February 8, 2021

Theres a good reason medical checkups typically include a quick but gentle pat-down of your neck area by health care providers. Among other conditions, theyre looking for a goiter, an enlarged thyroid gland that may spell health problems but can also be harmless.

Goiters affect about 16 percent of people worldwide, ranging from just under 5 percent in the United States to 28.3 percent in Africa, according to the National Institutes of Health. But the most common cause of goiters globallya lack of the nutrient iodineisnt a significant issue in the U.S., where iodized salt is routinely used.

In our country, many goiters are idiopathic, meaning we dont know the reason why they occur, says Alexander Shifrin, M.D., an endocrine surgeon at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Still, various risk factors can make it more likely that youll develop a goiter. These include:

Located at the base of the neck, the thyroid produces hormones that regulate a variety of crucial bodily functions, ranging from helping us keep warm and use energy to fueling proper function of organs and muscles. The development of a goiter doesnt mean the gland isnt working. But this enlargement, which can happen slowly or quickly, may also signal the thyroid is making too much or too little hormone.

What signs of a goiter should you watch for? Dr. Shifrin says size matters. Watch for an enlargement of the thyroid, he says, including swelling at the base of your neck. Every enlarged gland should be checked for cancer.

According to the American Thyroid Association, you should also watch for these signs:

Most goiters arent cancerous, Dr. Shifrin says, but you should still have it checked by your primary physician or an endocrine specialist. Blood tests alone cant usually determine if thyroid cancer is present. Ninety percent of thyroid cancers are detected by palpating the gland and a thyroid ultrasound, Dr. Shifrin says.

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.

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Causes and Signs of an Enlarged Thyroid - Health Topics, Men's Health, Women's Health - Hackensack Meridian Health

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Study Design: Cohort study design with retrospective and prospective components.

Methods: Women were eligible to participate in accordance with the CMS Quality Rating System technical specification for breast cancer screening. Eligible women with no documented screening for a mammogram from January 1, 2016, through November 7, 2017, were invited to participate in a campaign that included outreach about screening mammography as a no-cost covered benefit, education about screening mammography to detect asymptomatic disease, and a gift card to a local grocery merchant if the member obtained screening mammography by December 31, 2017.

Results: During December 2017, 20.8% (27/130) of eligible women obtained a screening mammogram compared with 7.8% (5/64) of eligible women during the nonintervention reference period of December 2016. Mammography screening increased by 170% during the study period in comparison with the reference period of a year earlier (prevalence ratio [PR], 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-6.6; P=.02).

Conclusions: A one-time, time-limited cue-to-action pilot project consisting of outreach, education, and incentive increased uptake of screening mammography by women enrolled in a community health insurance plan providing health insurance coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act. This increase is statistically significant in the intervention period compared with the reference period (PR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-6.6; P=.02). Despite a small sample size, the magnitude of the effect for this pilot study is encouraging and warrants future studies in a larger population.

Am J Manag Care. 2021;27(2):In Press

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Takeaway Points

Managed care organizations (MCOs) can help members achieve positive health outcomes through the consistent use and application of quality improvement activities. We demonstrated that an MCO can effectively target members to improve uptake of a preventive service through a series of cues to actions. MCOs should consider the findings from this pilot project as evidence that outreach, education, and incentives play a role in member decision-making with regard to using preventive services. This research also demonstrates that MCOs can effectively encourage members to use free, covered benefits available to them as part of the Affordable Care Act.

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States.1 The National Cancer Institute estimated that the number of new breast cancer cases and the number of deaths from breast cancer among women would approach 268,600 and 41,760, respectively, in 2019.2 However, despite these numbers, the population-adjusted mortality rate for breast cancer decreased by 36% from 1989 through 2012.3 This reduction is due to a variety of factors, including improved chemotherapeutic treatments, reduced hormone replacement use among women, and the continued use of screening mammography to identify breast cancer among asymptomatic women.3 Case-control studies show a reduction in breast cancerrelated mortality ranging from 36% to 70% for women who obtain screening mammography.4

In the United States,5 as in many countries around the world,6-8 national health officials have developed evidence-based guidelines to promote screening mammography among asymptomatic women. Guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) indicate that women of average risk aged 50 through 74 years will receive the most benefit from regular biennial screening.5 With the introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), screening mammography became a covered, no-cost, preventive service.9

METHODS

Study Setting

Sendero Health Plans is a community-based health insurance plan serving an 8-county area of central Texas that offers health insurance on the ACA federal marketplace. In 2017, as part of its ongoing quality improvement focus, Sendero sought to increase uptake of screening mammography for members enrolled in its ACA line of business based on the USPSTF recommendation for mammography screening.10

Theoretical Basis

We used both the health belief model and the transtheoretical model as a basis for this pilot project. The health belief model includes a variety of theoretical constructs, such as perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action, to guide health promotion activities.11 The health belief model has been used to predict health behaviors for a variety of clinical issues, including screening for asymptomatic disease12 and helping to improve breast cancer screening rates among asymptomatic women.13-15 In this pilot project, we used cues to action to provide an overt action (ie, outreach and education) as a stimulus to asymptomatic women aged 52 to 74 years to undertake a known preventive intervention to identify breast cancer. In addition, a financial incentive, which is rooted in the transtheoretical model, was used to encourage women who may otherwise be ambivalent to undertake this health-seeking behavior to undergo screening mammography.16

Study Design

We conducted a pilot project using a cohort study design to determine if cues to action involving outreach about screening mammography as a no-cost benefit, education about screening mammography to detect asymptomatic disease, and a financial incentive using a gift card to a local grocery merchant would encourage women to obtain a screening mammogram. We focused on a time-limited, 6-week pilot project from November 17, 2017, through December 31, 2017. Women were identified and eligible to participate in this study based on the following inclusion and exclusion criteria (Figure 1).

Women had to be eligible to receive a screening mammogram based on the CMS Quality Rating System technical specification for breast cancer.17 Using this technical specification, we identified 277 women aged 52 to 74 years who were continuously enrolled in the Sendero IdealCare plan for the period October 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017.

We adjusted this group to include only 2 full years of data for analysis, removing 10 women who were eligible in the period from October 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015. This resulted in 267 women eligible for screening mammography in calendar years 2016 and 2017.

We identified all women in the 2016 and 2017 time period who had not received a screening mammogram by November 7, 2017, based on submission of a medical claim for Current Procedural Terminology code 77067 or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code G0202. One hundred women were identified. These women are defined as the population eligible for this study.

Women were not randomized or otherwise allocated to an intervention or nonintervention group, as it was deemed unethical to restrict individuals from receiving a secondary prevention examination with known positive health benefits.

Study Intervention

This study consisted of 3 interventions, all of which were targeted at women aged 52 to 74 years. The interventions were (1) outreach to inform women that screening mammography is a benefit available to them at no additional out-of-pocket cost as part of their Sendero health insurance; (2) educational information about the exam (adapted from material produced by the CDC), the benefits of screening mammography, and how to prepare for and what to expect on the day of the exam11; and (3) an incentive of a $50 gift card to a local grocery merchant to women who completed the screening mammography exam by December 31, 2017.

Materials were mailed to eligible women on November 17, 2017, just prior to the US Thanksgiving holiday period. Follow-up text messages were sent 12 days later on November 29, 2017. Follow-up phone calls were initiated between December 4 and December 21, 2017, some 17 days after the initial mailing, to assist women with scheduling a mammogram appointment or to answer questions about screening mammography. All written materials, texts, and phone calls were provided in English and Spanish.

A member of the research team (N.T.) who is bilingual in English and Spanish made follow-up phone calls to women eligible for the campaign. A script was developed, and the research team member was trained on how to use the script, how to address comments or questions not in the script, and how to provide scheduling assistance if requested. Calls were recorded for quality assurance purposes but were not monitored or reviewed at a later date. After identity verification, the member was asked if she:

Statistical Analyses

Data were obtained from medical claim submissions and included the date on which screening mammography occurred, the county and zip code of the individuals residence, and the individuals age in years. Data on income and federal poverty levels by county were obtained from the US Census; such data are not reported to Sendero by federal officials and, therefore, we do not have the ability to provide member-level data analysis on this information.18 Similarly, data on race and ethnicity are not provided to Sendero by federal officials.

Descriptive statistics included age and proportion of women eligible to participate in the health promotion campaign and were based on full-year data in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Chi-square goodness of fit tests were used to test the hypothesis that there is no difference by month when women choose to obtain a screening mammogram. A separate 2 test was conducted for each calendar year, as well as for the 2-year period of the study. A prevalence ratio (PR), the 95% CI, and a P value were calculated to compare the prevalence of women screened in the intervention period (December 2017) with the reference period of a year earlier (December 2016).

RESULTS

One hundred women were eligible to participate in the outreach, education, and incentive campaign. These 100 women were represented by 46 zip codes. Twenty-five zip codes were located in Travis County, 9 in Williamson County, 6 in Bastrop County, 3 in Hays County, 2 in Caldwell County, and 1 in Fayette County. Among these 46 zip codes, the median household income ranged from $38,100 to $136,138 and the percentage of people living at or below the federal poverty level ranged from 2.1% to 30.6%.18

Twenty-seven of the 100 individuals eligible for this intervention obtained a screening mammogram during the assessment month of December 2017. By comparison, 5 women obtained a screening mammogram during the reference period of December 2016. Women who received the intervention were 170% more likely to be screened in December 2017 compared with December 2016 (PR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-6.6; P=.02).

During 2016 and 2017, 194 women obtained a screening mammogram (Table 1). The number of women who obtained a screening mammogram varied by month during 2016 (211=14; P=.23), during 2017 (211=42.62; P<.001), and across the 24-month reporting period of January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2017 (223=88.80; P<.001) (Table 2 and Figure 2). The difference was not significant in 2016, but it was statistically significant during 2017 and during the overall 2-year observation period. In both 2016 and 2017 the number of monthly screening mammograms varied: 2016 (range, 1-9) and 2017 (range, 4-27).

Follow-up texts were transmitted to 94 women based on contact preferences; 54 of the text messages were confirmed as having been received. Follow-up phone calls were initiated to 85 members based on contact preferences, with 145 attempted calls resulting in a conversation with 40 members. Of the 40 women contacted by phone, 15 had not scheduled a mammogram by the time of the call. Eight women (53.3%) accepted the offer of assistance to schedule an exam, 6 (40.0%) did not accept scheduling assistance, and 1 (6.7%) reported she had, unbeknownst to us, scheduled her mammogram prior to the call.

DISCUSSION

Two cues to action and 1 incentive component were used to encourage uptake of screening mammography among women aged 52 to 74 years. To our knowledge, no other health insurance plan in Texas has conducted a similar pilot project to increase uptake of a USPSTF preventive service as part of the ACA package of benefits.

