage therapy.

There is still so much unknownabout the coronavirus, but having a healthy, functioning immune system willalways be helpful in reducing the effects of the virus, if contracted, and,could possibly be helpful in prevention of even contracting the virus at all,said Vicky Karr, LMT, aCE provider and owner of Spa Success.

Becausemassage therapy aids in improving the immune system, it is generally assumedthat it could help reduce the risk of coronavirus infection, she added.

However, accordingto Karr, because of the close bodily proximity between a massage therapist andtheir client, all of us should be following the social distancing guidelinesthat have been put into place, and not seek massage therapy until the pandemichas subsided.

Even after the pandemic is over, Karremphasizes the important of frequent hand-washing and that whenever yourenot feeling well, the best course of action is always to reschedule a massageappointment.

George W. Citroneris a freelance health journalist and author who covers breaking news in medicine and healthfor a broad range of publications. His articles for MASSAGE Magazine include Bill Introduced to License Minnesota Massage Therapists.

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This is How Massage Helps Build a Healthy Immune System (Share This with Your Clients Now) - Massage Magazine

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You have seen the packages of low-fat bologna or hot dogs in the grocery aisles. The food industry has long altered the content of fats and other nutrients in meats, dairy, and eggs to promote them as healthy choices. To date, manufacturers of such products have not been permitted to label these foods as healthy but that may change soon. Under a proposed rule, USDA-inspected products will be able to use the word healthy on labeling and advertising if their fat content consists mostly of mono- or polyunsaturated fats, as opposed to saturated fat. This labeling would apply even if the total fat content is higher than what FDA guidelines allow.

Can meat that is altered to be high in mono- and polyunsaturated fats really serve as a healthy choice? If we focus on eating meat and the reactions it causes, it is quite clear that whatever the fat content, meat is not a healthy choice. Here are nine reasons why this is true that go beyond fat alone.

Elevations of hs-CRP predict the development of serious illness including cardiovascular disease. Multiple studies have found that, even after correcting for confounding factors, meat consumption associates with increased hs-CRP. A recent basic science study performed in mice demonstrated that an amino acid found in high levels in meat, methionine, increased oxidative stress and inflammation and actually reduced heart strength too. A human study just published related meat intake to higher levels of arachidonic acid, another mediator that promotes inflammation and aging, and a diet low or absent in meat was recommended for optimal health.

Another route by which cellular aging may progress is the development of insulin resistance. Scientists looked at how eating certain foods affects the release of insulin. Surprisingly, some protein-rich and fat-rich meats induced as much insulin secretion as did some carbohydrate-rich foods (e.g., beef was equal to brown rice). The researchers found that fish, beef, cheese, and eggs had larger insulin responses per gram than many carbohydrate foods. The scientific fact that meat is insulinogenic is rarely mentioned and may contribute to aging.

IGF-1 is a peptide hormone stimulating cell growth. Its also linked to higher risk of breast and prostate cancers. Meat eaters consistently have higher levels of IGF-1 than vegetarians or vegans. Breast and prostate cancers are rare in traditional Asian communities, which have a very low intake of meat products. Okinawans, some of the longest-living people on the planet, eat a diet with less than 10 percent of their daily calories from meat. A plant-based fasting-mimicking diet has been shown to reduce levels of IGF-1, which has an anti-aging effect.

In 2011, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic demonstrated that meat eaters produced a metabolite that promotes heart disease, called TMAO. Of great interest, TMAO was not elevated in vegans who were asked to eat a meat meal for the purposes of the study. Egg yolks cause the same reaction. In my clinic, I routinely measure levels of TMAO, and my patients eating meat and egg yolks on a regular basis have elevated measurements. I worry they are aging prematurely and counsel them to substitute beans for beef and chickpeas for eggs.

POPs are toxic synthetic chemicals that accumulate in fat. Some of the POPs are PCBs, dioxins, DDT, and flame retardants used in clothing and furniture. They disrupt endocrine pathways and are linked to cancer, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. POPs enter our body largely from animal products that we eat. For example, levels of PCBs in animal fat found in meat is much higher than the levels found in vegetables, fruits, and cereals.

AGEs are naturally occurring compounds in food and can be increased by cooking on dry heat, such as on a grill. AGEs are associated with a variety of diseases including brain inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Levels of AGEs found in meat are many multiples higher than in any fruit or vegetable. The irony of the chemical term AGE is not to be missed as increased levels of AGEs lead to premature aging and are best avoided by skipping the meat entirely.

Recently, a bizarre addition to the tale of meat and inflammation has been described and a tick is to blame. New data exists that the bite of the lone star tick, quite common in certain areas like Virginia, can cause an antibody to form that reacts to a carbohydrate in meat (yes there are carbohydrates in meat from the blood groups in the flesh) called alpha-gal.

These antibodies can cause a severe allergic reaction the next time and every time red meat is eaten after the antibody forms. In an even newer research study, over 25 percent of heart patients tested had the antibody for alpha-gal, a component of red meat, and those that had the antibody had more advanced heart disease than those that did not have the antibody.

Although studies have linked the consumption of animal foods in general, and red meat in particular, with heart disease in humans, we are still learning new pathways. One new route to develop damaged heart arteries was described in detail in a new animal research study. In most species, a compound called Neu5Ac is produced and converted by an enzyme to Neu5Gc which can be found on blood vessels and other tissues. It turns out that humans lost the enzyme and therefore cannot produce Neu5Gc.

Red meat is rich in Neu5Gc. In this new study, an animal model was created that mimicked humans, unable to convert the A to the G version of the compound. When the lab animals were then fed a diet rich in Neu5Gc and fats (like meat), they developed 2.4 times the atherosclerosis of arteries of the control animals. This elegant science indicates that another biological pathway makes humans poorly suited to depend on red meat for nourishment.

Methionine is an essential amino acid found in animal and plant foods, but it exists in much higher concentrations in red meat, pork, poultry, fish, and eggs compared with plant foods. A theory that a low methionine diet (plant strong) may slow aging and improve insulin responsiveness has been proposed. Researchers at Duke University studied two models of cancer in mice fed on an average and a low methionine diet.

They reported that there were differences in the one carbon metabolism and cancer growth and responsiveness to therapy was enhanced by the low methionine diet. They then showed in healthy human volunteers that eating a low methionine diet for three weeks produced the same changes in one carbon metabolism as the mice. The easiest way to achieve a lower methionine intake is to limit or eliminate animal foods on the plate.

Based on the multiple ways in which animal foods, particularly red meat, initiate adverse reactions that are far from healthy, labelling meat that has a reduced saturated fat content may be and advance, but it is a long way from earning labelling as a healthy food choice.

Dr. Joel Kahn is Professor of Cardiology, Summa cum Laude grad, Kahn Center for Longevity and GreenSpace & Go, author, The Plant Based Solution.www.drjoelkahn.com@drjkahn.

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Article Name

Healthy Labels on Meat Are a Really Bad Idea

Description

Can meat ever really have a "heathy" label? Meat, particularly red meat, is linked to health risks including heart disease and certain forms of cancer.

Author

Dr. Joel Kahn

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LIVEKINDLY

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Healthy Labels on Meat Are a Really Bad Idea - LIVEKINDLY

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Has your skin been breaking out like crazy or drier than usual since we all started self-isolating? Because mine certainly has. And after talking to other POPSUGAR editors and posting about it on Instagram, we've learned that a lot of people feel like their skin is freaking out right now. Much of it can be attributed to higher levels of stress and anxiety, sure, but we couldn't help wondering if there might be more to it. Turns out we were on to something. As dermatologist Shari Marchbein, MD, explained: "I do think a lot of it is stress, although many of us have altered sleep, work, life, and skin-care routines right now, so there's no way to pinpoint just one reason."

Obviously, we can't generalize everyone's situation, because there are a million and one factors that go into why someone's skin might be flaring up or acting like a moody teenager. But it seems to be too much of a coincidence that almost everyone is having the same problem since lockdown began even dermatologists. "I have to be honest; my skin just has a mind of its own and lifestyle factors make relatively little difference to what it wants to do," admitted London-based consultant dermatologist Anjali Mahto. The same might be true for a lot of us, but we still wanted to find out if there is anything specific causing our isolation breakouts and if there's anything we can do to help clear them.

By no means are we telling you that you need to "fix" or "improve" your skin right now. We'll lay out all the expert opinions for you, so you can take the advice you want and need whether that's all of it or none of it. We know the appearance of your skin may not be your top priority right now, but as beauty editors, we found the number one question we're being asked right now isn't how to perfect our at-home facial massage technique but: "why is my skin breaking out so badly since lockdown?" So, we're going to help answer it.

To get to the bottom of it, we spoke with six dermatologists and skin experts who listed six possible reasons spots are popping up quicker than we can control. These include humidity levels, lack of vitamin D, protective mask friction, and the inevitable stress.

Listing stress as a reason for increased breakouts feels both helpful and unhelpful right now. Given it's such an unsettling time, we're all stressed to some degree, and while practicing mindfulness or meditating can help, telling us to chill out is easier said than done. But here's the thing, nearly every expert we spoke to mentioned stress as one of the main reasons we're all seeing more spots than usual.

Stress can trigger elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), causing an overall metabolic imbalance in the body (which also affects sleep). For women specifically, this decreases our oestrogen production, which subsequently means we have a higher amount of androgen (male hormone). "Androgen, when in abundance, will send messages to our sebaceous glands to produce more oil. The reaction makes our pores unhappy, causing them to swell internally, creating an inflammatory response on the skin, therefore producing a spot," explained Pamela Marshall, clinical aesthetician and founder of London-based clinic Mortar & Milk.

So, how do you avoid this happening? Well, we're not going to tell you to meditate and do yoga because, honestly, in these times, you do you (although, if you want help relaxing, we have talked to experts about how to do that right). But take some comfort in knowing that these unusual times aren't forever, nor is your skin freakout. While the condition of your skin might not be your usual, it's probably happening due to this totally normal response.

Stress leads us onto the next possible factor, differing sleep patterns. "When sleep deprived, the body makes more cortisol, which causes inflammation and can worsen skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis," Dr. Marchbein explained. Trying to keep your sleep as consistent as you can will only do good things for your overall well-being and skin.

Another big reason for your skin taking a turbulent ride since lockdown could be the changes in humidity levels, especially since most of us have been indoors a lot more. "Heated indoor air loses a lot of moisture, typically containing just 10 percent of the moisture your skin needs," said Anne Wetter, MD, dermatologist and cofounder of Alll DNA skincare. "When you are inside in the dry air, the moisture transfers through your pores in the skin, giving you a very dry skin surface, even though you might normally have oily or combined skin. This will put your skin into a sort of 'turbo mode' where it tries to remoisturize, but instead it gives you irritated and red skin, or even acne."

To combat the low humidity level, Dr. Wetter recommends making sure you're keeping your skin hydrated with moisturizers containing the ingredients urea or glycerin. In addition to this, if you have access, use a humidifier. If you don't, she advises leaving bowls of water in your house and next to the computer or the place you're working/spending most of your time. It might seem strange and a bit precarious (make sure the bowls aren't close enough to spill on your computer), but it's worth a shot, right?

You've seen the pictures of doctors and nurses with their faces dry, chapped, and irritated from wearing multiple masks all day long. But wearing a mask can mess up your skin even if you're just wearing it to the supermarket or on your commute to work if you're an essential worker. This is because continual use of masks and protective equipment can cause friction on the skin, which can lead to sensitivity and irritation. Dr. Marchbein explained that this is basically a form of acne mechanica, which can be triggered by excessive pressure, friction, heat, or rubbing of the skin. "We see this with helmets, chin straps, and anything the rubs the face or occludes it." This can start out as smaller patches of irritated or bumpy skin but then form into larger spots. Now, to be clear, we are by no means telling you not to wear a face mask when going out in public (editor's note: while the UK government advises not to wear one unless you're sick, other areas around the world are encouraging it, including New York City); we're just noting that this is another factor to consider when trying to figure out what's going on with your skin.

To treat this form of acne, do not excessively scrub the area; this may cause further irritation. Instead, cleanse the affected area gently to remove any grime and sweat, and treat with a mild alpha hydroxy acid like salicylic acid and an oil-free moisturizer.

While discussing this article in our morning edit meeting, I told my fellow editors how many experts mentioned alcohol as a factor but that I didn't think I was drinking more than usual. My teammates agreed, but then 15 seconds later, we all copped to the fact that, yes, we have been drinking a lot more wine in lockdown. And based on our Instagram Stories, I don't think we're alone in that practice.

"When we drink alcohol, our skin becomes dry and can look wrinkly, in addition to causing puffiness in the face." said Susan Mayou, consultant dermatologist at the Cadogan Clinic in London. While drinking likely won't be the root cause of your skin woes, it probably isn't helping. It's up to you whether that extra glass of wine is worth it for dry and puffy skin in the morning. But if I'm being totally honest, for me, that extra glass is absolutely worth an extra spot or two right now.

An hour outdoors, at most, is a dramatic decrease in what most of us and our skin are used to. Our dry, dull, and angry skin could be due to a "lack of vitamin D synthesis from not spending much time outdoors," Marshall said. "Vitamin D is crucial to cell differentiation and development." Dr. Wetter agreed, noting that "UV light in moderation has a beneficial effect to some skin conditions like acne. Staying inside will prevent this." According to the NHS, "your body can't make vitamin D if you're sitting indoors by a sunny window because ultraviolet B (UVB) rays (the ones your body needs to make vitamin D) can't get through the glass." For this reason, Marshall and the NHS both recommend increasing your intake of vitamin D from food sources and potentially taking a vitamin D supplement (although, please consult your GP before adding any nutritional supplements into your diet).

Now that we understand a little bit more about what may be causing our breakouts, we wanted to know exactly why our skin is full of both spots and dry patches.

Acne occurs when the hair follicles in your skin get clogged, which is usually caused by oil, dead skin cells, leftover makeup, and dirt. "The skin relies on its lipid layers to keep out potential irritants, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and to maintain a consistent cell turnover," Dr. Wetter explained. "When your skin becomes dry, its ability to perform these tasks is limited, causing buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, which can easily become irritated and inflamed, creating a potential breeding ground for acne." To combat this, she stresses the importance of still cleansing morning and evening, even if you aren't wearing makeup as normal.

Having said that, don't be tempted to run to your beauty stash and apply every chemical exfoliator and foaming cleanser you own to try to clear your skin. "I believe less is more when it comes to skin care," Dr. Mahto said. "It's about picking ingredients wisely that have multipurpose ingredients." For acne, she recommends using evidence-based ingredients such as AHAs and retinoids in your routine to control oil production and blemishes. Board-certified dermatologist Erin Gilbert's view also reflects this: "Harsh exfoliation can worsen the inflammation you are experiencing with an acne breakout. This is why you want to use a mild AHA," such as salicylic acid. She likes the Skinceuticals Blemish + Age Cleanser ($92) and Vichy Normaderm Phytosolution Purifying Cleanser ($18).

"Be judicious, and don't overuse these to the point of excess dryness. I see so many patients who have overused harsh antiacne regimes and complain of severe irritation and redness," Dr. Gilbert said. "If that happens, you'll be tempted to apply a heavy moisturizer, but then the cycle of breakouts will start all over again." For moisturizers, she recommends creams with the ingredient niacinamide as it has anti-inflammatory properties, such as CeraVe Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturizer ($14), and we like Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Moisturizer ($29).

Another treatment, recommended by Dr. Marchbein, are spot patches. These are "hydrocolloid adhesive stickers that contain certain active ingredients such as salicylic acid and/or tea tree oil, which are delivered to the spot while it's in place. By covering the pimple, these active ingredients are able to penetrate the skin more deeply, allowing them to potentially work better." We love Zitsticka Killa Patches ($29), which uses 24 microdarts to dispense the ingredients (don't worry, it doesn't hurt), and the pack also contains antiseptic wipes. We're also using Starface Patches ($22), which come in the most adorable box ever.