Outreach and Education

The outreach and education cues to action informed women that screening mammography was a covered benefit of their health insurance policy, how screening mammography can identify breast cancer in its earliest stages when it is usually more effective to treat, and what screening mammography entails. Reminders tied to a specific date have been shown to improve uptake of screening mammography,19 which in our case were focused on a specific intervention time frame. Educational material has been shown to be a useful tool to encourage women to obtain screening mammography.20,21

The Incentive Component

The incentive component provided women with a $50 gift card to a local grocery merchant if they obtained their screening mammography between November 17, 2017, and December 31, 2017. The incentive was designed to encourage a healthy behavior among women for a known preventive service. However, the notion of a financial incentive sometimes prompts disquiet among those who believe that paying a person to obtain a known health benefit is somehow wrong or immoral, whereas others question the medium- or long-term viability of such an activity. We provide our insight into these notions from the health insurance company perspective.

First, we do not believe there is any reason to suggest or imply that providing a financial incentive to obtain a preventive service is somehow wrong; in fact, this notion strikes us as both paternalistic and judgmental. Financial incentives are a part of contemporary life and are used to guide people into making decisions. In health care, the goal is to encourage individuals to make healthy choices; therefore, it seems appropriate to provide incentives to encourage healthy behavior and thus maximize utility.22-24 As a form of trade, this is a voluntary action that, if implemented, benefits both parties.22 In this case, a woman obtains a preventive health service with demonstrated evidence of success and the health insurance company fulfills its obligations to promote the health and well-being of its members. If the woman chooses not to participate in the incentive program, which 73 did not for this campaign, then this is her right as would be expected of any type of voluntary transaction.

Second, with regard to the medium- and long-term viability, several items need to be considered. One is to identify the expected outcome of the financial incentive. The idea is not, as some might suggest, to pay a person to obtain a preventive service; rather, the idea is to use the incentive to introduce and support ongoing positive behavioral change. Further research on the impact of financial incentives and behavioral change within a community-based health insurance plan is needed.

Third, there may be a concern about the overall financial benefit of screening and early detection. Routine screening, simply put, is designed to identify disease in its earliest stage before it has had an opportunity to metastasize. Treating breast cancer in situ is more successful and less costly than treating metastatic cancer.25 For example, breast cancer in situ is reported to have mean per-patient costs of $48,477 and $71,909 at 0 to 6 months and 0 to 24 months post diagnosis, respectively. On the other hand, breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast tissue and may have entered the lymph node is reported to have mean per-patient costs of $84,481 and $159,442 at 0 to 6 months and 0 to 24 months post diagnosis, respectively.26 In our cue-to-action project, the maximum total expenditure for the financial incentive would have been $5000 if all women had participated in the pilot project. Had 1 case of breast cancer in situ been identified rather than waiting until regional lymph node involvement had occurred, the amount of money expended due to early treatment vs late-stage treatment would have more than offset the cost of the entire incentive program.

Women Who Choose Not to Be Screened

Women who choose not to be screened represent a small but important part of the overall population eligible for screening mammography. Of the 267 women eligible for screening, 73 (27.3%) in the 2-year period from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017, did not obtain screening mammography as part of their Sendero health insurance benefit. The research team member who made follow-up calls to members to encourage participation in this pilot project collected information about why women chose not to participate. Although this was not a primary outcome for this pilot study, we present here some of the qualitative findings from the conversations that took place with the 40 members who were contacted. (Each statement is from a specific person, with additional comment, if any, by the authors in brackets.)

This feedback indicates that primary care physicians play an important role in helping women make an informed decision about whether to obtain screening mammography. Further research on the impact of the role of the primary care physician and behavioral change to support secondary prevention campaigns is warranted.

Limitations

Several limitations have been identified with this study. The first limitation is the timing of the campaign and its potential impact on mammography screening uptake. The 6-week intervention time period included 3 major holidays, which may have limited participation and may have impacted service availability; however, based on discussions with our preferred mammography provider during the planning process, they did not indicate a lack of availability during the 6-week time period. Second, some campaign-eligible women may have already scheduled a mammogram before receiving campaign material in the mail. Third, although the campaign included 3 cues to action, we did not seek to, nor were we able to, ascribe variance to any particular cue to action. Fourth and finally, we are blinded to some data that could be useful in the analysis of these findings. Such data include income and race/ethnicity data, as this information is not provided by the federal Marketplace to health plans.

CONCLUSIONS

A one-time, time-limited cue-to-action pilot project consisting of outreach, education, and incentive increased uptake of screening mammography by women enrolled in a community health insurance plan providing health insurance coverage as part of the ACA. This increase is statistically significant in the intervention period compared with the reference period (PR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-6.6; P=.02). Despite a small sample size, the magnitude of the effect for this pilot study is encouraging and warrants future studies in a larger population.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance and advice of current and former Sendero staff members and contractors Dr Avishek Kumar, Bryan Palma, Linda Burton, Tammy Liu, Norma Lozano, Rodolfo Ybarra, and Priscilla Gonzales in the development of this project. The authors would also like to thank Travis County taxpayers for their continued support of Sendero Health Plans.

Author Affiliations: The Litaker Group, LLC (JRL), Austin, TX; Sendero Health Plans (NT, WD), Austin, TX; University of Texas at Austin (RT), Austin, TX.

Source of Funding: Funding for this project was provided in the form of staff and contractor time by Sendero Health Plans.

Author Disclosures: Drs Litaker and Taylor are independent paid research consultants to Sendero Health Plans and received payment for their involvement in the preparation of this manuscript. The remaining authors report no relationship or financial interest with any entity that would pose a conflict of interest with the subject matter of this article.

Authorship Information: Concept and design (JRL, NT, WD, RT); acquisition of data (JRL, NT, WD, RT); analysis and interpretation of data (JRL, NT, RT); drafting of the manuscript (JRL, RT); critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content (JRL, RT); statistical analysis (JRL, NT, RT); provision of patients or study materials (NT); obtaining funding (WD); administrative, technical, or logistic support (JRL, NT, RT); and supervision (JRL).

Address Correspondence to: John R. Litaker, PhD, MSc, MMedSc, The Litaker Group, LLC, PO Box 160505, Austin, TX 78716. Email: john.litaker@litakergroup.com.

REFERENCES

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2. Cancer stat facts: female breast cancer. National Cancer Institute. Accessed March 22, 2020. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html

3. DeSantis CE, Fedewa SA, Goding Sauer A, Kramer JL, Smith RA, Jemal A. Breast cancer statistics, 2015: convergence of incidence rates between black and white women. CA Cancer J Clin. 2016;66(1):31-42. doi:10.3322/caac.21320

4. Puliti D, Zappa M. Breast cancer screening: are we seeing the benefit? BMC Med. 2012;10:106. doi:10.1186/1741-7015-10-106

5. Clinical summary: breast cancer: screening. US Preventive Services Task Force. January 11, 2016. Accessed August 1, 2017. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/ClinicalSummaryFinal/breast-cancer-screening1

6. Breast Screen Australia: policy. Australian Government Department of Health. Updated June 5, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020. http://www.cancerscreening.gov.au/internet/screening/publishing.nsf/Content/policy

7. Overview: breast cancer screening. National Health Service. Updated March 27, 2018. Accessed August 1, 2018.https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-screening/

8. Tonelli M, Gorber SC, Joffres M, et al; Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Recommendations on screening for breast cancer in average-risk women aged 40-74 years. CMAJ. 2011;183(17):1991-2001. doi:10.1503/cmaj.110334

9. Coverage of Preventive Health Services, 42 USC 300gg13 (2010).

10. What is a mammogram? CDC. Updated September 14, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/mammograms.htm

11. Zheng Y, Mancino J, Burke LE, Glanz K. Current theoretical bases for nutrition intervention and their uses.In: Coulston AM, Boushey CJ, Ferruzzi MG, Delahanty LM, eds. Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease. Elsevier; 2001:83-93. doi:10.1016/b978-012193155-1/50008-8

12. Urich A. The Health Belief Model. Pennsylvania State University Open Resource Publishing. Accessed March 10, 2020. https://psu.pb.unizin.org/kines082/chapter/the-health-belief-model/

13. Sohl SJ, Moyer A. Tailored interventions to promote mammography screening: a meta-analytic review.Prev Med. 2007;45(4):252-261. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2007.06.009

14. Yarbrough SS, Braden CJ. Utility of health belief model as a guide for explaining or predicting breast cancer screening behaviours.J Adv Nurs. 2001;33(5):677-688. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01699.x

15. Deavenport A, Modeste N, Marshak HH, Neish C. Closing the gap in mammogram screening: an experimental intervention among low-income Hispanic women in community health clinics.Health Educ Behav. 2011;38(5):452-461. doi:10.1177/1090198110375037

16. Slater JS, Parks MJ, Malone ME, Henly GA, Nelson CL. Coupling financial incentives with direct mail in population-based practice.Health Educ Behav. 2016;44(1):165-174. doi:10.1177/1090198116646714

17. 2018 Quality Rating System measure technical specifications. CMS. September 2017. Accessed October 1, 2017. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/QualityInitiativesGenInfo/Downloads/Revised_QRS-2018-Measure-Tech-Specs_20170929_508.pdf

18. American FactFinder Community Facts. US Census Bureau. Accessed March 20, 2020. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml

19. Buist DSM, Gao H, Anderson ML, et al. Breast cancer screening outreach effectiveness: mammogram-specific reminders vs. comprehensive preventive services birthday letters.Prev Med. 2017;102:49-58. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.06.028

20. Michielutte R, Sharp PC, Foley KL, et al. Intervention to increase screening mammography among women 65 and older.Health Educ Res. 2004;20(2):149-162. doi:10.1093/her/cyg108

21. Boling W, Laufman L, Lynch GR, Weinberg AD. Increasing mammography screening through inpatient education.J Cancer Educ. 2005;20(4):247-250. doi:10.1207/s15430154jce2004_14

22. Grant RW. The ethics of incentives: historical origins and contemporary understandings.Econ Philos. 2002;18(1):111-139. doi:10.1017/s0266267102001104

23. Tambor M, Pavlova M, Golinowska S, Arsenijevic J, Groot W. Financial incentives for a healthy life style and disease prevention among older people: a systematic literature review.BMC Health Serv Res. 2016;16(suppl 5):426. doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1517-0

24. Vlaev I, King D, Darzi A, Dolan P. Changing health behaviors using financial incentives: a review from behavioral economics.BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1059. doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7407-8

25. Kakushadze Z, Raghubanshi R, Yu W. Estimating cost savings from early cancer diagnosis.Data (Basel). 2017;2(3):30. doi:10.3390/data2030030

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A Cue-to-Action Pilot Project to Increase Screening Mammography - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

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Its a mans world is an iconic, soulful ballad co-written by the late James Brown and recorded in February 1966 at Bob Gallos Talent Masters studio in New York City. And it is a song that celebrates the virtues of being a man while simultaneously acknowledging the many virtues of women. Something to note about this iconic, soulful ballad that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 more than 50 years ago is how it called attention to the many differences between men and women. Along with emotional and psychological differences, men and women are also remarkably different from a physiological standpoint. To understand to what extent, it helps to know a little more about the endocrine system in both genders.

What Science Has Revealed About the Male and Female Endocrine System

For those not as well-versed in human physiology, the male and female body houses an endocrine system. And this system is comprised of a network of hormone-secreting glands that allow the body to function optimally. In both genders, the primary hormones that make up the endocrine system include the pineal, pituitary, hypothalamus, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and thymus glands. The pancreas is also one of the many glands that make up the endocrine system in both men and women. One key difference between the male and female endocrine system has to do with the reproductive glands.

Male and female bodies alike have reproductive glands that make conception possible. In men, this would be the testes. And in women, it would be the ovaries. The testes are responsible for secreting testosterone. The ovaries, on the other hand, secrete estrogen. When these glands secrete adequate amounts of their respective hormones, they play a vital role in contributing to homeostasis and enabling men and women to realize the joys of parenthood. However, if these hormone levels fall too low, it can lead to fertility issues and other physical health problems in men and women alike. For example, women with low estrogen levels, which correlates with estrone and estradiol levels below 17 and 15 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL), respectively, will usually experience the following:

Much like women, men with low testosterone levels, typically below 280 ng/dL, will see their fair share of ill-effects, some of which include the following:

One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to the endocrine system is that its ability to secrete estrogen applies only to women. And this couldnt be any further from the truth. While the ovaries and adrenal glands secrete estrogen in women, the testes and adrenal glands secrete estrogen in men. Of course, the amount of this hormone secreted in men is much lower. When estrogen levels are too high, delineated by estradiol and estrone levels greater than 40 and 50 picograms per milliliter (pg/mL), respectively, men are more likely to suffer from prostate enlargement.

Common Causes of Prostate Cancer

Along with an enlarged prostate resulting from high estrogen levels, men who also have low testosterone levels are more likely to develop prostate cancer, say researchers with the National Institutes of Health. The sentiment is further echoed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which notes that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, especially among those age 40 and over. Further, a study published by Science Daily revealed that men with high testosterone and high human growth hormone (HGH) levels are also at risk of developing prostate cancer. And it does not end there as prostate cancer can also stem from inherited gene mutations, acquired gene mutations, and poor dietary habits. Men who have the misfortune of developing prostate cancer will often experience the following symptoms:

How Is Prostate Cancer Diagnosed?

While symptoms detailed in this article generally correlate with prostate cancer, the only way for men to know for sure if they have developed the disease is to schedule an appointment with a urologist or oncologist. Two of the screening tests that these practitioners will use to determine if an individual has prostate cancer include a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Some practitioners will arrange an ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and may even order a biopsy if they observe prostate abnormalities that might be cancerous. If prostate cancer is confirmed, some practitioners may advise undergoing a prostatectomy.

What Is a Prostatectomy?

In short, a prostatectomy, otherwise known as prostate surgery, is a procedure that involves the partial or complete surgical removal of the prostate. This type of surgical procedure is a go-to for men with cancer affecting the prostate, which has not metastasized to other parts of the body, or an enlarged prostate. According to the American Cancer Society, the following are the different types of prostatectomy surgery that a physician might recommend to men diagnosed with either of these two health problems:

Consequences of Undergoing a Prostatectomy

As with any surgery, there are risks associated with undergoing a prostatectomy of any kind. Some of the ones frequently reported by men who have gone through with such a procedure include the following:

Ways to Ensure a Safe and Quick Recovery Following Prostatectomy Surgery

Indeed, numerous side effects can stem from undergoing prostatectomy surgery. However, according to most urologists, men who do the following are much less likely to encounter them:

Close medical supervision One of the best ways to ensure a safe and speedy recovery following prostatectomy surgery is to immediately contact your physician if youre experiencing excessive pain or bleeding post-surgery. After all, neglecting these issues can pave the way for infections and other complications that could significantly slow down the healing process.

Positive attitude Having a positive attitude aids in speeding up recovery and minimizing complications after a surgical procedure, say most naturopathic physicians. And prostatectomy surgery is no exception as a positive attitude can tamp down feelings of stress that would otherwise weaken the immune system and, in turn, slow down healing.

Avoiding accidents Another way to minimize complications while speeding up healing following prostatectomy surgery is by avoiding trauma to the urethra or bladder. For this reason, physicians often advise against engaging in strenuous activities, such as biking, running, or even having sex, while the body is still healing.

Prevention of Prostate Cancer: Testosterone and Human Growth Hormone Therapy

According to a study published by cancer.net, over 190,000 men will likely be diagnosed with prostate cancer by the end of 2020. But this doesnt mean that such a grim reality is unavoidable. There are things that men can do to lower their chances of developing the disease. For example, addressing hormone imbalance problems as soon as possible can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing prostate cancer. And this generally means taking medication to help boost low testosterone (find more about results of depo-testosterone in reviews of patients) or human growth hormone levels. Similarly, taking medication to lower high estrogen levels can help in this regard as well.

Natural Ways to Boost Immunity That Also Protects Against Prostate Cancer

Many of the same things that strengthen the immune system, which, in turn, lowers the risk of infection, can also protect against prostate cancer. Generally speaking, this comes down to healthy lifestyle habits, such as exercising regularly, consuming a healthy, well-balanced diet, and keeping stress to a minimum. Quitting smoking and minimizing alcohol consumption can further lower the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Bottom Line

All in all, men and women are more the same than they are different in that both have a higher chance of encountering life-altering diseases as they get older. Fortunately, breakthroughs in science and modern medicine, coupled with positive lifestyle choices, can go a long way toward keeping many age-related diseases, including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women, at bay.

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Prostatectomy: Safe and Quick Ways to Recover - Voice Online - The Voice Online

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In recent years there have been many scientific advancements targeting the problems men face in the bedroom. Use of male enhancement pills increased 312% from 1998 to 2002 leading to massive amounts of money being poured into research.

The high demand and competition leads to new formulas addressing more specific problems such as arousal, erection intensity, and length of climax. In this article we go over what ingredients to look for, what sex pills work, and what the best male enhancement pills are by type.

Top Male Enhancement Pills by Category

1. Best ED pill subscription service - Hims ED Pills2. Best for boosting sex drive - VigRX Plus3. Best for increasing orgasm intensity - Semenax4. Best for increasing testosterone - Testogen5. A unique twist on male enhancement - SemEnhance6. Best natural supplement for stiffer erections - Max Performer 7. Best for longer erections - Male Extra 8. Best herbal supplement - Viasil 9. Best value-for-money - Huge.com10. Best premature ejaculation remedy - ProSolution Plus11. Best maximum strength formulation - ExtenZe

1. Hims ED Pills Most Powerful Male Enhancement Pill

Hims Inc. is a telemedicine company founded in 2017. Hims employs doctors that review a subscriber's personal health information. These doctors then prescribe ED medications that subscribers purchase through the Hims website.

When needed, Hims doctors can prescribe up to 100 mg of Viagra or 200 mg of Stendra. Aside from ED medication, Hims also offers medication for premature climax issues. A subscriber can access Sertraline for early ejaculation, which is available in pills of 25 mg, 50 mg, or 100 mg.

Hims ED pills are generic versions but theyve gone through the same stringent regulatory approval process as their brand-name counterparts. If you're looking for potent ED medication at an affordable price, Hims ED pills might be a good alternative.

2. VigRX Plus Best for Boosting Libido and Sex Drive

If you want to try an ED medication but are wary of possible side effects, you might want to give VigRX Plus a try. VigRX Plus uses natural ingredients that are not as concentrated as over the counter options.

Although there are no reported side effects because of its natural formulation, it is still best to read the complete list of ingredients to ensure that there won't be any allergic reactions.

VigRX Plus offers a 67-day money-back guarantee for subscribers who are not completely satisfied with its products.

3. Semenax - Best Sex Pill for More Intense Orgasms

Semenax also has Epimedium Sagittatum, Butea Superba, and L-Lysine. The combination of these ingredients can help boost libido and testosterone levels. On top of increased sexual performance, they can also help users who suffer from low sperm count and poor sperm motility.

Semenax gives customers a 67-day return period if they are not happy with the product. Semenax also has a 24/7 dedicated support line to assist customers with their questions or concerns.

4. Testogen - Best Male Enhancement for Increasing Testosterone

The herbal extracts in this medication can provide improved strength and stamina if you like working out. Combined with a healthy diet, Testogen can help the user maximize muscle mass growth.

Testogen also has Magnesium, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin B6 to improve mood and aid in better sleep. The medication also enhances desire so users can have a healthier sex life.

5. SemEnhance - Most Unique Male Enhancement

SemEnhance contains natural ingredients that neutralize molecules responsible for the sour, chemically, or salty pheromones released in sweat and throughout the body. The formula that SemEnhance uses include pineapple, Vitamin C, Bee pollen, and kiwi.

SemEnhance is from the same company that produces Semenax, a herbal supplement that increases semen volume. This somewhat assures customers that SemEnhance has undergone the same rigorous testing process as Semenax. Like Semenax, customers have a 67-day money-back guarantee if they try the product and are unhappy with its effects.

6. Max Performer - Best Natural Male Enhancement for Powerful Erections

Max Performer contains 1,000 mg of Horny Goat's Weed, which bolsters testosterone levels and increases blood circulation. It also has 1,000 mg of Maca that helps restore hormone levels and improve sperm count and motility.A key ingredient of Max Performer is Korean Red Ginseng, which can help; ease anxiety, increase desire and improve endurance.

Other natural ingredients in Max Performer include Cordyceps, Bioperine, selenium, and zinc. These ingredients can help boost self-esteem and improve sexual stamina, leading to a more satisfying performance.

7. Male Extra - Best Natural Male Enhancement for Longer Erections

If you want to have longer erections, you might want to give Male Extra a try. This natural male enhancement supplement might help increase size and hardness because of the full erection. It can also improve the sustainability of erections by increasing blood flow to the penis.Male Extra uses a potent mix of natural ingredients to help users improve the quality of their erections. It contains ellagic acid, L-Arginine HCL, niacin, MSM, and L-Methionine. Male Extra also has zinc that can help increase testosterone production and improve libido.Male Extra also has an infusion of cordyceps extract that acts as a natural aphrodisiac to increase sexual drive and function.

8. Viasil - Best Herbal Male Enhancement Supplement

Viasil has Horny Goat Weed and Ginkgo Biloba that can help increase blood flow to the penis. This can lead to bigger and harder erections.

Viasil also has Panax Ginseng Root that helps reduce stress. The high levels of ginsenosides in ginseng can help improve sexual performance.

One edge that Viasil has over other ED medication is the generous guarantee that it provides. Customers have a 100-day money-back guarantee when they purchase Viasil.

9. Huge.com Best Cheap Male Enhancement Pill

Huge.com only uses approved erectile dysfunction medication, including Tadalafil and Sildenafil. This medication helps improve blood supply to the male reproductive organs to enhance sexual performance.

Huge.com offers secretive specialized consultation to subscribers. These consultations help Huge.com's doctors formulate a plan that will help address your needs to combat ED and improve your sex life.

If you have your doubts about Huge.com's effectiveness, you can try their plan for one month since your first month will only cost you $1.

10. ProSolution Plus - Best Pill for Premature Ejaculation

ProSolution Plus contains Tribulus Terrestris. This traditional Chinese herb is a known aphrodisiac. It also contains Withania somnifera that helps increase nitric oxide.

With an increased nitric oxide, the blood flow to the penis increases, allowing for a larger erection.