More:
6 Dermatologists and Skin Experts Explain Why Your Breakouts Are Out of Control Right Now - POPSUGAR

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Has your skin been breaking out like crazy or drier than usual since we all started self-isolating? Because mine certainly has. And after talking to my fellow POPSUGAR editors and posting about it on Instagram, we've learned that a lot of people feel like their skin is freaking out right now. Much of it can be attributed to higher levels of stress and anxiety, sure, but we couldn't help wondering if there might be more to it. Turns out we were on to something. As Dr Shari Marchbein, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, explained: "I do think a lot of it is stress, although many of us have altered sleep, work, life, and skin-care routines right now, so there's no way to pinpoint just one reason."

Obviously, we can't generalise everyone's situation, because there are a million and one factors that go into why someone's skin might be flaring up or acting like a moody teenager. But it seems to be too much of a coincidence that almost everyone is having the same problem since lockdown began even dermatologists. "I have to be honest; my skin just has a mind of its own and lifestyle factors make relatively little difference to what it wants to do," admitted London-based consultant dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto. The same might be true for a lot of us, but we still wanted to find out if there is anything specific causing our isolation breakouts and if there's anything we can do to help clear them.

By no means are we telling you that you need to "fix" or "improve" your skin right now. We'll lay out all the expert opinions for you, so you can take the advice you want and need whether that's all of it or none of it. We know the appearance of your skin may not be your top priority right now, but as beauty editors, we found the number one question we're being asked right now isn't how to perfect our at-home facial massage technique but: "why is my skin breaking out so badly since lockdown?" So, we're going to help answer it.

To get to the bottom of it, we spoke with six dermatologists and skin experts who listed six possible reasons spots are popping up quicker than we can control. These include humidity levels, lack of vitamin D, protective mask friction, and the inevitable stress.

Listing stress as a reason for increased breakouts feels both helpful and unhelpful right now. Given it's such an unsettling time, we're all stressed to some degree, and while practising mindfulness or meditating can help, telling us to chill out is easier said than done. But here's the thing: nearly every expert we spoke to mentioned stress as one of the main reasons we're all seeing more spots than usual.

Stress can trigger elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), causing an overall metabolic imbalance in the body (which also affects sleep). For women specifically, this decreases our oestrogen production, which subsequently means we have a higher amount of androgen (male hormone). "Androgen, when in abundance, will send messages to our sebaceous glands to produce more oil. The reaction makes our pores unhappy, causing them to swell internally, creating an inflammatory response on the skin, therefore producing a spot," explained Pamela Marshall, clinical aesthetician and founder of London-based clinic Mortar & Milk.

So, how do you avoid this happening? Well, we're not going to tell you to meditate and do yoga because, honestly, in these times, you do you (although, if you want help relaxing, we have talked to experts about how to do that right). But take some comfort in knowing that these unusual times aren't forever, nor is your skin freakout. While the condition of your skin might not be your usual, it's probably happening due to this totally normal response.

Stress leads us onto the next possible factor, differing sleep patterns. "When sleep deprived, the body makes more cortisol, which causes inflammation and can worsen skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis," Dr Marchbein explained. Trying to keep your sleep as consistent as you can will only do good things for your overall well-being and skin.

Another big reason for your skin taking a turbulent ride since lockdown could be the changes in humidity levels, especially since most of us have been indoors a lot more. "Heated indoor air loses a lot of moisture, typically containing just 10 percent of the moisture your skin needs," said Dr Anne Wetter, dermatologist and cofounder of Alll DNA skincare. "When you are inside in the dry air, the moisture transfers through your pores in the skin, giving you a very dry skin surface, even though you might normally have oily or combined skin. This will put your skin into a sort of 'turbo mode' where it tries to remoisturise, but instead it gives you irritated and red skin, or even acne."

To combat the low humidity level, Dr Wetter recommends making sure you're keeping your skin hydrated with moisturisers containing the ingredients urea or glycerin. In addition to this, if you have access, use a humidifier. If you don't, she advises leaving bowls of water in your house and next to the computer or the place you're working/spending most of your time. It might seem strange and a bit precarious (make sure the bowls aren't close enough to spill on your computer), but it's worth a shot, right?

You've seen the pictures of doctors and nurses with their faces dry, chapped, and irritated from wearing multiple masks all day long. But wearing a mask can mess up your skin even if you're just wearing it to the supermarket or on your commute to work if you're an essential worker. This is because continual use of masks and protective equipment can cause friction on the skin, which can lead to sensitivity and irritation. Dr Marchbein explained that this is basically a form of acne mechanica, which can be triggered by excessive pressure, friction, heat, or rubbing of the skin. "We see this with helmets, chin straps, and anything that rubs the face or occludes it." This can start out as smaller patches of irritated or bumpy skin but then form into larger spots. Now, to be clear, we are by no means telling you not to wear a face mask when going out in public (editor's note: while the UK government advises not to wear one unless you're sick, other areas around the world are encouraging it, including New York City); we're just noting that this is another factor to consider when trying to figure out what's going on with your skin.

To treat this form of acne, do not excessively scrub the area; this may cause further irritation. Instead, cleanse the affected area gently to remove any grime and sweat, and treat with a mild alpha hydroxy acid like salicylic acid and an oil-free moisturiser.

While discussing this article in our morning edit meeting, I told my fellow editors how many experts mentioned alcohol as a factor but that I didn't think I was drinking more than usual. My teammates agreed, but then 15 seconds later, we all copped to the fact that, yes, we have been drinking a lot more wine in lockdown. And based on our Instagram Stories, I don't think we're alone in that practise.

"When we drink alcohol, our skin becomes dry and can look wrinkly, in addition to causing puffiness in the face." said Dr Susan Mayou, consultant dermatologist at the Cadogan Clinic in London. While drinking likely won't be the root cause of your skin woes, it probably isn't helping. It's up to you whether that extra glass of wine is worth it for dry and puffy skin in the morning. But if I'm being totally honest, for me, that extra glass is absolutely worth an extra spot or two right now.

An hour outdoors, at most, is a dramatic decrease in what most of us and our skin are used to. Our dry, dull, and angry skin could be due to a "lack of vitamin D synthesis from not spending much time outdoors," Marshall said. "Vitamin D is crucial to cell differentiation and development." Dr Wetter agreed, noting that "UV light in moderation has a beneficial effect to some skin conditions like acne. Staying inside will prevent this." According to the NHS, "your body can't make vitamin D if you're sitting indoors by a sunny window because ultraviolet B (UVB) rays (the ones your body needs to make vitamin D) can't get through the glass." For this reason, Marshall and the NHS both recommend increasing your intake of vitamin D from food sources and potentially taking a vitamin D supplement (although, please consult your GP before adding any nutritional supplements into your diet).

Now that we understand a little bit more about what may be causing our breakouts, we wanted to know exactly why our skin is full of both spots and dry patches.

Acne occurs when the hair follicles in your skin get clogged, which is usually caused by oil, dead skin cells, leftover makeup, and dirt. "The skin relies on its lipid layers to keep out potential irritants, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and to maintain a consistent cell turnover," Dr Wetter explained. "When your skin becomes dry, its ability to perform these tasks is limited, causing buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, which can easily become irritated and inflamed, creating a potential breeding ground for acne." To combat this, she stresses the importance of still cleansing morning and evening, even if you aren't wearing makeup as normal.

Having said that, don't be tempted to run to your beauty stash and apply every chemical exfoliator and foaming cleanser you own to try to clear your skin. "I believe less is more when it comes to skin care," Dr Mahto said. "I think it's about picking ingredients wisely that have multipurpose ingredients." For acne, she recommends using evidence-based ingredients such as AHAs and retinoids in your routine to control oil production and blemishes. Board-certified dermatologist Dr Erin Gilbert's view also reflects this: "Harsh exfoliation can worsen the inflammation you are experiencing with an acne breakout. This is why you want to use a mild AHA," such as salicylic acid. She likes the Skinceuticals Blemish + Age Cleanser (40) and Vichy Normaderm Phytosolution Purifying Cleanser (13).

"Be judicious, and don't overuse these to the point of excess dryness. I see so many patients who have overused harsh antiacne regimes and complain of severe irritation and redness," Dr Gilbert said. "If that happens, you'll be tempted to apply a heavy moisturiser, but then the cycle of breakouts will start all over again." For moisturisers, she recommends creams with the ingredient niacinamide as it has anti-inflammatory properties, such as CeraVe Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturiser (13), and we like Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Moisturiser (28).

Another treatment, recommended by Dr Marchbein, are spot patches. These are "hydrocolloid adhesive stickers that contain certain active ingredients such as salicylic acid and/or tea tree oil, which are delivered to the spot while it's in place. By covering the pimple, these active ingredients are able to penetrate the skin more deeply, allowing them to potentially work better." We love Zitsticka Killa Patches (27), which use 24 microdarts to dispense the ingredients (don't worry, it doesn't hurt), and the pack also contains antiseptic wipes. We're also using Starface Patches (17), which come in the most adorable box ever.

See the article here:
Is Your Skin Breaking Out Like Crazy? 6 Experts Explain Why This Might Be Happening - POPSUGAR United Kingdom

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

If youre struggling to sleep during the virus outbreak, experts have some advice on how to get more shut-eye. (Rawpixel pic)

You might find yourself struggling to sleep during the current Covid-19 outbreak, as stress, uncertainty and changes in our usual routine make it more difficult to relax at night and drop off.

Here, we round up some expert advice on how you can try to maintain a regular sleep pattern and get a more restful nights shut-eye.

1. Try to stick to the same bedtime and wake-up time

Waking up and starting your day at the same time every day is the most important way to stabilise your body clock, says Professor Greg Murray, at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.

He advises sticking to consistent sleep and wake times which fit your natural rhythm. If youre a night owl, its okay to stay up a little later and get up a little later, just make sure these bedtimes and wake up times are the same every day, he says.

Dr Elizabeth Cozine, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, agrees, Try to go to bed at the same time every night, maybe sleeping in a little bit later than you normally would because youre not rushing to get to the office.

And see if you can try to get somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep, which is what most adults need, and make that a regular part of your day.

2. Avoid napping

Professor Murray also advises trying not to nap during daylight hours, as it can make it hard to fall asleep at night. If you must nap, he says to restrict your sleep to just 30 minutes.

3. Get some sunlight during the day

Professor Kevin Morgan, who is a sleep expert at the University of Loughborough, UK, says that staying indoors means we dont soak up enough sunlight, and this can affect our sleep patterns and our need to nap during the day.

To help synchronise our body clock, we should try to get enough sunlight during the day, particularly in the morning, to let our body know its daytime. He recommends exercising outdoors, if you can, or at least just walking to the grocery store or sitting in the garden.

4. And avoid bright light in the evening

In the evening, Professor Murray says we should avoid bright light, as this suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin, which makes us feel sleepy.

This also includes avoiding the blue light from computer screens and smartphones, so try to read a book or take a bath instead of watching TV to help you relax.

5. Avoid alcohol and caffeine

Be careful how much caffeine you have every day, says Professor Morgan, who adds that working from home, or just being at home, offers more opportunities for tea and coffee breaks.

Caffeine suppresses the chemical adenosine which contributes to sleepiness and promotes sleep. He also advises limiting your alcohol intake, as although it can help you fall asleep it can also cause you to wake up early, as well as affect the quality of your sleep so you actually feel more tired the next day.

6. Try to relax

Psychiatry professor Adam Abba-Aji at the University of Alberta, Canada, says that if youre feeling anxious during the Covid-19 outbreak, usually the first sign of it will be a lack of sleep.

It becomes difficult to switch our brains off, he said. Where theres a lack of sleep, people sometimes resort to alcohol or some other sedatives.

Instead, Abba-Aji suggests trying to relax and switch off with some yoga before you head to bed.

7. Try meditation

You might not have tried meditation before, but Dr Cozine says theres a lot of evidence to suggest it can improve sleep, as well as help ease stress and anxiety.

Ive found that it helps me turn off those hamster wheels of thoughts that are rolling in my brain, and it also helps me to get ready for the next step, she says.

Im not talking about sitting Zen, cross-legged for three hours thinking about I dont know like a desert or something. Im talking about maybe five minutes where you just reset.

Follow this link:
7 ways to sleep better during the Covid-19 outbreak - Free Malaysia Today

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Whats wrong

with society?

Editor:

Everybody, take a good look around and carefully commit your current situation to memory. Because for the rest of your life, when someone asks you, What is the stupidest thing youve ever seen? the present state of affairs today will be the correct response.

Our society has declared war on the common cold variant COVID-19. Maybe its a bad cold, but still, like most colds, its no big deal for 99% of the people, and most of the remaining 1% are susceptible to just about any medical issue due to their advanced age and pre-existing conditions. Each year this is dealt with as a normal, routine situation during cold and flu season. However, now, for whatever reason, weve pulled out all the stops, spared no expense, and thrown caution to the wind for COVID-19.

Im not against taking reasonable precautions to deal with any illness. We should quarantine ourselves when sick, wash our bodies and clean our spaces regularly and avoid interactions with minimal benefit. However, we always need to consider differentiating between reasonable precautions and unreasonable measures. Canceling all large gatherings and closing meeting places of healthy people does very little to fight the virus, but greatly reduces real benefits to the participants, especially if it is workplace or a school.

The hypothetical benefits of giving aged and sickly people a slight life extension has to be considered against the actual costs of the measures we are presently enforcing. Giving a couple thousand people their 87th Christmas is not much comfort to the tens of millions of breadwinners who are out of work for months and wont be able to afford holiday gifts for their families this year. Maybe these elderly survivors will read one or two more books before they pass on, but it would be much better for all of us if tens of millions of students were reading their books in the classroom right now instead of playing alone at home.

Economics is the dismal science, but we need to review our current policies to avoid sacrificing prosperity for the younger generations just to extend slightly the life of the oldest. If we are going to throw away our freedoms and liberties, we should at least demand something good in return. Right now, we are approaching martial law with nothing to show for it except a looming recession.

I choose to remain an optimist. Expanded testing is only going to continue boosting the rates of survival and recovery because, surprise, most of us only seek medical attention when we are really sick, not just a little under the weather with a cold. Indeed COVID-19 itself is not virulent enough to have a lasting physical impact on our society, so we cannot allow the government and media sensationalized fear of COVID-19 to drive our society to ruin. We shouldnt be needlessly prohibiting the important relationships and activities in our lives for no good reason. We should not allow ourselves to be driven apart by some common cold virus. Instead, we should come together for all that is good in our society and the best our civilization has to offer.

Charles Peabody

Goodyear

Give President Trump past due

credit for pandemic

Editor:

Im sure many of you are sick and tired of all of the critics who complain about every single move that President Trump makes.

Im talking about the never Trumpers. They have every right to not agree with the president, but during not only a national crisis, its a worldwide crisis, and they wont get off his back and let him do his job.

If anybody thinks they can do a better job, please step up and show all of us! But, I want you to step up and do it just like President Trump has done it for almost four years, with every single wrench thrown in his way and all of the obstructions, witch hunting and fake news; Russia hoaxes and Ukraine hoaxes that trail back to the Bidens corruption; a fake whistleblower who disappeared from the face of the earth after President Trump was acquitted; Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler and Schumer secret bunker meetings trying to overthrow the government; and every nasty Democrat-choreographed coup detat the Democrats dreamed up. I want to see anybody who thinks they can do better do it the same way President Trump has had to work daily.

While the Democrats worked to impeach President Trump, he was already working on the coronavirus. He has daily press briefings with the most intellectual people in the medical field guiding him on national TV, taking questions after they speak and still we have criticism.