ProSolution Plus also has asparagus adscendens that provide natural relief to stress. Additionally, the mucuna pruriens in ProSolution Plus helps increase erection frequency and sexual activity.

To top it off, this medication also has asteracantha longifilia that helps increase attraction to female sexual partners.

11. ExtenZe Natural Penis Enlargement Pill

ExtenZe contains Yohimbe. This is an herbal supplement commonly used in West African medicine as a treatment for male infertility. It blocks alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, which usually prevents erections. Yohimbe also helps produce nitric oxide to help improve blood flow to the male reproductive organs.

ExtenZe also uses a scientific formulation containing 26 pharmaceutical-grade compounds. These compounds can help a user boost vitality and energy to increase pleasure and performance.

Which Is Safest?We've mentioned VigRX as the safest pill on the list, and for good reasons. Compared to other male sex pills that contain fillers, VigRX has only essential ingredients that can improve a man's sexual health.

As an herbal pill, VigRX also prides itself on general health benefits among men. Users reported that the herbal pill could improve blood flow over a few weeks of intake.

We've listed VigRX's essential ingredients to help you understand how it works:

Do Male Enhancement Pills Make You Bigger?

However, many male enhancement supplements can increase the usable size of the penis by improving one's blood flow. A product like BlueChew can increase the erection's firmness so much that you get somewhat bigger.

An enzyme called Protein Phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) promotes erectile dysfunction. With this enzyme, the blood can't move through the penile arteries, which causes the dysfunction. Effective supplements suppress the PDE5's activity that blocks dilation of the arteries. This then results in a larger penis size because of a firmer erection.

How To Maximize the Effects of Male Enhancement Pills and Increase Sex Drive NaturallyManage Weight

For many years, we've known that physical conditions that go along with obesity can also affect one's sex drive. According to a study, around 30% of obese individuals indicated problems with sexual desire, drive, or performance in general.

Losing weight and getting in shape can stimulate sex hormones. It can make you look better, improve your confidence, and fortify your stamina during sex. For best results, you can focus your workouts on your pelvic area to get the blood flowing there.

Reduce StressWhen you're in a stressful situation, your body naturally prepares to fight or run away. This concept is called the "fight or flight response."

If you're constantly stressed, your hormone levels disrupt, and your arteries narrow. This results in blood flow restriction, which can cause erectile dysfunction.

You can perform some stress management techniques, including meditation, breathing exercises, or talking to a therapist.

A physical touch from your partner can also help alleviate stress. Cuddles, kisses, and hugs from a special someone can go a long way.

Refrain From Alcohol and Smoking

Meanwhile, too much alcohol disables your autonomic nervous system's natural sexual response. This then prevents you from getting or staying aroused. Loss of erection is also a common alcohol-related problem.You can smoke and drink, but always in moderation.

Healthy DietSome studies indicate that food high in Zinc and Vitamin B can fuel testosterone levels.

While there is no solid clinical data linking libido with food, a healthy diet can affect your overall energy and mood. Having high energy levels and a good mood can then positively impact your sexual drive.

Of course, you won't be able to notice the positive effects of a healthy diet on your libido right off the bat. However, it can help you stay fit, increasing your sexual stamina for the long haul.

Check Testosterone Levels

Testosterone is the most significant male sex hormone. Having low testosterone levels results in low sexual drive and erectile dysfunction.

You can always see a doctor for a testosterone test. Expect that you may need to make some lifestyle changes to increase your testosterone levels. You may also undergo supplementation and testosterone therapy.

Communication With a Partner About Any Worries in BedroomCommunication can be a potent aphrodisiac if you're confident enough to discuss your problems with your partner. Intimacy is more than what happens during sex. It's also what happens before and after.

If your partner is aware of your problems, disappointment may be unlikely to happen. You can discuss possible solutions together and be ultimately in sync in bed. You will be surprised at the spark communication can ignite in your sex life.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sex Pills for Guys (FAQs) What products can be used with sex pills?

Bathmate penis enhancement may be great to use along with sex pills. Bathmate is entirely safe to use and can deliver remarkable results in a short period.

Can you use creams for erectile dysfunction?

Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved medicated creams to treat erectile dysfunction.

What are the common side effects of erectile dysfunction medications?The usual side effects of ED drugs include headache, nasal congestion, upset stomach, diarrhea, and dizziness. Note that not all people experience this. Consulting a doctor before taking ED drugs is essential.

Best Sex Pills for Men: Key Takeaway

If you think taking one of our recommended sex pills can help you, consult your physician first. Above all, no two people are alike. What works for others may not work for you.

Read more from the original source:
11 Best Male Enhancement Pills and Products in 2021: Review of the Top-Rated Sex Pills for Men - Cleveland Scene

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Chinese scientists have successfully prolonged the lives of mice by using CRISPR.

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February10, 20214 min read

Due to the unique consequences of the pandemic, we are able to catch a glimpse of a potential future. One where we sit, plugged into our computers, devoid of physical human connection. What will society look like after thepandemic? Will we continue to stay isolated? Surely advancements in technology have played key roles in prolonging our lives, allowing us to continue to work and socialise, but to what end? With these newly emerging technologies are we destined to live forever, in a suspended state, in front of the glow of our 4k computer screens? Will gene editing technologies be used to keep us alive forever so that we can binge watch infinite Netflix shows, send meaningless emails and scroll through social media feeds?

The Institute of Zoology of the China Academy of Science has successfully prolonged the lives of mice by using CRISPR/Cas 9. CRISPR has become a relatively simple and popular way to edit strands of DNA. The CRISPR/Cas 9 study found a gene tied to cellular senescence (which tells cells to stop growing) and also, that CRISPR/Cas9 treatment can make partially dormant theagingprocess. CRISPR/Cas9 treatment allowed mice to live 25% longer and be physically stronger. Biologists see these results being relatively easy to reproduce on humans in a clinical setting.

Existing in a world where individuals are able to receive treatment to live longer borders dystopian science fiction. The treatment can reduce the need for medical attention by potentially reducing injuries, heart attacks, and organ failures.

In part, due to breakthroughs in the tech and science industries, life expectancy in the 21st century is projected to steadily increase. In a study published in the Lancet, average life expectancy is predicted to rise in 35 industrialized countries by 4.4 years in men and women by 2030.

Life expectancy will likely increase as we migrate away from laborer positions. Currently, the National Center for Health Statistics puts unintentional accidents, primarily happening within labor positions, as the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Many industrialized countries, like the U.S., have been witness to a slow disappearance of the labor class, but the pandemic has made that increasingly more apparent. Businesses are shifting towards automated technology to replace physical human interactions to curb the spread of Covid-19. Even within agriculture andfarmingindustries, already abundant with machine automation, companies are pushing even further away from human labor in an effort to reduce virus rates.

Simultaneously, we are witness to the emergence of new and remote jobs and work settings.Homesare new sites for schooling, work, andentertainment. Before the pandemic, there was already a struggle to maintain a separation between home and work identities. The pandemic has exacerbated this problem. How do we find rest and recuperation when we are living within the office space? Time on the job stretches on forever as we receive work emails while watching Netflix with our families. If life expectancy in humans gets extended by using CRISPR/Cas 9 are we just creating our own version of purgatory? Is our future one where our time working stretches on seemingly infinitely while we simultaneously cease to age? Are we becoming the perfect machine, one that is held together by technological advancements that inadvertently disembody and dehumanize us?

Was society slowly transitioning toward isolation before the pandemic? Is isolation a byproduct of neoliberalism? Gated communities, mass incarceration, office cubicles, segregation in neighborhoods,retirementhomes, hospitals, national borders and private properties all verify how neoliberalism operates. Now we are being asked to isolate ourselves within the confines of our homes. When the pandemic is over, will people continue to order food, work, shop, and socialize from isolated and often virtual spaces or will we be able to shift back into the more public and physical? Will the last remaining physical laborers, those that are delivering goods to doorsteps, be replaced by driverless vehicles?

Here is the original post:
CRISPR Offers the Potential to Live Forever, But to What End? - Entrepreneur

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Testicular cancer is one of the most curable solid malignancies, even in advanced stages. However, the high cure rate among testicular cancer survivors (TCS) is offset by the long-term toxicity of oncologic treatments which include second malignant neoplasms, hypogonadism, pulmonary toxicity, and nephrotoxicity. Compared to the normal population, TCS have an increased risk of dying from circulatory diseases and infections. Such risk is particularly greater in patients who received chemotherapy.1

Elderly people are at high risk of developing cancer and have a decreased ability to control infections. These complications are greatly caused by immunosenescence, the aging process of the immune system. Immunosenescence is characterized by several changes in the lymphocyte subpopulations: there is a decrease in T cells and nave lymphocytes (B and T cells), while CD57+ and CD28- terminally differentiated senescent cells increase. The cell-cycle regulating protein p16INK4a is also a senescence biomarker; its expression in most tissues increases with cellular aging.2

Cytotoxic chemotherapy can induce cellular senescence in normal and cancer cells.3 Therefore, we hypothesized that TCS have premature immunosenescence, which may explain the aforementioned long-term complications. This pilot study aimed to search for lymphocyte senescence surface markers as well as p16INK4a gene expression among TCS who were given chemotherapy.4

Our team conducted a case-control study of TCS matched by age and gender with healthy controls. We included patients with at least threebleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy cycles and no evidence of disease for at least three months. Patients with high-dose chemotherapy were excluded. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed by flow cytometry. B and T cells and their corresponding nave and memory subpopulations were defined according to their surface marker combinations. p16INK4a gene expression in T cells was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

We found that TCS who had previously received chemotherapeutic agents had statistically significant lower levels of total T cells and CD4+ T cells. Among the CD4+ T lymphocytes, TCS had less nave and increased effector memory cells. Within the CD8+ T lymphocytes, TCS exhibited a decrease in the percentage of nave cells and an increase in CD45RA + CD57+ cells (surface markers related to the later stages of differentiation). Furthermore, we found that there was a statistically significant higher p16INK4a gene expression in TCS as compared to the matched controls. These differences are highlighted in Figure 1.

Figure 1.Immunosenescence profile of testicular cancer survivors (TCS) compared with healthy controls.

Our data suggest that TCS previously treated with chemotherapy may have an immunological phenotype associated with immunosenescence. Potential confounders for these results (like diabetes and hypogonadism) were controlled and excluded. Chemotherapys causal effect, however, remains to be defined. Our study has several limitations, the most important being the cross-sectional nature of it, and we do not know if these alterations persist over time. Future evaluations are necessary to be done in a longitudinal study that allows a patients evaluation at diagnosis, during, and after oncologictreatments.

We believe that further studies are required to help elucidate the clinical implications of the premature immunosenescence in TCS. This is a group of patients that warrants special attention for they receive oncologic treatments at a very young age, and premature immunosenescence may impose many consequences during their lifespan.

Written by: Maria T Bourlon, MD, MSc, Twitter:@BourlonMaite, Francisco J Castro-Alonso, MD, Arturo Carballo, MD, Luis Llorente, MD, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Mdicas y Nutricin Salvador Zubirn, Mexico City, Mexico

References:

Read more:
Immunosenescence Profile and Expression of the Aging Biomarker (p16INK4a) in Testicular Cancer Survivors Tr... - UroToday

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Anabolic steroids additionally called androgenic steroids are derivatives of testosterone, significant for advancing and keeping up muscle development and creating auxiliary male sex qualities, for example, an extending voice and facial hair. They are anabolic and increment protein inside cells, particularly in skeletal muscles, Anabolic steroids utilized restoratively in ailments to animate muscle increment, set off male adolescence and treat constant squandering conditions, comprising of malignancy and AIDS.

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Increment in geriatric populace drives the androgens and anabolic steroids commercial center, as more men are susceptible to hypogonadism. Also, ascend in weight issues in men propels the overall androgens and anabolic steroids market. The growing negative health status specifically within the developing countries is projected to fuel the growth of the marketplace during the forecast period. Besides, rise in government ventures for higher human services is attributed to the growth of the overall androgens and anabolic steroids market. Increment in occurrence of hypogonadism among men is anticipated to enlarge the worldwide androgens and anabolic steroids market all through the forecast span. Rise in impotence among men due to weight problems and tiredness is expected to enhance demand for androgens and anabolic steroids during forecast duration.

Anabolic Steroids Market can be segmented on basis of compound derivatives, mode of administration, applications, Distribution channels and geography.

On basis of synthetic derivatives, Anabolic steroids market is segmented as:

On basis of Modes of administration, Anabolic steroids is segmented as:

On basis of Applications, anabolic steroids is segmented as:

On basis of Distribution channels, anabolic steroids market is segmented as:

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Anabolic steroids include di-hydro-testosterone, testosterone, and other marketers. Anabolic steroids stimulate the improvement of male sex organs and male sexual characters including growth of beard and deepening of voice. Various varieties of tissues grow due to stimulation of anabolic steroids, specifically muscle and bone. Rise in red blood cells production is due to anabolic results. Androgens and anabolic steroids are used for the remedy of breast cancer in ladies, impotence, hypogonadism in men, and alternative therapy delayed puberty in adolescent boys. Anabolic steroids are also used for the treatment of numerous conditions with hormonal imbalance, weight loss, osteoporosis, and anemia. Anabolic steroids market can be segmented based on synthetic derivatives, mode of administration, application, end-user, and region. In terms of mode of administration, the market can be categorized into oral, injection, topical, skin patches and inhaler. Based on application type, anabolic steroids market can be divided into Anabolic, Androgenic and others. Based on distribution channels anabolic steroids market can be classified into hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies and online pharmacies. The hospital pharmacies segment dominated the market owing to elevated availability of medications and hospitals being the first point of contact for treatment.

Anabolic steroids market in North America held the biggest marketplace share due to expanded prevalence of breast cancer in women. According to many researches, breast cancers is one of the main cause of death in U.S. Europe held the second largest share in anabolic steroids market because of accelerated occurrence of hypogonadism in men and delayed puberty in adolescent boys. The Anabolic steroids market in Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a fast pace during the forecast period attributable to multiplied government initiatives to get rid of breast cancer. Anabolic steroids market in Middle East & Africa is predicted to be driven via improved occurrence of impotence, hypogonadism in men, and behind schedule puberty in adolescent boys. The market in Latin America is projected to witness robust increase at some point of the forecast length due to accelerated government tasks within the fitness care sector.

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Continued here:
Europe to hold The major Piece of Cake in the Anabolic Steroids Market between 2020 and 2030 Jumbo News - Jumbo News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Poultry production in low to middle income nations could substantially benefit from transferring beneficial genes between breeds to produce offspring with useful characteristics, researchers claim.

Sterile male and female chicken eggs have been implanted with reproductive cells from donor birds with the resulting chickens mated together to produce chicks of the donor breed. The chicks showed characteristics inherited from their real patents, the donor birds, along with the edited change to their DNA, rather than their surrogate parents. The gene editing outcome demonstrates an efficient way to introduce beneficial characteristics, the scientists claim, such as tolerance for warm climates or disease resistance.

Poultry production in low to middle income nations could benefit from gene editing, researchers claim. Photo: Mark Pasveer

Beneficial genes can be transferred from one breed into another via gene editing of embryos, in a single generation, and the method to control the reproductive genes can be carried by both parents known as Sire Dam Surrogate (SDS) mating can ensure that offspring will inherit a desired gene from both parents, and exhibit the characteristic associated with that gene. Commercial partner Cobb-Europe worked with a team from the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health and the Roslin Institute to demonstrate their approach by using sterile male and female chickens, known as empty nest chickens, to transfer feather characteristics between breeds.

They removed reproductive stem cells (i.e. early stage cells that later develop into sperm and eggs) from chicken embryos using gene-editing technology, and used the same technology to introduce gene-edits into these reproductive cells from another breed. The altered reproductive cells were then implanted into surrogate parents the embryos of chicks and cockerels that were bred to be sterile. These surrogates were then hatched and mated with one another. Resulting offspring were of the donor breed and not that of their surrogate parents. They also had the new traits created by the gene-editing.

Researchers demonstrated their approach by repairing a natural generic change that causes distinctive white plumage in the White Leghorn breed. Chicks born to the sterile chickens now had a black plumage. Similarly, the team introduced a distinctive curly feather, which is believed to help Western African breeds cope with hot climates, into chicks bred from Light Sussex chickens a British breed. The concept could allow the transfer of useful traits among the worlds 1,600 chicken breeds and could boost animal productivity and welfare as well as safeguarding against changing environmental conditions.

Welcoming the developments, Professor Appolinaire Dijkeng, director of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, said: Poultry is a key livestock animal for millions of smallholder farmers in low- and middle- income countries. Any gains in efficiency, productivity and health from introducing useful traits from other poultry breeds could significantly improve the lives of these farming families through increased food production and income.

Dr. Mike McGrew, one of the scientists who worked on the study, said: The SDS technique is being used now to test genetic variants present in different breeds of chicken and to improve our ability to 'biobank' breeds of chicken. Genome-edited chickens are not allowed in the food chain. However, we can still use the techniques presented in the paper to quickly validate genetic variants which can then be used in conventional breeding programmes. Selective breeding programmes use genotyping data of animals to identify animals and offspring of merit. The idea is to know which genetic sequences are important.

We can inform these breeding programmes that specific DNA sequences in their animals are beneficial and they can then pick the offspring carrying these DNA sequences for their breeding populations."

Heat resistance and disease resistance are the most important traits for our work with the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health. For instance, the Frizzle feather genetic variant or 'trait' is hypothesised to cause the frizzly feather phenotype. Sometimes the background breed genetics of the animal is also important for the trait. We can now test now proven that a genetic variant or DNA sequence is causative for the trait. We have introduced the frizzle feather gene into the Light Sussex chicken and we will test if these chickens thrive at higher temperatures directly compared to Light Sussex chicken without the frizzle feather gene. This will prove that the frizzle feather gene on its own is beneficial for tropical environments.

The study was published in Nature Communications and the work was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office through CTLGH as well as UKRI and Innovate UK.

Originally posted here:
Gene editing to enhance production in developing nations - Poultry World

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

At GEMS International School (GIS), the science team is made up of women teachers only. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: A Dubai school has plenty to celebrate this International Day of Women and Girls in Science today. Its science department comprises an all-female teaching staff.

Many people may expect greying men in lab coats tinkering around in the science department, but at GEMS International School (GIS), the science team is made up of women teachers and instructors only. They are led by head-of-the-department Tanja Kolarov, who specialises in biology and integrated sciences.

I fell in love with science

Tanja Kolarov

As a small child, I used to sit on the white desks of my grandfathers pharmaceutical lab and watch him make creams and shampoos for my sister and myself. This is where I fell in love with science. My background is in biochemistry, with a deep interest in genetics. Genetics and the ability to change genetic information fascinate me, said Kolarov, who has been at GIS for four years.

She added that science has always been a male-dominated profession. Women scientists have been around, Kolarov said, but had to work really hard to get acknowledged. Women have to empower other women. My mother always said that if you set your mind to it, you can do anything. With STEM [science, technology, engineering, maths] being an equal-opportunities field, more and more women are joining the science profession and wanting to teach science to promote it amongst girls.

The UAEs Minister of State for Advanced Technology is a young woman, Sarah Al Amiri. Still in her early 30s, Al Amiri is also the chairperson of the UAE Space Agency and credited with leading the countrys Mars mission, which on Tuesday achieved the rare success by inserting the Hope Probe into Martian orbit to study the Red Planets atmosphere in unprecedented detail.

Paradigm shift

Hiba El Majzoub

At GIS, chemistry teacher Hiba El Majzoub has witnessed an exponential increase in girls participation in STEM in recent times. We need to have a paradigm shift as there is a misconception around this career being a mostly male domain of work. Yet, throughout history, numerous female scientists have had valuable contributions to science and to the industry as well, she said.

Once such scientist, her favourite, is Marie Curie, the only woman to win Nobel prizes in two sciences (chemistry and physics). El Majzoubs favourite subject, of course, is chemistry. She said: Chemistry is a central and pivotal experimental science that supports our deeper understanding of our biological systems as well as our physical environment. This is why chemistry is the foundation for many disciplines such as medicine, biological and environmental sciences, engineering, and materials.

Quite debatable

Hoda Alawady

GIS science teacher Hoda Alawady said the lack of female representation in STEM occupations is quite debatable. She explains: Although science is one of the fields that is dominated by males, this is currently changing dramatically. More female students are choosing to study science for many reasons. Young girls are now exposed to STEM subjects and are encouraged to study science in schools and higher education. Teachers strive to create environments that are equally appealing to females and males. With more women in the field, young girls are able to recognise the career opportunities open to them. This encourages girls to earn more college and graduate degrees and pursue a science career.

Welcome dividend

Sangita Thakrar

Fellow science teacher Sangita Thakrar teaches chemistry, biology and physics up to grade 10. She said women have to work hard to fit into all-male or majority-male departments. This extra effort has led to a dividend. Many female scientists have to blaze their own trail and become pioneers in their own field. This does, however, allow for more creativity, said Thakrar. She is currently following the work of Tiera Guinn Fletcher, 22-year-old MIT graduate working for Nasa as a rocket structural analyst. She is a relatable inspiration to all the young aspiring scientists, especially girls, added Thakrar.

Priti Suresh

The GIS science team also includes physics teacher Priti Suresh. Reacting to a query on whether more and more girl students were opting for science studies and also whether more and more women were opting to teach science, Priti said: "It is encouraging to see more women as science educators in recent times.However, a lot of young girls are still reticent to pursue a career in science owing to decades of gender-biased conditioning that a profession in the sciences requires longer work-hours and tougher working conditions. On a positive note, the last few years have seen substantial encouragement from educators across curricula from primary school through high school, in addition to a host of universities offering scholarships and waivers to further the role of women in science."

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Meet the all-female team at this Dubai school's science department - Gulf News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Charlie Thompson, Bridge House Farm, Long Buckby, Northamptonshire

It is fair to say Bridge House Farm is a global leader when it comes to the use of technology on pig units.