If President Trump delivered the cure or a vaccination to stop the spread of coronavirus on a golden platter, that would not be good enough for his critics. Its time for America to stand behind its leader and give credit where credit is past due. Imagine for just a second where America would be without the quick action of President Trump stopping all flights from Wuhan, China, when this virus broke out. He had your back, and you wont give him the credit he deserves.

He got the $2 trillion aid package approved after Pelosi tried to sneak in $1.5 billion for abortions and several billion for New Green Deal, which have nothing to do with saving the lives of coronavirus patients. How killing unborn babies helps cure coronavirus when people forgot to use birth control is truly amazing.

This is the Democratic Party at work. How redecorating the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts cures a pandemic is mind boggling. How cutting down emissions from jet planes keeps coronavirus patients out of hospitals with the Green New Deal sneaked into the $2 trillion aid package for the American people who are out of work related to a pandemic is supposed to put food on the tables of Americans who lost their jobs, just how do Democrats thank Pelosi for such foolishness?

Ill tell you how. Republican President Trump to the rescue.

James Logan

Buckeye

History 101

Editor:

Every industrialized country on the planet has some form of single-payer health care except the United States. Germany has since the 1880s. Not only do they have better outcomes, but theyre also at about half the price. Not only is it morally the right thing to do, its also fiscally the responsible thing to do. To say its impossible is, to me, un-American. We should be doing it better than everybody else. There is no free-market solution. If youre in an ambulance dying, youre not going to ask which hospital is cheapest or best.

Damion Armstrong

Avondale

Troubling traffic

Editor:

I represent several homeowners who have concerns about child safety and property values with the city of Buckeye opening up Van Buren to Verrado. Speeding is out of control. The police did a test and gave out 40-some tickets in a two-day period. There are two bus stops in this area, and lately I had a pickup truck run the stop sign, drive through my backyard 8-foot-tall block wall, scrape the side of my house and take out my front block wall. We are getting nowhere with the police, city and city council.

Jim Harrison

Buckeye

Put isolation to good use

Editor:

Despite the vast tragedy and extreme upset surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 here in Arizona, I imagine it is something of a clich in trying to always look at the bright side of things. So, let me put it this wayand I suppose I am looking for positivity because at least the season of spring is upon usenjoy the weather before triple-digit heat smacks you right across your face.

Everyone is walking or riding a bike! Or in some measure in looks like this. With gyms closed, I guess this was to be expected. But neighborhoods are full of chalk on sidewalks and plenty of room to navigate your feet or bike with plenty of distance to spare. There is such freedom of mind and body in getting out there and doing your thing. Can you fully adjust to not being able to open the door to your gym? Not really. And thats OK. And heres why.

Life is about adjustment and regrouping skills. If youre used to going to the gym every day but now you cant, you basically have two options: do nothing and wait for the green light to open the gym door again or accept the adjustment and regroup accordingly. I believe the latter option is the smartest, and also folks who do not go to the gym anyway should take this opportunity to throw on a pair of sneakers and start their own journey to fitness of mind and body.

You often hear, Were all in this together. While this is most certainly true, also consider that saying you dont have time to walk or ride a bike really doesnt make much sense. It kind of falls flat. The truth is you dont have time not to get your mind and body moving. Young or old. Overweight or underweight. And everyone else in between. Popular wisdom states it takes 21 days to form a habit that sticks. What are you waiting for? Start: This is the five-letter word you must take to heart.

Some of us exercise too much and some of us do not exercise enough. This is why there is merit in meeting in the middle. Again, the clock of your life and the clock of your loved ones and actually the clock of reality itself that always ticks no matter what you are thinking is the real deal. The world doesnt stop for anyone. Going back in time is completely impossible.

So, use this time in front of you to replace words with action. Get outside in your neighborhood and blaze your own trail no matter the speed in which you move your feet. The fact that you decided to turn off the news or put your cellphone on the table for 30 minutes is your best 30 minutes spent at this very moment. Its then your duty to do 30 minutes again tomorrow and the day after and go from there. The only one stopping you is you. Dont do that anymore. Its go time!

Tony Zizza

Avondale

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Letters To the Editor | Opinion - westvalleyview.com

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

NHS Tayside has moved to allay staff concerns over a batch of protective masks discovered to have been four years past their use-by date.

A group of terrified nurses at Ninewells were shocked after they peeled off a sticker on a box of masks which had an expiry date of August 2021 to reveal an original expiry date of August 2016 printed underneath.

However, Scotlands chief deputy medical officer Dr Gregor Smith had written to seniormedical staff last month, saying the equipment had been subject to rigorous assessment and shelf-life extension by the manufacturer, and was safe to use.

One nurse contacted the Tele to say she and colleagues felt furious and sick when they found the 2016 date.

The Ninewells nurse, who asked not to be identified, said the discovery was made aftersome of the masks were stained when they were taken out of the box.

She said: We found stained masks, then looked at the boxes, and thats when we peeled off the stickers.

Were furious and feel sick that they would treat us like that we should have been toldabout this. Its left colleagues terrified.

A former staff nurse at one of the hospitals busiest wards said the situation was awful.

The woman, who recently retired, said: Im still in touch with former colleagues, a lot of whom are treating people with coronavirus, as a lot of non-essential surgery has been postponed so they have capacity for people with Covid-19.

At a time when we are hearing about rising deaths, including frontline health care staff, the last thing they need is further worry like this.

Dr Smiths letter was sent to territorial board chief executives, medical directors, directors of public health, primary care leads, heads of procurement, logistics and stores managers, resilience officers and GP practice managers.

Dr Smith said in his letter: I am writing to you today regarding concerns which have been raised around the stock of facemasks which is being issued to GP Practices this week from national stockpiles.

The stock which has been issued was manufactured by Cardinal/Medline and had an original expiry dating back, typically to 2016. They now have a shelf-life expiry date sticker, typically with a date of 2021.

I would like to clarify that this stock has been subject to rigorous assessment and shelf-life extension by the manufacturer and is therefore safe to use. I hope this allays any concerns you may have.

A spokesman for NHS Tayside said: We have been assured by the Scottish Government thatthis stock of face masks is safe to use as it has been subject to rigorous assessment andshelf-life extension by the manufacturer.

This information has been shared with all staff.

In these troubled times, when many people are struggling to get out for their paper, we are pledging to help readers by providing a FREE digital edition of the Evening Telegraph for our readers, with hundreds taking us up on the offer. Click below to register

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Originally posted here:
Shock as Ninewells nurses find protective masks with expiry dates from 2016 on box - Evening Telegraph

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

By Guy Martin

Draken International has begun flying supersonic, radar equipped Mirage F1M fighters to support US Air Force (USAF) combat training at Nellis Air Force Base after the aircraft were returned to service by Paramount Aerospace Systems.

The fully modernized Mirage F1Ms, predominately flown by the Spanish Air Force in the past, now challenge US and coalition 4th and 5th generation fighters over the skies of the Nevada Test and Training Range in the development of warfighters tactics, techniques, and procedures, Draken International said on 26 March.

Over the past two years, the collaborative efforts between Draken International and Paramount Aerospace Systems has resulted in the reassembly, restoration, and certification of the fleet of Mirage F1s. This extensive project was accomplished at Drakens maintenance facility in Lakeland, Florida. Draken has also begun the acceptance of the fleet of Denel Cheetahs from the South African Air Force, a 4th Generation supersonic radar-equipped fighter that joins Drakens operational fleet, the company said.

Sean Gustafson, VP of Business Development at Draken stated, Draken is fully committed to enhancing adversary support for the USAF. These fleets of supersonic assets highlight the dedication to fulfilling combat readiness training objectives at Nellis and Air Force bases across the US. Our ever-growing fleet of advanced fighters enrich our capabilities and challenge Airmen, Sailors, and Marines alike.

Draken flew its first refurbish F1M on 12 November 2019 from Lakeland Linder International Airport. Paramount Aerospace Systems and Draken signed a contract in 2018 for the overhaul and ongoing engineering support of its fleet of 22 ex-Spanish Mirage F1s.

Paramount Aerospace says it specializes in the modernization of fixed wing platforms including leading the previous modernization of the Mirage F1M while still in Spanish Air Force service. Through predecessor company Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE), Paramount was involved in modernising Spains F1CE/EE/EDA fleet to F1M standard.

The modernisation of the Spanish F1s covered a service life extension programme (SLEP) and avionics upgrade for 48 F1CE/EE (C.14A/B) single-seaters and four F1EDA (C.14C) two-seat trainers. Thomson-CSF RCM was awarded the FFr700 million contract in 1996. Spanish companies Amper Programas, Indra and CASA acted as sub-contractors while ATE was responsible for the design and integration of the navigation, display and weapons systems. The last upgraded fighter was handed over to the Spanish air Force in 2001.

Apart from the SLEP, the upgrade package includes a revised cockpit with colour liquid crystal displays and a Smart HUD; a Sextant inertial navigation system with GPS interface; air-to-ground radar rangefinding capability; NATO-compatible Have Quick 2 secure communications; Mode 4 digital IFF; a defensive aids suite; and flight recorders.

Draken also acquired nine ex-South African Air Force Cheetah C and three Cheetah D fighters from Denel in 2018. These will join its more than 100 tactical fighter aircraft, including the A-4 Skyhawk and L-159 Honey Badger.

This article was published on March 31, 2020 by defenceWeb.

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Draken Works the Red Team: Mirage F-1s as Part of the Arsenal - Second Line of Defense

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The results will be included in a maiden resource estimate for the San Antonio prospect, which is expected shortly.

Alkane Resources Limited () has received further broad, high-grade gold results from resource definition drilling on San Antonio and Roswell prospects south of the Tomingley Gold Operations (TGO) in Central West NSW.

Assays from the final 6,608 metres at San Antonio of the overall initial 60,000-metre program have been received and will be incorporated in a maiden resource calculation at the prospect, which is expected shortly.

Best of the latest results are 18 metres at 12.7 g/t gold from 117 metres, including 5 metres at 35.5 g/t from 120 metres, and 19 metres at 4.90 g/t from 104 metres, including 6 metres at 10.8 g/t from 113 metres.

The San Antonio resource is expected to add to the Roswell inferred resource of 7.02 million tonnes at 1.97 g/t gold.

Roswell and San Antonio are immediately south of the TGO mine and processing facility.

Tomingley Gold Project covers about 440 square kilometres stretching 60 kilometres north-south along the Newell Highway from Tomingley in the north, through Peak Hill and almost to Parkes in the south.

The project contains Alkanes operating TGO, initially an open pit mine with a 1 million tonnes per annum processing facility that has now transitioned to underground.

For the past two years Alkane has conducted an extensive regional exploration program with the objective of defining additional resources that have the potential to be mined via open pit or underground operations and fed to TGO.

This has yielded broad, shallow high-grade intercepts that demonstrate potential for material project life extension and show that a return to open pit mining and/or underground extension is possible with appropriate resource confirmation, landholder agreement and regulatory approvals.

Alkanes 60,000-metre resource definition drilling program has been designed to define initial inferred resources at both prospects and the company has received highly encouraging results.

Other San Antonio results:

The company assayed 3-metre composite reverse circulation (RC) samples, however, where strong mineralisation was observed by the site geologist, it was directly assayed at 1-metre intervals.

Assaying of 1-metre re-split samples of 3-metre composites is ongoing.

These results are from 30 RC drill holes for 5,461 metres and two diamond cored drill holes for 1,147 metres at the San Antonio prospect.

The second phase of infill resource drilling across Roswell and San Antonio comprising a further 50,000 metres is continuing.

Visit link:
Alkane Resources regional drilling south of TGO returns further broad, high-grade gold - Proactive Investors Australia

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Lets hear it for the female of the species and (more guardedly) for her second X-chromosome! Female superiority in colour vision, immune response, longevity, even basic survival from birth to death are illustrated in Sharon Moalems The Better Half. After decades, if not centuries, of bad press for women and their vulnerable biology, this book argues that in fact almost everything that is biologically difficult to do in life is done better by females.

Moalem, a Canadian-born physician, is a research geneticist who has identified two new rare genetic conditions. He has worked across the world in paediatric medicine, including clinics for HIV-infected infants and is also a biotechnology entrepreneur and bestselling author. The Better Half is his latest foray into the field of popular science, and presents a general argument for the superiority of womens biology to mens.

In most circumstances, a human female has two X-chromosomes, one from her father and one from her mother; a male has just one, inherited from his mother, which is paired with a Y-chromosome, inherited from his father. Moalem believes that the X-chromosome has always received a poor press, and that it is time this negative view is counteracted. He draws on swathes of medical and historical data to show that, in many instances, the superiority of womens biology is explicitly linked to their possession of the second X-chromosome. The greater complexity of womens biology, he claims, is the secret of their success it is more difficult to make a female but, once made, she trumps the male in her lifelong survival skills, for instance in her hyperefficient immune system shrugging off infection and maximising the benefits of vaccination which means that females can avoid the consequences of a wide range of life threatening events ranging from starvation and cancer to, Moalem has cautiously concluded, Covid-19.

In mainstream genetics it was long held that, despite having two X-chromosomes, female cells only made use of one: the second randomly switched off or deactivated early on in embryonic development, a process rather summarily described as an instance of genetic redundancy. There was some evidence that the deactivation reduced female chances of succumbing to X-linked problems, due to the availability of an undamaged back-up. It was acknowledged, for example (though rather grudgingly), that women generally escaped being colour blind. Moalem notes that when he was studying genetics there was much emphasis on the tiny Y-chromosome as what makes a man. He observes wryly that maybe this positivity was related to the fact that most of the people who were speaking breathlessly about the Y had one as well.

Now a new spin on the X-inactivation story is emerging in genetics. Via a process called escape from X-inactivation, it turns out that the silenced X-chromosome is not so silent after all there are escapees which may continue to offer back-up services, for instance providing extra cellular recovery options in the face of traumatic injury. It is to the benefits offered by this flexible availability within different cells that Moalem attributes the secrets of womens biological superiority.

Statistics going back as far as 1662 show women living longer than men, and todays figures show that 95% of people who have reached the age of 110 and over are female. In sport, womens success in races such as ultra-marathons offer a different perspective on what it means to be physically superior. In the spirit of Angela Sainis book Inferior, Moalem notes that this superiority has largely been ignored by medical science. And he discusses the medical trial data whose absence is observed by Caroline Criado-Perez in Invisible Women, her exploration of how the world is designed for men. Medicine needs to stop ignoring the secrets of womens biological successes, Moalem argues, and find ways of harnessing them to improve the survival chances of the whole of the human race.

Imagine you live in a world where most individuals can see 1m colours. But in one group of these people (lets call them males), about 8% cannot tell the difference between colours such as red and green, and a smaller number are totally colour blind. In a second group in this population (lets call them females), almost all can see the standard 1m colours, but some (perhaps as many as 15%) can see 100m colours. Would you excitedly rave about the amazing talent of this latter group? Or would you just describe them as not usually colour blind? This same group has an immune system that has a profound talent to fight off many forms of infection and reap major benefits from vaccinations with the down side that sometimes such hyperefficiency can lead to autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Would you celebrate the former or emphasise the latter? For years, it is the drawbacks that have been underlined.

Research geneticists rarely get out in the field to notice the much greater survival rates of girls in paediatric ICUs

The Better Half is an eye-opening book. In explaining why the advantages that accompany females greater genetic options have to date been largely ignored, Moalem points to paradigm blindness, and to the fact that research geneticists rarely get out in the field to notice, for example, the much greater survival rates of girls in paediatric ICUs (rates which, he discovers, have been clearly obvious to the nurses doing the frontline caring).