Not only is it one of the first farms to use EID and ultra-high frequency (UHF) tags, it is also using a feed system that individually feeds pigs in pens depending on their sex and size.

Charlie Thomson is the driving force behind the adoption of technology, working with industry leaders to help design a system that means he can record everything from individual birthweights and litter performance to weaning weights, intramuscular fat and conformation traits.

As a purebred herd supplying breeding stock for Genesus Genetics, Charlie is breeding Yorkshire pigs for the damline and Durocs for the sireline.

This makes accurate data vital, with all the information shared with Genesus Genetics, so continual genetic improvements can be made.

EID technology and bulk reading of pigs has made life so much easier for staff, and data capture more accurate especially useful as Charlie has a growing export demand for his pigs in China.

Using UHF tags allows pigs to be read in batches and from a distance, and the installation of fixed EID readers in the corridors means pig/group movements can be tracked between each stage of production.

But the technology does not stop there. has Charlie also invested in a phase feeding system which allows a tailored diet for each pen of pigs.

Pigs are fed on a curve, depending on their sex and breed due to their nutritional differences.

Running over five evenings from 6pm, beginning 7 February, we bring you The Farmers Weekly Awards Show.

Hosted by Adam Henson, the week-long festival of British farming will celebrate farmings successes and tell the story of how farmers kept the nation fed in a year like no other.

Watch the shows

But it is not just the technology that is helping this unit to fly.

The attention to detail across the team is second to none and the fact they are running an indoor intensive unit with pigs kept with entire tails and little tail biting is a testament to their hard work.

They are providing a whole range of environmental enrichment, from bowling balls to rope, wood and plastic, which are rotated daily.

If there are any signs a pig may be attempting to tail bite it is removed immediately from the pen and placed in with Durocs.

Charlie explains: Tail biting is very multi-factorial. However, we rarely see any problems in the Duroc pigs because they are so docile. So, if we see any tail biting in the Yorkshires, we remove the individual and place them in a pen with the Durocs and it calms them down and usually stops. Its like they teach them a lesson.

And it is no wonder the staff are so committed to this unit with facilities many could only dream of.

Significant investment in 2011 was made in a new staff room and separate male and female showering and changing facilities.

Development at Bridge House Farm has been made with biosecurity in mind.

Charlie, who is also a qualified vet, says it has been built like a castle, with an external fence/wall running the entire perimeter and no delivery drivers allowed on to the unit.

The environment is something Charlie is looking at closely to future-proof the farm.

In addition to the solar panels he has installed he is looking at acidifying slurry to make better use of it on the arable unit.

Charlie is an impressive pig producer who is innovative, brave, willing to try new things and has great enthusiasm and drive to further the genetics and his business. He is an advocate for showing high welfare in intensive slatted systems.

Zoe Davis, NPA

Read about the finalists

NSF International work with the food industry to create consumer confidence from farm to food.

We work with farmers to help them demonstrate the quality of what they produce. Farm assurance covers animal welfare, food safety, traceability and provenance and environmental protection so consumers can be confident the food they eat is safe and responsibility produced.

Follow this link:
Awards 2020: Pig Farmer of the Year - Farmers Weekly - FarmersWeekly

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Whether youve had the vaccine yet or not, the very fact that we have multiple vaccines against coronavirus already is incredible. But do you know who has been working to make this happen? Ill be honest - I didnt until today.

Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, an awareness day established by the UN General Assembly in 2015. Celebrating womens excellence in science and reminding us that gender equality and science must advance hand-in-hand, the day shouldnt go by unnoticed.

To be truly transformative, gender equality policies and programmes need to eliminate gender stereotypes through education, change social norms, promote positive role models of women scientists and build awareness at the highest levels of decision-making.

We need to ensure that women and girls are not only participating in STEM fields, but are empowered to lead and innovate, and that they are supported by workplace policies and organisational cultures that ensure their safety, consider their needs as parents, and incentivise them to advance and thrive in these careers.

Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO and Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women on this years awareness day.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, it is fitting that this year the awareness day is exploring the theme: Women scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. So who are these women?

Prof Sarah Gilbert is the lead professor behind the Oxford coronavirus vaccine. Working with a team of scientists, she has created a vaccine that is 82.4% effective after two standard doses.

She may only now be getting the attention of those outside the industry, but shes been well-known in science for a long time. Following an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa in 2014 Prof Gilbert led the first trial of a vaccine. Shes also helped develop medicine for Mers, a different type of coronavirus and it was this research that helped her and her team develop a vaccine so quickly for the current pandemic.

On top of this, Prof Gilbert is the co-founder of an Oxford University spin-out company called Vaccitech. Here they are conducting clinical studies of viral vectored vaccines which use modified versions of different viruses to deliver instructions to a cell.

Starting work on the Oxford vaccine in January 2020, Prof Green is an associate professor in Chromosome Dynamics at Oxford University. She also heads up the Nuffield Department of Medicine's Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility (CBF), where she specialises in creating vaccines for clinical trials.

Since completing her degree in biochemistry at the University of Cambridge Prof Green has done some incredible things. She has been awarded an Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now Cancer Research UK) scholarship for her doctoral research. After earning her doctorate, Prof Green moved to the Curie Institute to study DNA damage in human cells. She then undertook a role at the University of Cambridge as a Cancer Research UK Research Fellow in the Department of Zoology, before moving to Oxford University in 2012 where she joined the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics.

Dr Corbett is a viral immunologist and research fellow in the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). As a Black female scientist, Dr Corbett made waves on social media after it was announced she would be leading a team of researchers to work on a coronavirus vaccine at the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Dr Corbetts love of science began during a summer break from high school where she worked in a chemistry lab at the University of North Carolina. After earning her bachelors degree she became a biological sciences trainer at the NIH working alongside Dr Barney Graham.

In 2014, Dr Corbett became a research fellow, working as a viral immunologist, at the NIH. When the coronavirus pandemic broke, Corbett started work on the vaccine leading a team of researchers and developed a vaccine.

"The vaccine teaches the body how to fend off a virus, because it teaches the body how to look for the virus by basically just showing the body the spike protein of the virus" she explained. "The body then says 'Oh, we've seen this protein before. Let's go fight against it.' That's how it works." Dr Corbett tells CBS news.

Dr Patel is the director for vaccine development and antibody discovery at Novavax, leading an all-female team to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. At Novavax since 2015, she worked as a Scientist and Research Manager at AstraZeneca before that for 25 years.

Her passion for science came from a desire to cure tuberculosis, a disease that affected her father and indeed her career in the US started with her working on a TB vaccination project.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Patel has said she often works 18 hour-days, People ask me if Im tired, I dont feel tired, my day just doesnt end. And its the same with everyone else here. To me, nothing is impossible. So, having that mindset, nothing stresses me out, being honest."

This is of course just the tip of the iceberg, there are lots of women making incredible things happen in the science world. Today we celebrate and thank them for their tireless work.

Read the original post:
Meet the women on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus - Happiful Magazine

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Sheila Stiles Jewell, a geneticist marine biologist, is seen at her home in Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 30, 2019. (CNS photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)

By Karen Pulfer Focht

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (CNS) As a child, Sheila Stiles Jewellplayed outside of the public housing where her family lived in Memphis. She felt one with nature weaving clover and catching bumblebees, not realizing that she was really feeding her curiosity forscienceand the natural world.

During the days of segregation, the Catholic Church recruited her family, living at Lemoyne Owen Gardens at the time, to receive a Catholic education. It was a noble act that she credits with much of her success today.

Working into her 70s,Jewellis a research geneticist at the U.S. NOAA Northeast FisheriesScienceCenter in Milford, Connecticut. NOAA Fisheries is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sciencehas made my faith stronger, she said. The DNA structure is amazing. It is beautiful and is evidence of what God can do and has done. Look around you, it is just wonderful!

Women from her generation are underrepresented in the field ofscience.

Jewellwould like to see more African American females enter the field ofscience. She speaks at schools and brings her sea creatures to show the students hoping to spark an interest within them.

My faith has been an important part of how I persisted and persevered. I cant imagine how I could have done it without my faith, she said.Jewellstill comes home often to be with family and together they attend Mass at St. Augustine Church in South Memphis.

She remembers the times as a child in the segregated South, when she went to Mass at a white church, she had to stand in the back, sit in the balcony at the movies, and drink out of separate drinking fountains.

We came from humble beginnings, she recalled. Her mother, a teacher, was her first role model. She instilled inJewellthat an education was the key to a successful life. We couldnt always realize our dreams because of segregation, but that did not keep us from striving to be somebody, she said.

The people in the public housing where she lived always looked out for the children. We were sheltered and protected, it was a village. They were always encouraged to go to church.

Jewellstudiedscienceat Father Bertrand High School, where she was valedictorian. It was there that Sister Mary Kilian, a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, encouraged her to go to college and major in biology.

She attended Xavier University in New Orleans, the only historically Black Catholic university in the U.S., and then accepted an internship in Milford. She was apprehensive about leaving all she knew.

That summer, her advisers convinced her to go on a 30-hour Greyhound bus ride to pursue new opportunities. Because she was Black, she rode in the back of the bus and even though the North was not officially segregated like Memphis at the time, there was nowhere to stay. Housing was not open to Blacks in the 1960s. Her advisers found a family for her to stay with.

She was the first permanent African American female employee in Department of Interior in the Milford marine biological laboratory, where she has had a 56-year career and is still working today.

I had a passion for genetics. Early in my career, there were no role models in this male-dominated field, she said. She studies shellfish, such as oysters, clams, scallops and mussels, and working on restoring this population through genetics and breeding for better survival and growth.

Womens rights and civil rights have helped and brought a lot of improvement, though there are still some barriers today, she said.

She loves working with young people, reaching out and reaching back, she said. If you have a dream, follow it, do what it takes, dont be discouraged, dont give up.

Jewellwas atrailblazer. This past fall she was inducted into the Memphis Catholic High School Hall of Fame.

For so many years, she drew on her faith. If it were not for my faith, I would not have been as successful as I have been. God has been beside me throughout this journey. I could not have made this journey alone. I am so thankful for my faith, my family and my friends.

When it has been difficult to persevere, my faith has made a difference, she added.

See the original post:
Black Catholic Is Trailblazer in Science; She Has Been Geneticist for 56 Years - The Tablet Catholic Newspaper

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

A total of 44 pedigree bulls and 16 pedigree female entries have been received from a strong cohort of vendors and from some of the most successful pedigree herds in Northern Ireland.

Many of these herds have high health accredited status and all animals will be veterinary inspected on the morning of the sale and sold under the auspices of the National Beef Association and BLCS rules.Adhering with Government Regulations regards Covid-19 there will be restrictions and protocols that must be complied with prior to the sale and on the day.

The number of purchasers will be strictly limited to allow for social distancing in the sales ring, therefore ALL purchasers must pre-register with Dungannon Farmers Mart no later than close of day on Saturday, 13th February. Strict viewing will be available to register purchasers between 10am and 11.30am on the morning of sale and restrictions will be in place to allow for social distancing.

Face coverings are mandatory and must always be worn.Online bidding facilities are available at Livestock Live Sales (LSL) for the purchasers that do not wish to attend the sale. If you wish to register as an online purchaser you must do so not later than the Saturday prior to the sale. Contact the Mart Office 028 8772 2727 or Club Secretary, Tara Williamson on 07881435042.