I take issue with one part of his chapter on The Male Brain, for the moment setting aside the unproven assumption that the brains of men are different from the brains of women. Moalem chooses to consider autism, and it appears as a given in his book that autism is more common in boys than girls (itself an assumption that is increasingly being challenged). Yet at the more impaired end of the autism spectrum, it is possible that there are as many girls as boys, and his suggestion that females have a different kind of autism doesnt quite prove his wider argument. The X-linked disorders such as fragile-X or Rett syndrome receive only a passing mention not surprisingly perhaps as they run counter to his argument about the superiority of the X-chromosome.

What about hormones? Moalem has perhaps missed a good opportunity to counter oestrogens frequently negative press, and to laud its potentially neuroprotective effects. The greater susceptibility of women to Alzheimers disease is put down by Moalem to a form of anti-inflammatory process linked to an overefficient immune system; their lesser susceptibility to Parkinsons disease (surely a possible inclusion in the list of female genetic successes) is unexplained.

One section of the book focuses on why womens health is not mens health, and considers the failures of drug companies to test their products on females as well as males. For sure this has had detrimental consequences on, for example, the accuracy of dosage rates. But in at least one of the examples he gives, that of Ambien, body mass and blood volume are key factors in calculating dosage rates: because people vary enormously in size and shape, simply dividing test participants into males and females still risks inaccuracy. He is talking about averages, its true, but even so Moalem seems firmly wedded to the notion that genetic females and genetic males can be neatly categorised into two distinct types, and that the understanding of genetic sex will provide all the answers we need.

The impression given in The Better Half is that there is a lifelongfree-ranging choice between X-chromosomes available to the female, her cells dancing back and forth between the best options that will help her to heal quicker after a car crash or to overcome the bacterial infection that might lead to an ulcer. There are brief and tantalising hints about the escapees from X-inactivation in several chapters of Moalems book, but it is a shame that we are never given a full, head-on account.

Yet this book is full of wonderful titbits of information from the existence of a female prostate gland to the number of honey bee flying miles it takes to make 1lb of honey. The celebration of the genetic diversity offered by the females second X-chromosome is wholehearted and the examples Moalem gives are highly effective. He has written a powerful antidote to the myth of the weaker sex.

The Better Half: On the Genetic Superiority of Women by Sharon Moalem is published by Allen Lane (RRP 20).

Originally posted here:
The Better Half by Sharon Moalem review on the genetic superiority of women - The Guardian

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

By Jennifer Couzin-FrankelApr. 9, 2020 , 11:35 AM

In college in the 1990s, Alix Timko wondered why she and her friends didnt have eating disorders. We were all in our late teens, early 20s, all vaguely dissatisfied with how we looked, says Timko, now a psychologist at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Her crowd of friends matched the profile she had seen in TV dramasoverachievers who exercised regularly and whose eating was erratic, hours of fasting followed by a huge pizza.

My friends and I should have had eating disorders, she says. And we didnt.

It was an early clue that her understanding of eating disorders was off the mark, especially for the direst diagnosis of all: anorexia nervosa. Anorexia is estimated to affect just under 1% of the U.S. population, with many more who may go undiagnosed. The illness manifests as self-starvation and weight loss so extreme that it can send the body into a state resembling hibernation. Although the disorder also affects boys and men, those who have it are most often female, and about 10% of those affected die. Thats the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition after substance abuse, on par with that of childhood leukemia. With current treatments, about half of adolescents recover, and another 20% to 30% are helped.

As a young adult, Timko shared the prevailing view of the disease: that it develops when girls, motivated by a culture that worships thinness, exert extreme willpower to stop themselves from eating. Often, the idea went, the behavior arises in reaction to parents who are unloving, controlling, or worse. But when Timko began to treat teens with anorexia and their families, that narrative crumbledand so did her certainties about who is at risk. Many of those young people dont have body dissatisfaction, they werent on a diet, its not about control, she found. Their mom and dad are fabulous and would move heaven and Earth to get them better.

Timko wasnt alone. Other researchers were also questioning psychological theories of anorexia that had reigned for generations. Hunger is a basic drive, says Cynthia Bulik, a clinical psychologist who runs eating disorder centers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and at the Karolinska Institute. The idea that patients use willpower to override hunger never rang true, she says. My patients have said for years that when they starve, they feel better. She began to consider another possibility: What if their biology is driving them to eschew food?

Bulik and Timko are now part of a small band of researchers working to untangle the biology of anorexia. The more they look, the more they find to suggest the diseases biological roots run deep. For instance, genetic studies indicate its about as heritable as obesity or depression. The circuitry of the brains reward system behaves differently in unaffected volunteers than in people with anorexia and those who have recovered. And new treatments drawing on biology are being tested, including deep-brain stimulation and psychedelic drugs. Those experiments aim not only to improve the outlook for patients, but also to explore how closely the disease aligns with others across psychiatry, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and addiction.

Scientists pursuing those new ideas face a challenge, in part because of money: For fiscal year 2019, anorexia got $11 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a figure that hasnt changed notably in many years and that researchers decry as shockingly low given the diseases burdens. By contrast, schizophreniawhich has a similar prevalence and also surges during adolescencegarnered $263 million. The dearth of funder interest, many say, springs from the view that anorexias roots are cultural, along with shame and stigma still clouding the disease. But evidence is mounting that biology is at its core.

Many researchers lament that eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, are underfunded given their prevalence. These numbers are drawn from 2017 data for the United States; the number of individuals affected is an estimate.

(GRAPHIC) X. LIU/SCIENCE; (DATA) BRYN AUSTIN/BOSTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL; NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

Lori Zeltser pivotedto anorexia from studying obesity. A developmental neuroscientist at Columbia University, she studied the brains of developing mice, trying to identify feeding circuits that increase susceptibility to obesity in adulthood. Then about 10 years ago, Zeltser saw a notice for funding from the Klarman Family Foundation, formed by hedge fund manager Seth Klarman and his wife, Beth, now the foundations president. The foundation wanted to stimulate basic research into eating disorders, and because of Zeltsers research on appetite, she submitted a proposal.

To get up to speed on anorexia, Zeltser turned to the literature. Researchers in Sweden and Minnesota had compared anorexia rates in identical and fraternal twins, a common approach to tease out heritability of complex traits and diseases. Those reports showed that 50% to 60% of the risk of developing anorexia was due to genes, implying DNA is a powerful driver. By contrast, family studies suggest the heritability of breast cancer is about 30%, and that of depression is roughly 40%. I was shocked, Zeltser says.

Layered on the genetics work was a data point that caught Zeltsers attention. An antipsychotic drug, olanzapine, which causes profound weight gain as a side effect, had little to no effect on weight when tested in people with anorexia. Something in peoples biology prevented olanzapine from causing weight gain, Zeltser believes. That is not just [mental] control.

But a deep schism remains, with many practitioners concerned that biology is getting more attention than it deserves. If I had to choose nature versus nurture in the development of anorexia and other eating disorders, I would choose nurture, says Margo Maine, a psychologist who has treated eating disorders for years. Eating disorders are primarily female, she says, in part because gender is a cultural experience.

Psychotherapist Carolyn Costin, who recovered from anorexia in the late 1970s and established a network of private treatment centers around the United States, says biology plays a role but that cultural messages and psychological stressors are also important factors. She worries especially that the way biology research is described could discourage patients about their prospects for recovery. About 8 years ago, she says, Clients started coming in, saying, Its genetic, why bother trying to get well?

Such comments agitate researchers like Bulik. The patients she treats, she says, are reassured, not distressed, to learn that the disorder is rooted in biology and that biology doesnt translate into destiny. Although she, Zeltser, and others agree that anorexia has environmental drivers, as most chronic conditions do, they object to the idea that environment leads the way. Exposure to this ideal [of thinness] is ubiquitous, but everybody doesnt get anorexia nervosa, Bulik says. None of the sociocultural literature has ever been able to explain why. She adds, A lot of patients will say, It was never about being thin for me, ever.

If you look at psychiatric syndromes over 200 years, anorexia hasnt changed at all, whereas our culture has, says James Lock, a child psychiatrist who heads the child and adolescent eating disorders program at Stanford University School of Medicine.

To begin digging into the biology of anorexia, Zeltser used a 2010 grant from the Klarman foundation to build a mouse model of the disease. Because feeding is easy to measure, she reasoned that anorexias restrained feeding behavior is well-suited for animal modeling. Her goal was to study the eating and starvation patterns of the mice and explore how genetics and the environment interact to trigger the disorder.

In a 2016 issue ofTranslational Psychiatry,Zeltser described micewith a variant in a gene that in people is linked to anorexia. On its own, the variant didnt noticeably affect mouse feeding behavior. To mimic the pullback from eating that often precedes a diagnosis, the researchers restricted the animals caloric intake by 20% to 30%. Then they induced stress, another factor linked to anorexia, by housing the normally social animals alone. The result: The mice stop eating, Zeltser says.

Lori Zeltser, a developmental neuroscientist at Columbia University, has developed a mouse model of anorexia nervosa.

Zeltser is talking with clinical colleagues about comparing her rodents behavior with videos of patients in a feeding lab, where researchers observe how much people eat, which nutrients they choose, and which they avoid. If the behaviors seem parallel, the mice could help point the way to new treatments or even different environments that could better support eating.

But publishing her animal work has proved difficult. Zeltser is often asked, How do you know if what youre finding is relevant to humans? Thats a common question of anyone doing mouse work, but Zeltser says the challenge here runs deeper. This is not taken seriously as a disease that has a biological basis, she says. Instead, its dismissed as extreme girl behavior and oh my God, theyre crazy, pushback she finds immensely frustrating.

Accumulating genetic data could change that by making anorexias biological roots harder to ignore. Some of the strongest evidence emerged last summer, when Bulik and others published inNature Geneticsthe largest genetics study on the disease, with roughly $9 million in funding from the Klarman foundation and additional funds from NIH. By analyzing the genomes of nearly 17,000 people with anorexia and more than 55,000 people without, the researchers identified eight statistically significant genomic regions, along with other patterns of genetic associations that yielded important clues. Some of those associations tracked with results of studies of other psychiatric illnesses, including OCD and depression, which didnt surprise Bulik. What did were overlapping associations with DNA controlling body mass index (BMI), lipids, and other metabolic traits.

We said, This doesnt look like any other psychiatric disorder, Bulik says. It might be the inverse of obesitythese people might be genetically predisposed to low BMI. In the February 2019 issue of theJournal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, she and her teamsifted through BMI recordsfor young people later diagnosed with anorexia and other eating disorders. The BMIs of 243 people diagnosed with anorexia began to diverge from those of a control group before they started kindergarten.

Bulik is now launchingthe Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative, with more than $7 million from NIH, additional funding from Sweden and the United Kingdom, and potential infusions from other countries and individual donors. The initiative aims to include 100,000 people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Although genetics is unlikely to offer quick solutions, Bulik hopes it can shine the light in the direction you need to go for effective therapies, including medications.

The genetic findingsmight one day intersect with another line of research: studies of brain structures and signaling that are revealing tantalizing differences between people with and without anorexia. At Columbia, psychiatrist Joanna Steinglass wanted to understand how the brains of people with anorexia guide their food choices. In two studies, she and her colleagues recruited inpatients with eating disorders along with a control group. In people with anorexia, both during and after hospitalization, MRI scans showed the region of the brain associated with selecting foods was the dorsal striatum, which is key to forming habits. In people without an eating disorder, a different brain region guides choices. The work first appearedin 2015 inNature Neuroscience, and the team presented more findings at a conference last year.

Theyre using different circuits when they make decisions, Steinglass says. This jibes with her idea that as people repeatedly restrict eating, the behavior moves to a different brain region and becomes less amenable to change. That could help explain why many recovered patients relapse.

Another clue to how the brain might throw eating off trackwas reported last month inThe American Journal of Psychiatry. Walter Kaye, a psychiatrist who directs the eating disorders program at the University of California (UC), San Diego, led a study looking at how the brains of people with anorexia behave when their bodies are hungry. Kaye, whose program treats about 70 patients per day, ran a study that included 48 women, 26 of whom had anorexia. Each was studied twice with brain imaging, once immediately after a meal and, on a separate visit, after fasting for 16 hours.

Kaye knew hunger activates brain circuits that in turn motivate eating, making food desirable. That relationship was clear during brain imaging of the control group volunteers: When they were offered sugar water after 16 hours of fasting, their reward and motivation circuits lit up. But in people with anorexia, those circuits were much less active after fasting. They could identify being hungry, Kaye says, but their brains couldnt convert that into a desire to eat. The patients also experienced heightened anxiety and inhibition, along with diminished reward signaling in their brains. That effect may further impair their drive to eat. Kaye suggests people with anorexia miscode food as risky rather than rewarding.

A lot of patients will say, It was never about being thin for me, ever.

Psychiatrist Rebecca Park at the University of Oxford also suspects the disease hijacks the brains reward system. Some of her patients experience this sense of aberrant reward, almost a high from starvation, she says. Parks neuroscience research indicates aberrant brain responses to reward cues.

Are those brain differences a cause or a result of starvation? Studying people in remission eliminates the effects of malnutrition on the brain but cant definitively answer the question. Its likely that starvation in adolescence is going to damage your brain, Park says. One way to begin to disentangle whether the brain differences predate the disease is to study people very early in its course. Steinglass is in the third year of a brain scanning study of reward circuitry, which now includes 55 recently diagnosed teenagers and a control group of 25 others. The coronavirus pandemic has halted enrollment for now, but Steinglass hopes to have results in 2 to 3 years. Other researchers are working to understand how, and to what degree, the brain recovers once eating resumes.

Theres an overall sensethat were joining the rest of the world by finally applying scientific methods to anorexia nervosa, Steinglass says. The ultimate goal is new treatments, which are sorely needed.

The most studied and most effective strategy to date is called family-based treatment (FBT), which originated at the Maudsley Hospital in London. It was later refined by Lock and psychologist Daniel Le Grange, of UC San Francisco, who trained at Maudsley.

FBT asks parents to set aside many of their familys day-to-day activitiesscaling back school, work, hobbiesto sit with their children, requiring them to eat. Faced with food as a form of medicine, and with their world having contracted, many young people do start to eat again despite the fear and anxiety it causes them. Researchers are working to understand how FBT is intertwined with the biology of the illness, but for about half who try FBT in adolescenceand perhaps 70% who try it early in the diseasethe treatment is effective.

But many families arent told about that therapeutic strategy, even though decades have passed since it first showed success in a randomized trial, in 1987. Practitioners may not be familiar with FBT, Timko says, they may believe the family played a role in anorexias onset, or they may feel that adolescents must want to get better before starting FBTa view she disputes.

Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh experienced the regimen up close after her daughter Olympia, then 14, stopped eating one day in 2002. Lyster-Mensh says a succession of therapists urged her and her husband to stand back and let Olympia eat when she was ready. Meanwhile, her weight continued to spiral downward. We had been told she wouldnt recover, families were really at fault, to back off and let her do this on her own, Lyster-Mensh says. Then she learned about FBT from a newspaper article and raced to try it.

The first agonizing meals took hours, while Olympia mashed her food into a pulp or cried and raged at her parents. I know families whose kids have jumped out of moving cars to avoid a sandwich, says Lyster-Mensh, echoing comments of many clinicians who describe patients crushing fear of food. Olympia ultimately recovered, although not without challenges that included a relapse during college.

The young patients treated with FBT who do start to eat again do well on the one measure that predicts longer-term prognosis: early weight gain. In 2019, a study in theEuropean Eating Disorders Reviewled by Le Grange confirmed earlier research showing thatgaining about 2.3 kilograms in the first month of treatment is a predictor of health1 year later. Girls with anorexia who boosted their calorie intake and gained weight experienced increases in estrogen levels (which plummet in starvation), reduced stress, and improved ability to navigate different situations, a psychological trait called flexibility.