Very much a theme at sales in 2020 has been the focus by purchasers on easy calving genetics, one of the foremost economic traits, and one that the Limousin breed has built its reputation upon. Commercial producers are clearly seeing the advantages of market ready genetics and are confidently investing in Limousin as the go to breed.

This sale will be a good opportunity for commercial producers, existing Limousin breeders and new Limousin breeders to acquire quality bulls and females with dual purpose characteristics which deliver a competitive edge when it comes to profitability.Strabane Mills Ltd will be the sole sponsor of the official BLCS February Sale.

A well established family business with 90 years experience of producing quality feeds, Strabane Mills Ltd were originally oatmeal and provender millers. This small business has thrived amongst its larger competitors as it has successfully adapted to meet the challenges of changing trends in the industry over the years.Strabane Mills Ltd manufacture a high quality range of steam cooked and flaked cereal products including barley maize and peas. They supply customers manufacturing specialist feeds for the livestock sector.The LimSale App provides details of all entries. Catalogues are also available from Dungannon Mart or Online via BLCS website.

Contact Club Secretary, Tara Williamson on 07881435042.

Read more:
Top quality Limousins head to Dungannon - Farming Life

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Background

As described by Ahlfeld (1883), intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), is a frequent jaundice in pregnancy that can be relieved following delivery, it may reoccur in subsequent pregnancies.1 ICP is a common pregnancy-related liver disease seen in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.2 Clinically it characterized by a rash and an itching sensation all over the body, particularly on the hands and feet. Elevated liver enzymes, including serum aminotransferases and/or elevated serum bile acid levels (>or = 10 micromol/L) are usually spontaneously relieved after delivery, and no later than one month post-partum. ICP may reoccur in subsequent pregnancies.3 ICP is a liver disease unique to pregnancy with a global prevalence ranging from 0.3% and 5.6% of pregnancies. Its prevalence differs from one country to the other and is more common in countries like Chile and Bolivia.1,4

Even though, the pathogenesis of ICP is not well defined and its etiology is multifaceted, it is related to abnormal biliary transport across the canalicular membrane. Available literature suggest that genetic, environmental, hormonal, and exogenous factors all play a role in the occurrence of ICP.57 Even though ICP will not usually have severe and complex outcomes, it has been associated mostly with preterm delivery, meconium staining of amniotic fluid, fetal bradycardia, fetal distress and fetal demise.1,3,6,811 The underlying mechanisms associated with poor fetal outcome are largely unknown. Poor fetal outcomes, including asphyxia events and spontaneous preterm delivery, have been shown to be associated with elevated maternal total serum bile acids (TBA) (40 micromole/L) in pregnancy.3,12

It is controversial to set the standardized and the most optimal management for women with ICP.9 But pharmacotherapy, antenatal fetal monitoring, analysis of the bile acid and early elective delivery are the currently proposed management options, so as to reduce poor outcomes for both mother and baby.1,9,11,13

A 31-year-old Gravida III and Para II mother came to the outpatient clinic of the University of Gondar specialized hospital, North West Ethiopia, in January 2019 complaining of pruritus (mainly under the breasts, on the neck, palms of the hands and soles of the feet) along with jaundice at 24 weeks gestational age (GA). She had a history of antenatal care follow up at a nearby health center. She presented to us with singleton and intrauterine pregnancy.

On arrival, she was screened for both subjective and objective data for her current and past obstetric, medical, surgical, gynecological, social, personal and family history. She had a history of early neonatal loss and one living child, her bilirubin value was elevated, she suffered pruritus and hepatomegaly in her previous pregnancies. She had a personal and family history of pruritus during pregnancy. From her previous personal history, she reported a history of similar features that resembled her current clinical presentation. The rest of her laboratory investigations and physical examination results, including vital signs (blood pressure 100/70 mmHg), were in their normal range and she arranged for her next follow up after being provided with an antihistamine drug and offered counseling and health education to ensure the best outcome for her pregnancy. At 30 weeks GA, she was assessed for any complaints, including the worsening of pruritus and underwent liver biochemistry tests. Based on this, her bilirubin total and bilirubin direct tests were 4.52 mg/dl and 3.45 mg/dl respectively. Other complete blood count tests and urinalysis were within the normal range. The progress of the pregnancy was also assessed using ultrasound and showed no any abnormality. At 34 weeks GA her bilirubin values became elevated, whereas her liver function test on both alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were 83U/L and 75 U/L, respectively. The value of prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) were 12.2 and 34.6 seconds, respectively. Urine bilirubin, urobilinogen, urine nitrite, and Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBS-antigen) tests were negative. But there was no opportunity for a TBA laboratory test.

As a result of having some abnormally elevated liver biochemistry tests, and the clinical features of the patient's current and past obstetric history, a decision was made to admitthe patient to the obstetric ward after a diagnosis of ICP was made. After admission various checks were carried out, including: weekly fetal surveillance with ultrasound and using a kick chart; administration of four doses of dexamethasone 12 hours apart to accelerate fetal lung maturation at 33 weeks GA; administration of antihistamine drugs to alleviate the suffering from pruritus; and psychological reassurance of the patient. The patient's clinical symptoms were not improved after administering antihistamine drugs and she suffered from severe pruritus following the administration of dexamethasone. At 37 weeks GA, the obstetrician and midwives had a detailed discussion and decided to deliver the baby. Initially the cervix was ripened with a Foley catheter so as to have an acceptable BISHOP score and then induction of labor with oxytocin was carried out. During this time a non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern was detected with a cardiotocograph (CTG) and was confirmed with ultrasound. Finally, a successful caesarean section was done performed to deliver a 2.8 kg live female baby with an APGAR score of 8 and 9 in the 1st and 5th minutes, respectively. Following delivery, the patient remained inhospital for a week and was discharged to home with both mother and baby in stable conditions. The evaluation of the patient during the puerperium two weeks after giving birth was good, with the normalization of the liver biochemistry tests and the disappearance of the pruritus. The bilirubin total, ALT and AST decreased to 1.1 mg/dl, 32 U/L, and 31 U/L respectively. The evaluation of the baby was also good, with normal physical development.

With the unknown etiology of ICP, various factors are indicated to be associated with high prevalence of ICP; these factors include genetics, the environment, coexisting liver and biliary tract conditions or abnormal metabolism of bile acid due to the high secretion of estrogen during pregnancy, hyper emesis gravidarum, multiple pregnancies and over stimulation of ovarian or oral contraception. The most frequent ICP complication to the fetus is preterm delivery.3,8 Especially the risk of preterm delivery is significantly higher for those patients with total bile acids (TBA)>40 mol/l.3 It was found that the mechanism of preterm delivery with ICP is that bile acid activity results in an increased sensitivity of the uterine muscle to oxytocin and in the increased oxytocin receptor expression. Having a TBA >11 mol/L in the third trimester of pregnancy is a direct indicative of ICP. The measurement of bile acid concentration is a basic test aimed at diagnosis and therapy monitoring of the ICP. Meanwhile, the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzymes could be considered as having a positive interaction in the sera of women with intrahepatic cholestasis14 and having a history of allergic reactions may mean they are more likely to develop ICP15 but for our patient there was no history of allergic reactions. Hence it is better to consider such a test while suspecting and detecting this case. ICP has its own differential diagnoses including fatty liver disease, hepatobiliary disorder, HELLP syndrome, skin disease, renal pruritus and hyper emesis gravidarum. As a result, it is better to consider all these and differing diagnoses while anticipating ICP. In the management of ICP, the major role should be preventing still birth and minimizing the adverse effects of ICP clinical features on the mother. As various literatures suggest,8,11 there is no definitive cure for ICP other than alleviating the suffering from pruritus with drugs like Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA),2 antihistamines and delivering the baby as early as possible (from 3738 weeks GA) as the clinical features of ICP will regress and disappear after delivery.

Finally, ICP is a cholestatic liver disease unique to pregnancy with a variable worldwide prevalence ranging between 0.3% and 5.6% of pregnancies. After confirming the diagnosis of ICP with a liver biochemistry test indicating total serum bile acid and its signs and symptoms as a clinical feature, close follow up of the patient is mandatory so as to prevent and minimize the adverse outcomes of ICP. For our patient after a serial laboratory test and weekly fetal surveillance, a trial of induction with oxytocin was performed and finally an effective cesarean section was carried out to deliver a 2.8 kg living female baby with an indication of non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern. ICP regressed and disappeared at the three week follow up in the puerperium.

ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GA, gestational age; ICP, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy; PT, prothrombin time; PTT, partial thromboplastin time; TBA, total serum bile acid.

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon formal request.

The Ethical clearance letter was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Gondar. Patient consent was taken with written informed consent form and she was volunteer to participate.

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images.

We would like to acknowledge University of Gondar Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as school of midwifery for allowing us to report on this case. Our deepest gratitude goes to our patient for her cooperation on revealing both her subjective and objective data, as well as her permission for us to publish this article.

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

The authors declared that they did not have any competing interest.

1. Ali Aya MK, Shazly SA, Abbas AM, Mohammed SA. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Evid Based Womens Health J. 2013;3(14).

2. Rodrigo Zapata F. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: even today a puzzling disease of pregnancy. 2017.

3. Rook M, Vargas J, Caughey A, Bacchetti P, Rosenthal P, Bull L. Fetal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy in a Northern California cohort. PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e28343. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028343

4. Chacko KR, Wolkoff AW. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: new diagnostic insights. Ann Hepatol. 2017;16(2):176178. doi:10.5604/16652681.1231550

5. KondrackiEne JKL, Kupcinskas L. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy current achievements and unsolved problems. World J Gastroenterol. 2006;14(38):57815788. doi:10.3748/wjg.14.5781

6. Shashank Shekhar S, Diddi G. Liver disease in pregnancy. Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol. 2015;54:475482. doi:10.1016/j.tjog.2015.01.004

7. Li M. Recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis pregnancy: a case report. J Clin Obstet Gynecol Infertil. 2017;1(4):1018.