Researchers are exploring ways to build on and improve FBTor find new strategies to help patients in whom it has failed. Some clinical trials are testing whether certain talk therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy to help patients reframe their thinking, can helpfor example, by reducing anxiety or other impediments to eating.

New biological models of anorexia hint at other kinds of interventions. An 18-person study at Johns Hopkins University is offering the psychedelic drug psilocybin to patients. Early data suggest it holds promise in helping smokers quit and combating alcoholismand many researchers believe that in certain ways, anorexia shares some features with addiction. Park is leading a seven-person study of deep-brain stimulation in people with severe enduring anorexia, some of whom also have OCD.

Theres a certain neural network thats well characterized in OCD, she says, and disrupting the signaling in that network with deep-brain stimulation can help those patients. Because OCD and anorexia have shared features and some genetic links, shes interested in whether disrupting the same neural network might also help people with the eating disorder.

Still, studies remain sparse, Lock says. With limited funding, theres little chance of attracting new scientists to a small field. As researchers, you dont want to go to the pot thats empty, he says. Why arent we investing more? Its especially frustrating because, Lock points out, many patients with anorexia successfully heal and enjoy a bright future. What [other] illness in psychiatry can you say you cure? he asks.

For families, regardless of whether a patient recovers, the shame can persistand with it hesitation to speak up and lobby for funding. Lyster-Mensh is an exception. After her familys experience, she began to voice support for evidence-based treatmentfirst in a memoir,Eating with Your Anorexic, which she wrote under the name Laura Collins, and then throughFEAST, a message board turned advocacy group.

Its still a pretty small group, Lyster-Mensh says, of those willing to speak openly. Most families are so burned out, crushed, guilty, that they dont want to come forward, she says. There are still these myths out therethat these are chosen illnesses and parents somehow failed to prevent, or caused, or exacerbated the problem. Still, she hopes that as researchers doggedly track the diseases biological roots in genes and the brain, those enduring myths will fade.

Read the rest here:
Rethinking anorexia: Biology may be more important than culture, new studies reveal - Science Magazine

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Not intended for UK-based media

ROCKLAND, Mass. and NEW YORK, April 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the US and Canada, and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced completion of the submission of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for BAVENCIO (avelumab)* for first-line maintenance treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to BAVENCIO for this indication, and the sBLA is being reviewed by the FDA under its Real-Time Oncology Review (RTOR) pilot program.

The application is based on positive results from an interim analysis of the Phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial, which met its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS). In this study, BAVENCIO plus best supportive care (BSC) as first-line maintenance therapy significantly extended the survival of patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic UC whose disease did not progress on induction chemotherapy, compared with BSC only. A statistically significant improvement was demonstrated in both co-primary populations: all randomized patients and patients with PD-L1positive tumors. The safety profile for BAVENCIO in the trial was consistent with that in the JAVELIN monotherapy clinical development program. Detailed results from the JAVELIN Bladder 100 study will be presented at an upcoming medical congress.

"BAVENCIO is the first immunotherapy to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in overall survival in a Phase III clinical trial in the first-line setting for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma," said Chris Boshoff, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Development Officer, Oncology, Pfizer Global Product Development. "Participation in the Real-Time Oncology Review program, coupled with the Breakthrough Therapy Designation, reflect the potential impact of BAVENCIO in this patient setting and provide the opportunity to work towards bringing this treatment option to patients as quickly as possible."

The RTOR program is intended to create a more efficient review process to bring safe and effective treatments to patients earlier, including drugs that are likely to demonstrate substantial improvements over currently available therapy. It allows the FDA to review clinical trial data from certain applications before the complete application is formally submitted. Review under the program does not guarantee or influence the approvability of the application.1

Breakthrough Therapy Designation is a program created by the FDA to accelerate the development and review of medicines intended to treat serious or life-threatening diseases where the new treatment may be a substantial improvement over available therapy. In order to receive Breakthrough Therapy Designation, preliminary clinical evidence must indicate that the drug may demonstrate a significant improvement over available therapy on a clinically significant endpoint.2

"Given the poor prognosis for patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma, there is an urgent need for additional treatment options that improve overall survival," said Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global R&D for EMD Serono. "Our data highlight the potential for a first-line maintenance treatment approach with BAVENCIO to advance the current standard of care for previously untreated patients, and we are working with urgency toward our goal of bringing this regimen to patients."

"For the past 30 years, chemotherapy has been the first-line standard of care for patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. While this is an effective short-term option for many patients, most will ultimately experience disease progression, underscoring a need for additional treatment options," said Petros Grivas, M.D., Ph.D., one of the principal investigators in the JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial. "Based on the positive overall survival results from JAVELIN Bladder 100, I believe avelumab has the potential to be practice-changing."

In 2017, the FDA approved BAVENCIO for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or who have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response and duration of response. JAVELIN Bladder 100 is the confirmatory study for the conversion to full approval.

*BAVENCIO is under clinical investigation for the first-line maintenance treatment of advanced UC. There is no guarantee that BAVENCIO will be approved for first-line maintenance treatment of advanced UC by any health authority worldwide.

About JAVELIN Bladder 100JAVELIN Bladder 100 (NCT02603432) is a Phase III, multicenter, multinational, randomized, open-label, parallel-arm study investigating first-line maintenance treatment with BAVENCIO plus BSC versus BSC alone in patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC. A total of 700 patients whose disease had not progressed after platinum-based induction chemotherapy as per RECIST v1.1 were randomized to receive either BAVENCIO plus BSC or BSC alone. The study achieved its primary endpoint of OS in each of the co-primary populations of all randomized patients and patients with PD-L1-positive tumors. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, anti-tumor activity, safety, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, predictive biomarkers and patient-reported outcomes in the co-primary populations. The safety profile for BAVENCIO in the trial was consistent with that in the JAVELIN monotherapy clinical development program.

About Urothelial Carcinoma Bladder cancer is the tenth most common cancer worldwide.3 In 2018, there were over half a million new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed, with around 200,000 deaths from the disease globally.3 UC accounts for about 90% of all bladder cancers.4 This subtype becomes harder to treat as it advances, spreading through the layers of the bladder wall.5 For patients with metastatic UC, the five-year relative survival rate is 5%.6 Combination chemotherapy is currently the first-line standard of care for patients with advanced disease, and while a majority of patients experience high initial response rates, most patients will ultimately experience disease progression within nine months after initiation of treatment.7,8 Given the poor prognosis for patients with advanced bladder cancer whose disease progresses after first-line chemotherapy, there is an urgent need for additional treatment options that improve overall survival.9

About BAVENCIO (avelumab)BAVENCIO is a human anti-programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) antibody. BAVENCIO has been shown in preclinical models to engage both the adaptive and innate immune functions. By blocking the interaction of PD-L1 with PD-1 receptors, BAVENCIO has been shown to release the suppression of the T cell-mediated antitumor immune response in preclinical models.10-12 In November 2014, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer announced a strategic alliance to co-develop and co-commercialize BAVENCIO.

BAVENCIO Approved Indications BAVENCIO (avelumab) in combination with axitinib is indicated in the US for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

In the US, the FDA granted accelerated approval for BAVENCIO for the treatment of (i) adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) and (ii) patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. These indications are approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for these indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

Avelumab is currently approved for patients with MCC in 50 countries globally, with the majority of these approvals in a broad indication that is not limited to a specific line of treatment.

BAVENCIO Important Safety Information from the US FDA-Approved LabelBAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis, including fatal cases. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of pneumonitis, and evaluate suspected cases with radiographic imaging. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater pneumonitis. Withhold BAVENCIO for moderate (Grade 2) and permanently discontinue for severe (Grade 3), life-threatening (Grade 4), or recurrent moderate (Grade 2) pneumonitis. Pneumonitis occurred in 1.2% of patients, including one (0.1%) patient with Grade 5, one (0.1%) with Grade 4, and five (0.3%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO can cause hepatotoxicity and immune-mediated hepatitis, including fatal cases. Monitor patients for abnormal liver tests prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater hepatitis. Withhold BAVENCIO for moderate (Grade 2) immune-mediated hepatitis until resolution and permanently discontinue for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) immune-mediated hepatitis. Immune-mediated hepatitis occurred with BAVENCIO as a single agent in 0.9% of patients, including two (0.1%) patients with Grade 5, and 11 (0.6%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib can cause hepatotoxicity with higher than expected frequencies of Grade 3 and 4 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation. Consider more frequent monitoring of liver enzymes as compared to when the drugs are used as monotherapy. Withhold BAVENCIO and axitinib for moderate (Grade 2) hepatotoxicity and permanently discontinue the combination for severe or life-threatening (Grade 3 or 4) hepatotoxicity. Administer corticosteroids as needed. In patients treated with BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib, Grades 3 and 4 increased ALT and AST occurred in 9% and 7% of patients, respectively, and immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 7% of patients, including 4.9% with Grade 3 or 4.

BAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated colitis. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of colitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater colitis. Withhold BAVENCIO until resolution for moderate or severe (Grade 2 or 3) colitis until resolution. Permanently discontinue for life-threatening (Grade 4) or recurrent (Grade 3) colitis upon reinitiation of BAVENCIO. Immune-mediated colitis occurred in 1.5% of patients, including seven (0.4%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated endocrinopathies, including adrenal insufficiency, thyroid disorders, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency during and after treatment, and administer corticosteroids as appropriate. Withhold BAVENCIO for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) adrenal insufficiency. Adrenal insufficiency was reported in 0.5% of patients, including one (0.1%) with Grade 3.

Thyroid disorders can occur at any time during treatment. Monitor patients for changes in thyroid function at the start of treatment, periodically during treatment, and as indicated based on clinical evaluation. Manage hypothyroidism with hormone replacement therapy and hyperthyroidism with medical management. Withhold BAVENCIO for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) thyroid disorders. Thyroid disorders, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroiditis, were reported in 6% of patients, including three (0.2%) with Grade 3.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus including diabetic ketoacidosis: Monitor patients for hyperglycemia or other signs and symptoms of diabetes. Withhold BAVENCIO and administer antihyperglycemics or insulin in patients with severe or life-threatening (Grade 3) hyperglycemia, and resume treatment when metabolic control is achieved. Type 1 diabetes mellitus without an alternative etiology occurred in 0.1% of patients, including two cases of Grade 3 hyperglycemia.

BAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction. Monitor patients for elevated serum creatinine prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater nephritis. Withhold BAVENCIO for moderate (Grade 2) or severe (Grade 3) nephritis until resolution to Grade 1 or lower. Permanently discontinue BAVENCIO for life-threatening (Grade 4) nephritis. Immune-mediated nephritis occurred in 0.1% of patients.

BAVENCIO can result in other severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions involving any organ system during treatment or after treatment discontinuation. For suspected immune-mediated adverse reactions, evaluate to confirm or rule out an immune-mediated adverse reaction and to exclude other causes. Depending on the severity of the adverse reaction, withhold or permanently discontinue BAVENCIO, administer high-dose corticosteroids, and initiate hormone replacement therapy, if appropriate. Resume BAVENCIO when the immune-mediated adverse reaction remains at Grade 1 or lower following a corticosteroid taper. Permanently discontinue BAVENCIO for any severe (Grade 3) immune-mediated adverse reaction that recurs and for any life-threatening (Grade 4) immune-mediated adverse reaction. The following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions occurred in less than 1% of 1738 patients treated with BAVENCIO as a single agent or in 489 patients who received BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib: myocarditis including fatal cases, pancreatitis including fatal cases, myositis, psoriasis, arthritis, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, pemphigoid, hypopituitarism, uveitis, Guillain-Barr syndrome, and systemic inflammatory response.

BAVENCIO can cause severe or life-threatening infusion-related reactions. Premedicate patients with an antihistamine and acetaminophen prior to the first 4 infusions and for subsequent infusions based upon clinical judgment and presence/severity of prior infusion reactions. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of infusion-related reactions, including pyrexia, chills, flushing, hypotension, dyspnea, wheezing, back pain, abdominal pain, and urticaria. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion for mild (Grade 1) or moderate (Grade 2) infusion-related reactions. Permanently discontinue BAVENCIO for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) infusion-related reactions. Infusion-related reactions occurred in 25% of patients, including three (0.2%) patients with Grade 4 and nine (0.5%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib can cause major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including severe and fatal events. Consider baseline and periodic evaluations of left ventricular ejection fraction. Monitor for signs and symptoms of cardiovascular events. Optimize management of cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. Discontinue BAVENCIO and axitinib for Grade 3-4 cardiovascular events. MACE occurred in 7% of patients with advanced RCC treated with BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib compared to 3.4% treated with sunitinib. These events included death due to cardiac events (1.4%), Grade 3-4 myocardial infarction (2.8%), and Grade 3-4 congestive heart failure (1.8%).

BAVENCIO can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise patients of the potential risk to a fetus including the risk of fetal death. Advise females of childbearing potential to use effective contraception during treatment with BAVENCIO and for at least 1 month after the last dose of BAVENCIO. It is not known whether BAVENCIO is excreted in human milk. Advise a lactating woman not to breastfeed during treatment and for at least 1 month after the last dose of BAVENCIO due to the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants.

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 20%) in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) were fatigue (50%), musculoskeletal pain (32%), diarrhea (23%), nausea (22%), infusion-related reaction (22%), rash (22%), decreased appetite (20%), and peripheral edema (20%).

Selected treatment-emergent laboratory abnormalities (all grades, 20%) in patients with metastatic MCC were lymphopenia (49%), anemia (35%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (34%), thrombocytopenia (27%), and increased alanine aminotransferase (20%).

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 20%) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) were fatigue (41%), infusion-related reaction (30%), musculoskeletal pain (25%), nausea (24%), decreased appetite/hypophagia (21%), and urinary tract infection (21%).

Selected laboratory abnormalities (Grades 3-4, 3%) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC were hyponatremia (16%), increased gamma-glutamyltransferase (12%), lymphopenia (11%), hyperglycemia (9%), increased alkaline phosphatase (7%), anemia (6%), increased lipase (6%), hyperkalemia (3%), and increased aspartate aminotransferase (3%).

Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.8% of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib. These included sudden cardiac death (1.2%), stroke (0.2%), myocarditis (0.2%), and necrotizing pancreatitis (0.2%).

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 20%) in patients with advanced RCC receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib (vs sunitinib) were diarrhea (62% vs 48%), fatigue (53% vs 54%), hypertension (50% vs 36%), musculoskeletal pain (40% vs 33%), nausea (34% vs 39%), mucositis (34% vs 35%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (33% vs 34%), dysphonia (31% vs 3.2%), decreased appetite (26% vs 29%), hypothyroidism (25% vs 14%), rash (25% vs 16%), hepatotoxicity (24% vs 18%), cough (23% vs 19%), dyspnea (23% vs 16%), abdominal pain (22% vs 19%), and headache (21% vs 16%).

Selected laboratory abnormalities (all grades, 20%) worsening from baseline in patients with advanced RCC receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib (vs sunitinib) were blood triglycerides increased (71% vs 48%), blood creatinine increased (62% vs 68%), blood cholesterol increased (57% vs 22%), alanine aminotransferase increased (ALT) (50% vs 46%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (AST) (47% vs 57%), blood sodium decreased (38% vs 37%), lipase increased (37% vs 25%), blood potassium increased (35% vs 28%), platelet count decreased (27% vs 80%), blood bilirubin increased (21% vs 23%), and hemoglobin decreased (21% vs 65%).

Please see full US Prescribing Information and Medication Guide available at http://www.BAVENCIO.com.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany-Pfizer AllianceImmuno-oncology is a top priority for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer. The global strategic alliance between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer enables the companies to benefit from each other's strengths and capabilities and further explore the therapeutic potential of BAVENCIO, an anti-PD-L1 antibody initially discovered and developed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The immuno-oncology alliance is jointly developing and commercializing BAVENCIO. The alliance is focused on developing high-priority international clinical programs to investigate BAVENCIO as a monotherapy as well as combination regimens, and is striving to find new ways to treat cancer.

All Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the EMD Group Website. In case you are a resident of the USA or Canada please go to http://www.emdgroup.com/subscribe to register again for your online subscription of this service as our newly introduced geo-targeting requires new links in the email. You may later change your selection or discontinue this service.

About EMD Serono, Inc.EMD Serono - the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada - is engaged in the discovery, research and development of medicines for patients with difficult to treat diseases. The business is committed to transforming lives by developing and delivering meaningful solutions that help address the therapeutic and support needs of individual patients. Building on a proven legacy and deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, EMD Serono is developing potential new oncology and immuno-oncology medicines while continuing to explore potential therapeutic options for diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and MS. Today, the business has approximately 1,500 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company's home state of Massachusetts. http://www.emdserono.com.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, GermanyMerck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of 16.2 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark "Merck" internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials. Since its founding 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company's technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.

Pfizer Inc.: Breakthroughs that change patients' livesAt Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at http://www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, please visit us on http://www.pfizer.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer_News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.

Pfizer Disclosure NoticeThe information contained in this release is as of April 9, 2020. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information about BAVENCIO (avelumab), including a potential indication for first-line maintenance therapy for BAVENCIO for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, the alliance between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer involving BAVENCIO and clinical development plans, including their potential benefits, that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, uncertainties regarding the commercial success of BAVENCIO; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for our clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable new clinical data and further analyses of existing clinical data; risks associated with interim data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments by regulatory authorities; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from our clinical studies; whether and when any drug applications may be filed for BAVENCIO for first-line maintenance therapy for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in any jurisdictions outside the U.S. or in any jurisdictions for any other potential indications for BAVENCIO or combination therapies; whether and when regulatory authorities in any jurisdictions where any applications are pending or may be submitted for BAVENCIO or combination therapies, including BAVENCIO for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma may approve any such applications, which will depend on myriad factors, including making a determination as to whether the product's benefits outweigh its known risks and determination of the product's efficacy, and, if approved, whether they will be commercially successful; decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of BAVENCIO, including BAVENCIO for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma; and competitive developments.

A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at http://www.sec.gov and http://www.pfizer.com.

References

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Company Codes: NYSE:PFE

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EMD Serono and Pfizer Receive US FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Submit Application for BAVENCIO for First-Line Maintenance Treatment of...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Newswise (New York, NY April 9, 2020) Mount Sinai Health System is the first in the country to use an innovative allogeneic stem cell therapy in COVID-19 patients and will play a central role in developing and conducting a rigorous clinical trial for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, the breathing illness that afflicts people who have severe cases of COVID-19.

The therapy, known as remestemcel-L, has previously been tested in bone marrow transplant patients, who can experience an overactive immune response similar to that seen in severe cases of COVID-19.

Mount Sinai began administering the therapy, known as remestemcel-L, to patients in late March under the Food and Drug Administrations compassionate use program, which allows patients with an immediately life-threatening condition to gain access to an investigational therapy. Ten patients with moderate to severe cases of COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), most of whom were on ventilators, were given the therapy and doctors saw encouraging results.

We are encouraged by what we have seen so far and look forward to participating in the randomized controlled trial starting soon that would better indicate whether this is an effective therapy for patients in severe respiratory distress from COVID-19, said Keren Osman, MD, Medical Director of the Cellular Therapy Service in the Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation Program at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai and Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Osman oversaw the treatment of the first Mount Sinai patients with this innovative therapy.

Under the leadership of Annetine Gelijns, PhD, Alan Moskowitz, MD, and Emilia Bagiella, PhD, of Mount Sinais Institute of Transformative Clinical Trials, Mount Sinai will serve as the clinical and data coordinating center for a randomized clinical trial evaluating the therapeutic benefit and safety of this stem cell therapy in 240 patients with COVID-related ARDS in the United States and Canada. The trial will be conducted as a public-private partnership between the Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network, which was established as a flexible clinical trials platform by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and Mesoblast, the manufacturer of the cells.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused exponential increases of people suffering with acute respiratory distress syndrome, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation with many dying, said Dr. Gelijns, who is also the Edmond A. Guggenheim Professor of Health Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. We have designed a clinical trial that will expeditiously determine whether the stem cell therapy will offer a life-saving therapy for a group of patients with a dismal prognosis.

We are interested to study the potential of this anti-inflammatory cell therapy to make an impact on the high mortality of lung complications in COVID-19 patients, said CSTN Chairman A. Marc Gillinov, MD. This randomized controlled trial is in line with our mandate to rigorously evaluate novel therapies for public health imperatives.

The therapy consists of mesenchymal stem cells. These cells are found in bone marrow and serve many functions including aiding tissue repair and suppressing inflammation. The therapy was previously tested in a phase 3 trial in children who had an often-fatal inflammatory condition called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) that can occur after bone marrow transplants.

The inflammation that occurs in GVHD is the result of a cytokine storm, which activates immune cells that attack healthy tissue. A similar cytokine storm that causes damage to the lungs and other organs appears to be taking place in COVID-19 patients who develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, said John Levine, MD, Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), and Pediatrics, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who helped implement the compassionate use of the drug at Mount Sinai.

These stem cells have shown excellent response rates in severe graft-versus-host disease in children, said Dr. Levine, who is also the co-director of the Mount Sinai Acute GVHD International Consortium (MAGIC). Mesenchymal stem cells have a natural property that dampens excessive immune responses.

Several people were instrumental in quickly and efficiently working through the complex application process for each patient to gain compassionate use of the therapy. Three key players involved were Stacey-Ann Brown, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Tiffany Drummond, Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai; and Camelia Iancu-Rubin, PhD, Director of the Cellular Therapy Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international source of unrivaled education, translational research and discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we deliver the highest quality carefrom prevention to treatment of the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and continually expanding network of multispecialty services, including more than 400 ambulatory practice locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 onU.S. News & World Report's"Honor Roll" of the Top 20 Best Hospitals in the country and the Icahn School of Medicine as one of the Top 20 Best Medical Schools in country. Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are consistently ranked regionally by specialty and our physicians in the top 1% of all physicians nationally byU.S. News & World Report.

For more information, visithttps://www.mountsinai.orgor find Mount Sinai onFacebook,TwitterandYouTube.

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Mount Sinai Leading the Way in Innovative Stem Cell Therapy for COVID-19 Patients - Newswise

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ANKARA

Amid the closure of Turkish airspace due to the coronavirus outbreak, it opened it up to an Italian jet to save the life of a 2-year-old Italian child.

On March 14, Dr. Massimo Cardillo, the head of Italys National Transplant Center, sent an email asking Turkish authorities for help with the ailing toddler, according to Turkish healthcare sources.

The mail said that after a comprehensive search of international donor banks, the compatible donor for the toddler awaiting a stem cell transplant was found in Turkey, added the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Although by that time Turkey had closed its airspace due to the COVID-19 threat, Turkeys Health Ministry and Foreign Ministry made a special exception in this case to save the toddlers life.

The compatible donor was found and provided by Turkey's Stem Cell Coordination Center.

On March 31, a jet took off from Rome and was allowed to land at Istanbul Airport.

The stem cells were then delivered to the Italian team by Turkish doctors in an isolated room at the airport.

The Italian team took the cells to Rome without incident and delivered them to the hospital for transplantation to the toddler.

Nicoletta Sacchi, director of the Italian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, said they will never forget Turkeys help during this difficult period.

"I extend my thanks to the donor, the main hero of the event. Were grateful to both Turkey and the donor," he said.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed tens of thousands of people worldwide since emerging last December, many countries, including Turkey, have closed their airspace to both international and domestic flights.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut

Read the original here:
Turkey opens airspace to save Italian toddler's life - Anadolu Ajans

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Achieved Primary Investigational New Drug (IND) Approval in the U.S.; Positioned to Commence Patient Enrollment

Maintained Clinical Progress in Israel and Nearing Completion of Phase 1/2 Trial

Strategic Commercial Agreement with Canndoc Anticipated to Generate Significant Revenue; Closing of Merger Transaction Progressing as Planned

TEL AVIV, Israel, April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellect Biotechnology Ltd. (Nasdaq: APOP), a developer of a novel stem cell production technology, today announced operating and financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019.

"We achieved a number of strategic priorities in 2019, including the IND approval to commence our first-ever trial in the U.S.," commented Dr. Shai Yarkoni, Chief Executive Officer."We plan to begin enrolling patients for this trial and completing the trial in Israel when the COVID-19 pandemic is mitigated. While these near-term events are value-enhancers, I believe that our recently announced prospective partnership with Canndoc could be a game-changer for Cellect and change our growth trajectory. It has the potential to significantly enhance our short and long term business prospects and shareholder value. As a player in the fast-growing pain management market, we would anticipate significant revenue opportunities already this year."

Recent Strategic Development

As previously announced, on March 4, 2020, the Company entered into a commercial binding Letter Of Intent (LOI) with Canndoc Ltd, a leading pharma grade medical cannabis pioneer and a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly-traded Intercure Ltd. (TASE: INCR),to acquire from Canndoc all rights to the use and sell Canndoc products for the reduction of opioid usage, including accumulated data, as well as on-going and pipeline of clinical trials. This commercial arrangement is subject to negotiation and approval by each company's board of directors and definitive agreements.

Additionally, the two companies signed a non-binding LOI for a full merger. Under preliminary details, Cellect will acquire from Intercure all of Canndoc outstanding shares, in exchange for additional Cellect ADRs to be in total ~95% (~93% on a fully diluted basis) of the merged company. The proposed merger is subject to independent valuation of both companies, fairness opinion by a third party, negotiation of a definitive agreement, approval of the agreement by the Company's Board of Directors and shareholders, internal approvals by Canndoc and Intercure, and customary closing conditions, including the approval of the IMCA (Israeli Medical Cannabis Agency). Upon the closing of the merger, Cellect and Canndoc will aim to fulfill all of the requirements to ensure the Company's ADRs and warrants continue trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) and, for this purpose, Intercure would commit to invest a cash sum of at least $3.0 million in any public offering that is undertaken by the Company, at a price of not less than $4.50 per ADR.

Based on the progress to date, the Company continues to expect the commercial and merger transactions will close in the second quarter of 2020.

Additional Operating Highlights:

Clinical Progress Update:

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Company is experiencing clinical disruption such as:

The Company continues to take all the necessary precautions advised by global health officials to ensure the health and safety of its employees and partners. The Company is unaware of any impact on employees from pandemic related exposure or illness and is continuing to perform in-house research, including in the opioid/pain management area.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Financial Results:

Balance Sheet Highlights:

For the convenience of the reader, the amounts have been translated from NIS into U.S. dollars, at the representative rate of exchange on December 31, 2019 (U.S. $1 = NIS 3.456).

About Cellect Biotechnology Ltd.

Cellect Biotechnology (NASDAQ: APOP) has developed a breakthrough technology, for the selection of stem cells from any given tissue, that aims to improve a variety of stem cell-based therapies.

The Company's technology is expected to provide researchers, clinical community and pharma companies with the tools to rapidly isolate stem cells in quantity and quality allowing stem cell-based treatments and procedures in a wide variety of applications in regenerative medicine. The Company's current clinical trial is aimed at bone marrow transplantations in cancer treatment.

Story continues

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's expectations, beliefs and intentions. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "believe", "expect", "intend", "plan", "may", "should", "could", "might", "seek", "target", "will", "project", "forecast", "continue" or "anticipate" or their negatives or variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical matters. For example, forward-looking statements are used in this press release when we discuss Cellect's intent regarding the future potential of Cellect's technology. These forward-looking statements and their implications are based on the current expectations of the management of the Company only and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. In addition, historical results or conclusions from scientific research and clinical studies do not guarantee that future results would suggest similar conclusions or that historical results referred to herein would be interpreted similarly in light of additional research or otherwise. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: the Company's history of losses and needs for additional capital to fund its operations and its inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; uncertainties of cash flows and inability to meet working capital needs; the Company's ability to obtain regulatory approvals; the Company's ability to obtain favorable pre-clinical and clinical trial results; the Company's technology may not be validated and its methods may not be accepted by the scientific community; difficulties enrolling patients in the Company's clinical trials; the ability to timely source adequate supply of FasL; risks resulting from unforeseen side effects; the Company's ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights and its ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; competitive companies, technologies and the Company's industry; unforeseen scientific difficulties may develop with the Company's technology; and the Company's ability to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of its products. Any forward-looking statement in this press release speaks only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in Cellect Biotechnology Ltd.'s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, which is available on the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov, and in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC.

Cellect Biotechnology Ltd

Consolidated Statement of Operation

Convenience

translation

Twelve months

ended

Twelve months ended

Three months ended

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

2019

2019

2018

2019

2018

Unaudited

Audited

Audited

Unaudited

Unaudited

U.S. dollars

NIS

(In thousands, except share and pershare data)

Research and development expenses

3,508

12,122

13,513

2,571

4,040

General and administrative expenses

2,954

10,210

15,734

2,378

4,733

Operating loss

6,462

22,332

29,247

4,949

8,773

Financial expenses (income) due towarrants exercisable into ADS

(2,032)

(7,022)

(7,719)

998

(4,784)

Other financial expenses (income), net

433

1,498

(1,415)

129

(238)

Total comprehensive loss

4,863

16,808

20,113

6,076

3,751

Loss per share:

Basic and diluted loss per share

0.023

0.079

0.155

0.027

0.029

Weighted average number of sharesoutstanding used to compute basic anddiluted loss per share

212,642,505

212,6432,505

129,426,091

224,087,799

130,274,953

Cellect Biotechnology Ltd

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data

Original post:
Cellect Biotechnology Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Results - Yahoo Finance

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PERTH, Australia Australian stem cell therapy company Mesoblast Ltd. announced that the FDA gave it the green light to test its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate remestemcel-L in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by coronavirus (COVID-19).

Were going to be evaluating whether an injection of our cells intravenously can tone down the immune system just enough so it gets rid of the virus but doesnt destroy your lungs at the same time, Mesoblast CEO Silviu Itescu told BioWorld.

What people are dying of is acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is the bodys immune response to the virus in the lungs, and the immune system goes haywire, and in its battle with the virus it overreacts and causes severe damage to the lungs, Itescu said.

The FDA clearance provides a pathway in the United States for use of remestemcel-L in patients with COVID-19 ARDS, where the prognosis is very dismal, under both expanded access compassionate use and in a planned randomized controlled trial.

The company is in active discussions with various governments, regulatory authorities, medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies.

Recently published results from an investigator-initiated clinical study conducted in China reported that allogeneic MSCs cured or significantly improved functional outcomes in all seven treated patients. A post-hoc analysis of a randomized, placebo-controlled study in 60 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease demonstrated that remestemcel-L significantly improved respiratory function in patients with the same elevated inflammatory biomarkers that are also observed in patients with COVID-19 ARDS.

Remestemcel-L is being developed for various inflammatory conditions and is believed to counteract the inflammatory processes implicated in those diseases by down-regulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and enabling recruitment of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory cells to involved tissues.

The safety and therapeutic effects of remestemcel-L intravenous infusions have been evaluated in more than 1,100 patients in various clinical trials.

The stem cell therapy was successful in a phase III trial for steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease (aGVHD) in children, a potentially fatal inflammatory condition due to a similar cytokine storm process as is seen in COVID-19 ARDS.

Cynata in preclinical ARDs studies

Fellow Aussie regenerative medicine company Cynata Therapeutics Ltd. is studying the utility of its Cymerus MSCs as a treatment for ARDS associated with COVID-19 with the Critical Care Research Group at Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, Australia.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a huge problem worldwide and is prevalent aside from COVID-19, but suddenly it is on the front page because people are dying of this. The data behooves us to see if MSC treatment can rescue people from this, Cynata CEO Ross Macdonald told BioWorld.

The Critical Care Research Group has long seen the need to improve interventions in patients who have ARDS, and they have an interest in MSCs and came to us, he said.

ARDS is an inflammatory process leading to the build-up of fluid in the lungs and respiratory failure. It can occur due to infection, trauma and inhalation of noxious substances. ARDS often affects previously healthy individuals and accounts for roughly 10% of all ICU admissions, with almost 25% of patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Survivors of ARDS are often left with severe long-term illness and disability.

The study will investigate Cynatas Cymerus MSCs as a treatment for ARDS, in combination with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO circulates blood through an artificial lung, oxygenating the blood before putting it back into the bloodstream of a patient. ECMO has emerged as a treatment adjunct to support the vital organs in patients with severe ARDS, which can provide short- to medium-term mechanical pulmonary support.

MSC therapy could be used as a possible treatment for ARDS due to the ability of MSCs to reduce inflammation, enhance clearance of pathogens and stimulate tissue repair.

The study will first seek to determine if Cymerus MSC treatment improves oxygenation in sheep with ARDS supported by ECMO, and to evaluate the effects on lung mechanics, blood flow, inflammation and lung injury, as well as safety.

If the study is successful, the data would support progression to a clinical trial of Cymerus MSCs in humans with ARDS undergoing ECMO support.

The study is being funded by the Queensland State Government, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Intensive Care Society UK, and the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.

If the FDA or TGA wants us to step in, were all ears. Our product is manufactured in the United States, and supply is not an issue. In theory, were ready to go, Macdonald said.

He was quick to point out that what differentiates Cynatas stem cell product from competitors is that its MSCs are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and most stem cell companies rely on multiple donors to donate either bone marrow or adipose tissue as their primary tissue sources. From those sources they derive a small number of MSCs, which represent the starting material of their manufacturing process.

Cynatas Cymerus MSC therapy comes from a single donor and can be produced in limitless quantities, giving it the potential to create a new standard, Macdonald said. The platform technology is based on versatile stem cells known as mesenchymoangioblasts (MCAs), which are a precursor of mesenchymal stem cells.

That process allows the company to make MSCs derived from iPSCs in large amounts without losing their potency, and that forms the basis for the companys platform technology, which it calls Cymerus.

Cynata is gearing up for three phase II trials with its Cymerus MSCs in graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), critical limb ischemia and osteoarthritis.

Mesoblasts remestemcel-L is being studied in clinical trials across several inflammatory conditions, including in elderly patients with lung disease and adults and children with steroid-refractory aGVHD, heart failure and chronic low back pain due to intervertebral disc degeneration.

The FDA recently accepted Mesoblasts BLA for priority review for remestemcel-L for children with aGVHD. It has a PDUFA date of Sept. 30 for the product branded as Ryoncil.

Mesoblast shares (ASX:MSB) were up nearly 34% to AU$1.78 from AU$1.32 per share by market close April 6.

Cynatas shares (ASX:CYP) were trading at AU86 cents on April 7.

Read more here:
MSC-based therapies from Mesoblast, Cynata advance to tackle COVID-19 ARDS - BioWorld Online

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Advance Market Analyticsreleased the research report ofGlobal Stem CellsMarket, offers a detailed overview of the factors influencing the global business scope.Global Stem Cells Market research report shows the latest market insights with upcoming trends and breakdown of the products and services.The report provides key statistics on the market status, size, share, growth factors of the Global Stem Cells.This Report covers the emerging players data, including: competitive situation, sales, revenue and global market.

Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/72815-global-stem-cells-market-1

The stem cell is used for treating chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, cancer, diabetes, and others. Growing research and development in stem cell isolation techniques propelling market growth. For instance, a surgeon from Turkey developed a method for obtaining stem cells from the human body without enzymes which are generally used for the isolation of stem cells. Further, growing healthcare infrastructure in the developing economies and government spending on the life science research and development expected to drive the demand for stem cell market over the forecasted period.

The Global Stem Cellsis segmented by following Product Types:

Type (Adult Stem Cells (Neuronal, Hematopoietic, Mesenchymal, Umbilical Cord, Others), Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC), Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells), Application (Regenerative Medicine (Neurology, Orthopedics, Oncology, Hematology, Cardiovascular and Myocardial Infraction, Injuries, Diabetes, Liver Disorder, Incontinence, Others), Drug Discovery and Development), Technology (Cell Acquisition (Bone Marrow Harvest, Umbilical Blood Cord, Apheresis), Cell Production (Therapeutic Cloning, In-vitro Fertilization, Cell Culture, Isolation), Cryopreservation, Expansion and Sub-Culture), Therapy (Autologous, Allogeneic)

Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.Enquire for customization in Report @:https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/72815-global-stem-cells-market-1

Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Stem Cells Market:

Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Global Stem Cells market

Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Global Stem Cells Market.

Chapter 3: Displayingthe Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Global Stem Cells

Chapter 4: Presenting the Global Stem Cells Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.

Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018

Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Global Stem Cells market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions.

Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source

Finally, Global Stem Cells Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies.

Data Sources & Methodology

The primary sources involves the industry experts from the Global Stem Cells Market including the management organizations, processing organizations, analytics service providers of the industrys value chain. All primary sources were interviewed to gather and authenticate qualitative & quantitative information and determine the future prospects.

In the extensive primary research process undertaken for this study, the primary sources Postal Surveys, telephone, Online & Face-to-Face Survey were considered to obtain and verify both qualitative and quantitative aspects of this research study. When it comes to secondary sources Companys Annual reports, press Releases, Websites, Investor Presentation, Conference Call transcripts, Webinar, Journals, Regulators, National Customs and Industry Associations were given primary weight-age.

Get More Information: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/72815-global-stem-cells-market-1

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.

About Author:

Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies revenues.

Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.

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Stem Cells Market Expected to Boost the Global Industry Growth in the Near Future - Germany English News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

What are the genetics of male pattern baldness? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Adriana Heguy, Director of the NYUMC Genome Technology Center and Professor of Pathology, on Quora:

Unfortunately the genetics of androgenetic alopecia (male-pattern baldness) is not really well understood. The more complex the biology behind a phenomenon is, the more difficult is going to be to find all the genetic factors. Regulation of hair growth in mammals is extremely complicated and poorly understood, in spite of this subject being a very active area of research. Hair is very important to mammalianthermoregulation thus it makes sense for its biology to be very complex.

It is clear that male-pattern baldness is a highly heritable condition [1], although there is also some evidence for the involvement of epigenetic factors [2]. There are a few genes implicated in androgenetic alopecia from different studies [3]. Unsurprisingly, the androgen receptor (AR) gene is one of them, as it is well known that the condition is dependent on testosterone (an androgen). The androgen receptor is on the X chromosome, which is why some people propagate the myth that male-pattern baldness comes from the mother's side of the family (a male inherits the X chromosome from mom, the Y chromosome from dad). But it is not the only gene involved, or even the main gene involved. There are genes in basically all chromosomes that have been implicated in androgenetic alopecia, and this is what makes it so difficult to unravel, as we would have to examine the overall contribution that each gene variant (single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP) play in hair loss, and also how these genes interact with each other and the environment to result in the phenotype.

Position of genes implicated in male pattern hair loss, from [4].

Some of these genes code for transcription factors or histone deacetylases. TheWnt pathway appears to be involved. Even though we know a fair amount about transcription factors, the Wnt pathway, etc., this still does not tell us much about what's actually going on in androgenetic alopecia and why the hair follicles shrink and die. The hope is that identifying these genes will provide targets for therapeutic intervention. But so far, we are still far from a definitive "cure" for androgenetic alopecia.

If there is any consolation for men (or at least, heterosexual men) distressed about hair loss, if it was a phenotype that was repulsive to females, the gene variants would have been weeded out a long time ago, by sexual selection. Many of us find bald heads very manly and attractive.

Footnotes

[1] Genetic basis of male pattern baldness.

[2] Eleven pairs of Japanese male twins suggest the role of epigenetic differences in androgenetic alopecia.

[3]Hunting the genes in male-pattern alopecia: how important are they, how close are we and what will they tell us?

[4] Hunting the genes in male-pattern alopecia: how important are they, how close are we and what will they tell us?

This question originally appeared on Quora. Ask a question, get a great answer. Learn from experts and access insider knowledge. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions:

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The Unpredictable Genetics Of Male-Pattern Baldness

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Nearing COVID-19s fatality peak means having a larger pool of severe cases to draw correlates from.

A new study published in The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has successfully identified several clinical similar sites linking fatal reactions to SARS-Cov-2 infection.

The global death toll from COVID-19 virus exceeds 21000. The risk factors for death were attributed to advanced age and comorbidities, but havent been accurately defined, the authors wrote in the new paper. Medical records of 85 fatal cases of COVID-19 between January 9 and February 15, 2020, were collected. The information recorded included medical history, exposure history, comorbidities, symptoms, laboratory findings, CT scans, and clinical management.

The researchers were not only able to determine the underlying factors that lead to acute COVID-19 symptoms, but they were also able to link onset symptoms with critical outcomes.

According to the data, the majority of COVID-19 deaths occur as a result of multiple organ failure. Patients on ventilators do not receive enough oxygen in their bloodstream to sustain vital biological functions or combat accompanying effects of prolonged illness like inflammation, pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Between 30% and 40% of patients who experience ARDS do not survive

The median age of the patients involved in the new study who succumbed to COVID-19 was 65.8 years old and 72.9% were male. The common symptoms in cases that went on to become fatal were fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, and dyspnea (labored breathing).

Early onset of shortness of breath may be used as an observational symptom for COVID-19 exacerbations. Eosinophilopenia may indicate a poor prognosis. The combination of antimicrobial drugs did not offer considerable benefit to the outcome of this group of patients, the report continued.

Symptoms were not the only instructive element of case severity. Hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease were the most common comorbidities in the cases analyzed.

Eighty-one percent of patients who had low white blood cell counts at admission developed fatal cases of COVID-19. Complications associated with these predictors included respiratory failure, shock, ARDS, and arrhythmia.

Antibiotics were administered the most often for patients under intensive care, followed by antiviral therapeutics and glucocorticoid treatments.

As the disease has spread to other regions, the observations from these areas may be the same, or different. Genetics may play a role in the response to the infection, and the course of the pandemic may change as the virus mutates as well, the authors conclude. Since this is a new pandemic that is constantly shifting, we think the medical community needs to keep an open mind as more and more studies are conducted.

Danish researchers from Aarhus University collaborated with scientists from the University of Siena for an independent study premised by the high COVID-19 mortality rates in Italy.

The researchers compellingly establish a correlation between air pollution and coronavirus-related deaths in two regions of Northern Italy: Lombardy and Emilia Romagna.

These areas evidence a mortality rate of 12%, which is considerably higher than any other impacted community (16,000 coronavirus deaths as of April 7th).

Lombardy and Emilia Romagna rank among the most heavily air-polluted areas in all of Europe. After reviewing air data collected by the NASA satellite Aura and comparing it with the European Environment Agencys Air Quality Index, Lombardy and Emilia Romagna ranked as one of the most heavily air-polluted areas in the entire continent of Europe.

It stands to reason that turbulent air has a hand to play considering SARS-Cov-2 targets lung cells and damages the hairlike projections that keep our airways clear of mucus and debris.

The authors are quick to point out that the findings published in the journal Environmental Pollution do not wholly account for the disproportionately high mortality rates observed in the regions studied, but they should not be counted outbecause at this stage nothing should be counted out.

There are several factors affecting the course of patients illness, and all over the world, were finding links and explanations of what is important. Its very important to stress that our results are not a counter-argument to the findings already made. At the moment, all new knowledge is valuable for science and the authorities, and I consider our work as a supplement to the pool of knowledge about the factors that are important for the course of patients illness, says environmental scientist Dario Caro in a release.

Original post:
Everything you need to know about fatal cases of COVID-19 - Ladders

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

You can read our most essentialcoverage of the coronavirus/covid-19 outbreakfor free, and also sign up for ourcoronavirus newsletter. But pleaseconsider subscribingto support our nonprofit journalism.

About six to 10 days after viral exposure,the body begins to develop antibodies that bind and react specifically to the proteins found on SARS-CoV-2. The first antibody produced is called immunoglobulin m (IgM), which is short-lived and only stays in the bloodstream for a few weeks. The immune system refines the antibodies and just a few days later will start producing immunoglobulins G (IgG) and A (IgA), which are much more specific. IgG stays in the blood and can confer immunity for months, years, or a lifetime, depending on the disease its protecting against.

In someone who has survived infection with covid-19, the blood should, presumably, possess these antibodies, which will then protect against subsequent infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Knowing whether someone is immune (and eligible for potential future certification) hinges onserological testing,drawing blood to look for signs of these antibodies. Get a positive test and, in theory, that person is now safe to walk the street again and get the economy moving. Simple.

Except its not. There are some serious problems with trying to use the tests to determine immunity status. For example, we still know very little about what human immunity to the disease looks like, how long it lasts,whether an immune response prevents reinfection, and whether you might still be contagious even after symptoms have dissipated and youve developed IgG antibodies. Immune responses vary greatly between patients, and we still dont know why. Genetics could play a role.

Weve only known about this virus for four months, says Donald Thea, a professor of global health at Boston University. Theres a real paucity of data out there."

SARS-CoV-1, the virus that causes SARS and whose genome is about 76% similar to that of SARS-CoV-2, seems toelicit an immunity that lasts up to three years. Other coronaviruses that cause the common cold seem to elicit a far shorter immunity, although the data on that is limitedperhaps, says Thea, because there has been far less urgency to study them in such detail. Its too early to tell right now where SARS-CoV-2 will fall in that time range.

Even without that data, dozens of groups in the US and around the world are developing covid-19 tests for antibodies. Many of these are rapid tests that can be taken at the point of care or even at home, and deliver results in just a matter of minutes. One US company, Scanwell Health, has licensed a covid-19 antibody test from the Chinese company Innovita that can look for SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies through just a finger-prick blood sample and give results in 13 minutes.

There are two key criteria we look for when were evaluating the accuracy of an antibody test. One is sensitivity, the ability to detect what its supposed to detect (in this case antibodies). The other is specificity, the ability to detect the particular antibodies it is looking for. Scanwells chief medical officer, Jack Jeng, says clinical trials in China showed that the Innovita testachieved 87.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity(these results are unpublished). That means it will not target the wrong kind of antibodies and wont deliver any false positives (people incorrectly deemed immune), but it will not be able to tag any antibodies in 12.7% of all the samples it analyzesthose samples would come up as false negatives (people incorrectly deemed not immune).

By comparison, Cellex, which is the first company to get a rapid covid-19 antibody test approved by the FDA, has a sensitivity of 93.8% and a specificity of 95.6%. Others are also trumpeting their own tests vital stats. Jacky Zhang, chairman and CEO of Beroni Group, says his companys antibody test has a sensitivity of 88.57%, for example. Allan Barbieri of Biomerica says his companys test is over 90% sensitive. The Mayo Clinic is making available its own covid-19 serological test to look for IgG antibodies, which Elitza Theel, the clinics director of clinical microbiology, says has 95% specificity.

The specificity and sensitivity rates work a bit like opposing dials. Increased sensitivity can reduce specificity by a bit, because the test is better able to react withanyantibodies in the sample, even ones you arent trying to look for. Increasing specificity can lower sensitivity, because the slightest differences in the molecular structure of the antibodies (which is normal) could prevent the test from finding those targets.

It really depends on what your purpose is, says Robert Garry, a virologist at Tulane University. Sensitivity and specificity rates of 95% or higher, he says, are considered a high benchmark, but those numbers are difficult to hit; 90% is considered clinically useful, and 80 to 85% is epidemiologically useful. Higher rates are difficult to achieve for home testing kits.

But the truth is, a test that is 95% accurate isnt much use at all. Even the smallest errors can blow up over a large population. Lets say coronavirus has infected 5% of the population. If you test a million people at random, you ought to find 50,000 positive results and 950,000 negative results. But if the test is 95% sensitive and specific, it test will correctly identify only 47,500 positive results and 902,500 negative results. That leaves 50,000 people who have a false result. Thats 2,500 people who are actually positiveimmunebut are not getting an immunity passport and must stay home. Thats bad enough. But even worse is that a whopping 47,500 people who are actually negativenot immunecould incorrectly test positive. Half of the 95,000 people who are told they are immune and free to go about their business might never have been infected yet.

Because we dont know what the real infection rate is1%, 3%, 5%, etc.we dont know how to truly predict what proportion of the immunity passports would be issued incorrectly. The lower the infection rate, the more devastating the effects of the antibody tests inaccuracies.The higher the infection rate, the more confident we can be that a positive result is real.

And people with false positive results would unwittingly be walking hazards who could become infected and spread the virus, whether they developed symptoms or not. A certification system would have to test people repeatedly for several weeks before they could be issued a passport to return to workand even then, this would only reduce the risk, not eliminate it outright.

As mentioned, cross-reactivity with other antibodies, especially ones that target other coronaviruses, is another concern. There are six different coronaviruses known to infect humans, says Thea. And its entirely possible if you got a garden-variety coronavirus infection in November, and you did not get covid-19, you could still test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Lee Gehrke, a virologist and biotechnology researcher at Harvard and MIT, whose company E25Bio is also developing serological tests for covid-19, raises another issue. It's not yet immediately clear, he says, that the antibodies these tests pick up are neutralizing. In other words, the antibodies detected in the test may not necessarily actagainstthe virus to stop it and protect the bodythey simply react to it, probably to tag the pathogen for destruction by other parts of the immune system.

Gehrke says he favors starting with a smaller-scale, in-depth study of serum samples from confirmed patients that defines more closely what the neutralizing antibodies are. This would be an arduous trial, but I think it would be much more reassuring to have this done in the US before we take serological testing to massive scale, he says.

Alan Wells, the medical director of clinical laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, raises a similar point. He says that some patients who survive infection and are immune may simply not generate the antibodies youre looking for. Or they may generate them at low levels that do not actually confer immunity,as some Chinese researchers claim to have found.

I would shudder to use IgM and IgG testing to figure out whos immune and whos not, says Wells. These tests are not ready for that.

Even if the technology is more accurate, it might still simply be too early to start certifying immunity just to open up the economy. Chris Murray from the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluationtold NPRhis groups models predict that come June, at least 95% of the US will still be susceptible to the virus, leaving them vulnerable to infection by the time a possible second wave comes around in the winter. Granting immunity passports to less than 5% of the workforce may not be all that worthwhile.

Theel says that instead of being used to issue individual immunity passports, serology tests could be deployed en masse, over a long period of time, to see ifherd immunity has set inlifting or easing restrictions wholesale after 60 to 70% of a communitys population tests positive for immunity. There are a few case studies that hold promise. San Miguel County in Colorado has partnered with biotech company United Biomedical in an attempt to serologically test everyone in the county. The community is small and isolated, and therefore easier to test comprehensively. Iceland has been doing the same thing across the country.

This would require a massively organized effort to pull off well in highly populated areas, and its not clear whether the decentralized American health-care system could do it. But its probably worth thinking about if we hope to reopen whole economies, and not just give a few individuals a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Not everyone is so skeptical about using serological testing on a case-by-case basis. Thea thinks the data right now suggests SARS-CoV-2 should behave like its close cousin SARS-CoV-1, resulting in an immunity that lasts for a maybe a couple of years. With that in mind, its not unreasonable to identify individuals who are immune from reinfection, he says. We can have our cake and eat it too. We can begin to repopulate the workforcemost importantly the health-care workers. For instance, in hard-hit cities like New York that are suffering from a shortage of health-care workers, a serological test could help nurses and doctors figure out who might be immune, and therefore better equipped to work in the ICU or conduct procedures that put them at a high risk of exposure to the virus, until a vaccine comes along.

And at the very least, serological testing is potentially useful because many covid-19 cases present, at most, only mild symptoms that dont require any kind of medical intervention. About 18% of infected passengers on theDiamond Princesscruise shipshowed no symptoms whatsoever, suggesting there may be a huge number of asymptomatic cases. These people almost certainly arent being tested (CDC guidelines for covid-19 testing specifically exclude those without symptoms). But their bodies are still producing antibodies that should be detectable long after the infection is cleared. If they develop immunity to covid-19 thats provable, then in theory, they could freely leave the house once again.

For now, however, there are too many problems and unknowns to use antibody testing to decide who gets an immunity passport and who doesnt. Countries now considering it might find out they will either have to accept enormous risks or simply sit tight for longer than initially hoped.

Correction: The initial version of the story incorrectly stated: "The higher the infection rate, the more devastating the effects of the antibody tests inaccuracies." A higher infection would actually produce more confident antibody test results. We regret the error.

Read the original here:
Why its too early to start giving out immunity passports - MIT Technology Review

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

An expert raises her concerns about direct-to-consumer testing and shares ways people can protect themselves.

In an interview with CURE, Lisa Schlager, vice president of public policy for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) and a BRCA1 mutation carrier, discussed OTC genetic tests versus those provided by health care professionals and what consumers should keep in mind as they make health decisions.

CURE: What are the major differences between OTC genetic tests and those ordered by a physician or genetic counselor?

Schlager: Its like night and day. As an example, 23andMe has a component where you can opt to test for the BRCA mutations, although it looks for only three of the potentially thousands of BRCA mutations. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are associated with increased risk of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer, and some people are interested to know if they may have one of these mutations.

But when youre testing for only three of the potentially 5,000 mutations, and those three mutations are most commonly found in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, youre going to miss a lot of information. The fact that the Ashkenazi Jewish population is about 2% of the population in the United States means that 98% of the population in this country is unlikely to have those specific mutations.

If you were to go to a genetic counselor or a health care specialist with expertise in genetics, they would talk to you about your family history, determine which testing is most appropriate and probably give you a test that is much more expansive.

We must understand also that BRCA mutations are not the only mutations that cause an increased risk of cancer. We now have dozens of mutations with names like PALB2, CHEK2, ATM and Lynch syndrome. These are all mutations that cause increased cancer risk, and if you test for only the three BRCA mutations, youre really not getting good information about your potential risk.

How can consumers determine which OTC tests are reputable?

There have been a lot of reports in the media of people selling tests to unwitting consumers who dont realize who they are dealing with, who dont realize that theyre being duped out of their insurance or Medicare information. I think the important thing is that if you go to a qualified health care professional, they are more likely to steer you to a reputable genetic test. If youre going to do a test over the counter, look at it for what it is. Its kind of a fun thing, and it may provide you with some interesting information, but the best place to learn about health risks and health conditions is through a qualified health care professional or genetics counselor. Ultimately, if you do test positive for one of these health risks ... you need to confirm it with a health care provider anyway. The other thing to be aware of is that if something seems suspicious, go with your gut.

Should consumers be more aware of certain characteristics of these fraudulent tests?

Absolutely. (Be wary of) those that are making promises about coverage and that everyone is able to get it covered now, 100% free or no cost to you, or if they are aggressively marketing. We have seen people marketing these tests at health fairs and senior centers. Thats not a reputable way to do this. Thats not how health care is supposed to be done.

Some of these tests, such as 23andMe, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What does this mean?

FDA approval means that the FDA has vetted it and determined that the test is in fact accurate for what it claims to do. The reality is that the vast majority of genetic tests are not FDA approved, they are CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) approved, which is a designation under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

So, it comes down to knowing who is providing the test to you and making sure that the company, the test provider, the laboratory, is a reputable lab.

What is the biggest takeaway for consumers who are concerned about their risk?

Talk to a doctor that you have a relationship with and share your concerns. Most doctors will either have a mechanism for assessing risk in office or will refer you.

Ultimately, there is coverage for genetic testing for people who have a family history or personal cancer history. People dont need to turn to these less reliable tests to get the testing.

Read the original post:
Genetic Testing: Are Over-the-Counter Options Reliable? - Curetoday.com

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

One of the hallmarks of the single-origin specialty coffee movement has been an appreciation for specific varieties within the arabica species of coffee.

Like the Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon varieties to wine, coffee varieties such as Bourbon, Pacamara or Gesha are not merely used as identifiers; theyre also employed as marketing terms. But what if that 91-point Gesha in your cup is actually a 91-point something else? Heaven forbid.

Research released last month that used genetic fingerprinting to determine the veracity of genetic labeling of thousands of coffee plant suggests the mis-identification of varieties on farms and even in nurseries may be widespread.

DNA fingerprinting provides different actors in the coffee sector with a powerful new tool farmers can verify the identity of their cultivated varieties, coffee roasters can be assured that marketing claims related to varieties are correct, and most of all, those looking to establish a more professional and reliable coffee seed sector have a reliable new monitoring tool to establish and check genetic purity of seed stock and nursery plants, the authors of the open-access study in the in theJournal of AOAC International.

Behind the study is the Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit World Coffee Research, which it should be noted has a vested interest in promoting this type of DNA fingerprinting. The group launched a DNA fingerprinting service for the authentication of arabica coffee in 2017, and charges $130 per sample.

For the newly published study, researchers applied the DNA fingerprint testing to more than 2,500 coffee samples in its database, which came from numerous sources, including WCRs core collection and anonymized samples sent by individuals. Samples originated from coffee-growing countries all over the world.

In one of the starkest examples of genetic nonconformity, only 39% of the 88 samples identified as the famous Gesha variety (often written as Geisha elsewhere) were found to truly be Gesha.

Researchers noted incidental cross-pollination on the farm as a potential likely route to genetic ambiguity on farms and in nurseries.

Experience with the WCR genetic database points to the conclusion that a recently selected variety in a region with a relatively organized research and nurseries network exhibit higher genetic conformity, the authors wrote. The best example of this currently is the Marsellesa variety, with 91% of genetic conformity. However, when varieties are older and/or the research and nurseries network is poorly organized, the percentage of genetic conformity can drastically decrease.

See the full open-access study here.

Related Reading

Nick Brown Nick Brown is the editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. Feedback and story ideas are welcome at publisher (at) dailycoffeenews.com, or see the "About Us" page for contact information.

Tags: AOAC International, genetics, Gesha, research, science, varieties, World Coffee Research

Original post:
Genetic Testing Reveals the True Nature of Coffee Varieties - Daily Coffee News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Genetic Testing Market Outlook 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The advent of genetic tests has revolutionized the molecular diagnostics and cytogenetic industry. It is one of the most rapidly growing segments in the molecular diagnostics industry, which helps in delivering customized health services or personalized medicine.

The share of genetic testing is incessantly increasing in the market. Growing awareness about genetic testing, technological advances in genetic sequencing, and rising incidences of genetic diseases especially cancer are some of the major factors propelling the genetic testing market.

Global Genetic Testing Market Outlook 2022 provides a detailed analysis of the genetic testing market. The report also provides insight regarding the current and future perspectives of the market. This report covers the major trends and drivers, and their impact on the market. The report also discusses some of the restraints that can hinder the growth of the market, as well as rising opportunities which can provide new dimensions to the industry.

The segmentation of genetic testing markets has been done in the report on the basis of applications, diseases, and geographical regions.

1) Based on the application, the genetic testing market is divided into Diagnostic Testing, Newborn Screening, Prenatal Testing, Carrier Screening, and Others. Diagnostic testing and Newborn screening are the major application areas of genetic testing industry. The large shares of these applications can be attributed to the presence of huge players in the segment, and to the rising number of genetic tests performed for this purpose. The Carrier Testing market is expected to witness the highest growth during 2017-2022. This growth is likely to be driven by the huge population opting for carrier screening of cystic fibrosis, exhibiting an unprecedented rise in the US. The report provides a current and forecasted market for each of the application areas of Genetic Testing.

2) The major disease profiles/conditions for which Genetic Testing is used include Alzheimer's Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Cancer, Down Syndrome, and Others. Cancer accounts for the largest share amongst the diseases for which genetic testing is done. This large share can be attributed to the rising prevalence of cancer, which is expected to increase as the global population ages. Approximately 75-80% of all cancers are diagnosed in people aged 55 or older, and this pattern is expected to increase by 2020. The report provides a current and forecasted market for each of the genetic conditions of Genetic Testing.

3) Moreover, the report also contains markets for the major regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. North America contributes the largest share in the global genetic testing market, followed by Europe. The presence of major players increased awareness and higher disposable income, are some of the prominent factors that have led to North America being the market leader. The Asia-Pacific market is expected to witness the highest growth during 2017-2022. The major reasons for the high growth are the increasing per capita income and gradual development of the healthcare sector in countries, such as India and China. North America and Europe are expected to grow at a modest rate due to the launch of new and innovative products in these markets.

Competitive Landscape

The company profiles segment in this report is entirely devoted to profiling leading companies of the genetic testing industry including some major players like Abbott Laboratories, Roche Diagnostics, Myriad Genetics, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Hologic, Inc., Cepheid, Agilent Technologies and QIAGEN. This segment provides you access to the newly launched products, recent developments, and strengths and weaknesses of these companies to deliver a clear understanding/view of the competitive landscape.

Overall, the report will prove to be a complete source of knowledge and analysis for clients and potential investors.

Key Topics Covered

1. Analyst View

2. Research Methodology

3. Genetic Testing Overview

3.1 Applications and Advantages

3.2 Methods

3.3 Genetic Testing Laboratories - Unmet Need Analysis

4. Industry Overview

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Rising Incidence of Chronic Diseases

4.1.2 Growth in Ageing Population

4.1.3 Increasing Government Initiatives

4.1.4 Rising Investments in Genetic Testing Market

4.1.5 Incessant Launch of New Genetic Tests

4.2 Challenges

4.2.1 Low Awareness for Genetic Testing in Developing Countries

4.2.2 High Cost of Genetic Tests

4.2.3 Varying Reimbursement Policies

4.2.4 Ethical and Policy Issues

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)

4.3.2 Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT)

4.3.3 Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for Cancer

4.3.4 Personalized Medicine

4.4 Trends

4.4.1 Genetic Testing in Oncology: Gaining Momentum

4.4.2 Strong Demand for Pharmacogenomics

4.4.3 At-Home DNA Tests or Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) Genetic Tests

5. Global Genetic Testing Market Outlook

6. Global Genetic Testing Market by Application

6.1 Carrier Testing

6.2 Diagnostic Testing

6.3 New Born Screening

6.4 Predictive & Pre-Symptomatic Testing

6.5 Prenatal Testing

6.6 Others

7. Global Genetic Testing Market by Disease

7.1 Alzheimer's Disease

7.2 Cystic Fibrosis

7.3 Cancer

7.4 Down Syndrome

7.5 Others

8. Global Genetic Testing Market by Geography

8.1 North America

8.2 Europe

8.3 Asia-Pacific

8.4 Rest of the World (RoW)

9. Genetic Testing Regulations

10. Mergers & Acquisitions

11. Company Profiles (Overview, Product Offering, Financials, Developments, Strength & Weakness)

11.1 Abbott Laboratories

11.2 Roche Diagnostics

11.3 Myriad Genetics, Inc.

11.4 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

11.5 Agilent Technologies, Inc.

11.6 Hologic, Inc.

11.7 Illumina, Inc.

11.8 QIAGEN N.V.

11.9 Cepheid

11.10 Quest Diagnostics

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7hcy1w

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