8. Kenyon AP, Piercy CN, Girling J, et al. Obstetric cholestasis, outcome with active management: a series of 70 cases. BJOG. 2002;109:282288. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2002.01368.x

9. Geenes V, Williamson LC, Chappell LC. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Obstetric Gynaecolog. 2016;18(4):273281. doi:10.1111/tog.12308

10. Grone M AK, Smith JF. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Liver Dis. 2012;13(3).

11. Palmer KR, Xiaohua L, Mol BW. Management of intrahepatic cholestasis in pregnancy. Lancet. 2019;393(10174):853854. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32323-7

12. A G, Marschall HU, Mattsson LA. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: relationships between bile acid levels and fetal complication rates. Hepatology. 2004;40(2):467474. doi:10.1002/hep.20336

13. Guideline RG-t. Obstetric cholestasis. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; 2011:43.

14. Jelski W, Piechota J, Orywal K, Mroczko B. The alterations in alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the sera of women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Anticancer Res. 2020;40(4):19972001. doi:10.21873/anticanres.14155

15. Morton A, Laurie J. The biochemical diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Obstet Med. 2019;12(2):7678. doi:10.1177/1753495X18795979

See the article here:
[Full text] The Recurrent Liver Disorder of a Pregnant Mother: Intrahepatic Choles | IMCRJ - Dove Medical Press

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

TipRanks

Lets talk about growth. With corona receding, politics growing less exciting, and a new year ahead, investors are getting optimistic and that means theres a hunt for stocks that will bring in strong returns. In other words, growth stocks. In a recent interview, Jan Hatzius, chief economist at investment giant Goldman Sachs, said that he sees GDP growth in 2Q21 hitting as high as 10%. In an environment like that, most stocks are going to show a growth trend. Now, we all know that past performance wont guarantee future results. Still, the best place to start looking for tomorrows high-growth stocks is among yesterdays winners. Bearing this in mind, we set out to find stocks flagged as exciting growth plays by Wall Street. Using TipRanks database, we locked in on three analyst-backed names that have already notched impressive gains and boast solid growth narratives for the long-term. Kaleyra (KLR) We will start with Kaleyra, a cloud computing company offering communications solutions. The companys SaaS platform supports SMS, voice calls, and chatbots a product with obvious applications and value in todays office climate, with the strong push to telecommuting and remote work. Kaleyra boasts over 3,500 customers, who make 3 billion voice calls and sent 27 billion text messages in 2019 (the last year with full numbers available). Over the past 6 months, KLR shares have shown tremendous growth, appreciating 155%. Kaleyras revenues have grown along with the share value. The companys 3Q20 results hit $38.3 million, the best since KLR went public. While Kaleyra still runs a net earnings loss each quarter, the Q3 EPS was the lowest such loss in the past four quarters. Maxim analyst Allen Klee is bullish on KLR, seeing recent growth and product offerings as indicative of future performance. Over the past few years, Kaleyra has posted double-digit revenue growth and positive adjusted EBITDA. We forecast revenue growth of 9%, 22%, and 28% for 2020-2022. We project adjusted EBITDA declines in 2020 to reflect public company costs and COVID-19, but growth at over twice the rate of revenue for the following two years. We expect benefits from operating leverage, low-cost tech employees, cost volume discounts as the company expands, and margin improvement from new offerings and geographies. Over the longer term, we believe the company can grow revenue close to 30% with even faster bottom line growth," Klee opined. With such growth, its no wonder Klee takes a bullish stance on KLR. To kick off his coverage, the analyst published a Buy rating and set a $22 price target. This figure implies a 45% for the coming year. (To watch Klees track record, click here) Overall, based on the 3 Buy ratings vs no Holds or Sells assigned in the last three months, Wall Street analysts agree that this Strong Buy is a solid bet. It also doesnt hurt that its $19 average price target implies ~26% upside potential. (See KLR stock analysis on TipRanks) Vista Outdoor (VSTO) Next up, Vista Outdoor, is a venerable company that saw its niche gain attractiveness in recent times. Vista is a sporting goods company, with 40 brands in two main divisions: outdoor products and shooting sports. Vistas brands include well-known names as Bushnell Golf, CamelBak, and Remington. The company has found a burst of success in the corona year as people have turned more and more to outdoor activities that can be practiced solo or in small groups expanding the customer base. VSTO shares are up as a result, by 214% in the last 12 months. Vistas earnings reflect the increase in consumer interest in outdoor sports. The companys EPS grew in 2020, turning from a net loss to a $1.34 per share profit in the fiscal Q2 report (released in November). The fiscal Q3 report, released earlier this month, showed lower earnings, at $1.31 per share, but was still considered solid by the company, as it covered winter months when the company normally sees a revenue decline. Both quarters showed strong year-over-year EPS gains. Covering Vista for B. Riley, 5-star analyst Eric Wold sees several avenues for continued growth by Vista. He is impressed by the growth in firearm and ammunition sales, and by the price increase for products in both the outdoor goods and the shooting sports divisions. Given our expectation that the increased industry participation numbers for both outdoor products and shooting sports during the pandemic will represent an incremental tailwind for VSTO in the coming years beyond the impressive production visibility that has been created by depleted channel inventory levels, we continue to see an attractive set-up for baseline growth, Wold commented. Overall, Wold is bullish on the stock and rates it a Buy, with a $41 price target. This figure indicates room for 27% upside in the coming year. (To watch Wolds track record, click here) Vista is another company with a unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating. That rating is based on 9 recent reviews, all to Buy. VSTO shares have an average price target of $36.78, which gives an upside of 14% from the trading price of $32.15. (See VSTO stock analysis on TipRanks) Textainer Group Holdings (TGH) You might not think about the ubiquitous cargo container, but these deceptively simple metal boxes have changed the face of bulk transport since their breakout proliferation in the 1960s. These containers make it easy to organize, load, ship, and track vast amounts of cargo, and are especially valuable for their ease of switching; containers can be quickly loaded on or switched between ships, trains, and trucks. Textainer is a billion-dollar company that buys, owns, and leases shipping containers for the cargo industry. The company has over 250 customers, and boasts a fleet of 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Textainer is also a major reseller of used containers, and operates from 500 depots around the world. Even during the corona pandemic, when international trading routes and patterns were badly disrupted, and the quarterly revenues were down year-over-year, Textainer saw share gains. The companys stock soared 110% over the past 12 months. The bulk of these gains have come in the past six months, as economies and trading patterns have begun to reopen. Looking at Textainer for B. Riley, analyst Daniel Day is deeply impressed. He sees this company as the lowest priced among its peer group, with a strong market share in a competitive industry. Day rates TGH a Buy, and his $31 price target suggests it has room for 57% growth ahead of it. In support of this bullish stance, Day writes, in part, We believe that TGH is an underfollowed, misunderstood name that is ideal for the portfolio of a deep value investor looking for cash flowgenerative names trading at a steep discount to intrinsic value. With new container prices at multiyear highs amid a resurgence in container shipping, we expect upcoming earnings results to be positive catalyst events for TGH Some stocks fly under the radar, and TGH is one of those. Day's is the only recent analyst review of this company, and it is decidedly positive. (See TGH stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for growth stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

See the article here:
Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market (2020 to 2030) - Focus on Products, Applications, End-users, Country Data and Competitive Landscape -...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Dublin, Feb. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market: Focus on Products, Applications, End Users, Country Data (16 Countries), and Competitive Landscape - Analysis and Forecast, 2020-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global CRISPR gene editing market was valued at $846.2 million in 2019 and is expected to reach $10,825.1 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 26.86% during the forecast.

The development of genome engineering with potential applications proved to reflect a remarkable impact on the future of the healthcare and life science industry. The high efficiency of the CRISPR-Cas9 system has been demonstrated in various studies for genome editing, which resulted in significant investments within the field of genome engineering. However, there are several limitations, which need consideration before clinical applications. Further, many researchers are working on the limitations of CRISPR gene editing technology for better results. The potential of CRISPR gene editing to alter the human genome and modify the disease conditions is incredible but exists with ethical and social concerns.

The growth is attributed to the increasing demand in the food industry for better products with improved quality and nutrient enrichment and the pharmaceutical industry for targeted treatment for various diseases. Further, the continued significant investments by healthcare companies to meet the industry demand and growing prominence for the gene therapy procedures with less turnaround time are the prominent factors propelling the growth of the global CRISPR gene editing market.

Research organizations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and institutes are looking for more efficient genome editing technologies to increase the specificity and cost-effectiveness, also to reduce turnaround time and human errors. Further, the evolution of genome editing technologies has enabled wide range of applications in various fields, such as industrial biotech and agricultural research. These advanced methods are simple, super-efficient, cost-effective, provide multiplexing, and high throughput capabilities. The increase in the geriatric population and increasing number of cancer cases, and genetic disorders across the globe are expected to translate into significantly higher demand for CRISPR gene editing market.

Furthermore, the companies are investing huge amounts in the research and development of CRISPR gene editing products, and gene therapies. The clinical trial landscape of various genetic and chronic diseases has been on the rise in recent years, and this will fuel the CRISPR gene editing market in the future.

Within the research report, the market is segmented based on product type, application, end-user, and region. Each of these segments covers the snapshot of the market over the projected years, the inclination of the market revenue, underlying patterns, and trends by using analytics on the primary and secondary data obtained.

Key Companies Profiled

Abcam, Inc., Applied StemCell, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Cellecta, Inc., CRISPR Therapeutics AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., GeneCopoeia, Inc., GeneScript Biotech Corporation, Horizon Discovery Group PLC, Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., Merck KGaA, New England Biolabs, Inc., Origene Technologies, Inc., Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc., Synthego Corporation, System Biosciences LLC, ToolGen, Inc., Takara Bio

Key Questions Answered in this Report:

Key Topics Covered:

1 Technology Definition

2 Research Scope

3 Research Methodology

4 Market Overview4.1 Introduction4.2 CRISPR Gene Editing Market Approach4.3 Milestones in CRISPR Gene Editing4.4 CRISPR Gene Editing: Delivery Systems4.5 CRISPR Technology: A Potential Tool for Gene Editing4.6 CRISPR Gene Editing Current Scenario4.7 CRISPR Gene Editing Market: Future Potential Application Areas

5 Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market, $Million, 2020-20305.1 Pipeline Analysis5.2 CRISPR Gene Editing Market and Growth Potential, 2020-20305.3 Impact of COVID-19 on CRISPR Gene Editing Market5.3.1 Impact of COVID-19 on Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market Growth Rate5.3.1. Impact on CRISPR Gene Editing Companies5.3.2 Clinical Trial Disruptions and Resumptions5.3.3 Application of CRISPR Gene Editing in COVID-19

6 Market Dynamics6.1 Impact Analysis6.2 Market Drivers6.2.1 Prevalence of Genetic Disorders and Use of Genome Editing6.2.2 Government and Private Funding6.2.3 Technology Advancement in CRISPR Gene Editing6.3 Market Restraints6.3.1 CRISPR Gene Editing: Off Target Effects and Delivery6.3.2 Ethical Concerns and Implications With Respect to Human Genome Editing6.4 Market Opportunities6.4.1 Expanding Gene and Cell Therapy Area6.4.2 CRISPR Gene Editing Scope in Agriculture

7 Industry Insights7.1 Introduction7.2 Funding Scenario7.3 Regulatory Scenario of CRISPR Gene Editing Market7.4 Pricing of CRISPR Gene Editing7.5 Reimbursement of CRISPR Gene Editing7.5.1 CRISPR Gene Editing: Insurance Coverage in the U.S.

8 CRISPR Gene Editing Patent Landscape8.1 Overview8.2 CRISPR Gene Editing Market Patent Landscape: By Application8.3 CRISPR Gene Editing Market Patent Landscape: By Region8.4 CRISPR Gene Editing Market Patent Landscape: By Year

9 Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market (by Product Type), $Million9.1 Overview9.2 CRISPR Products9.2.1 Kits and Enzymes9.2.1.1 Vector-Based Cas99.2.1.2 DNA-Free Cas99.2.2 Libraries9.2.3 Design Tools9.2.4 Antibodies9.2.5 Other Products9.3 CRISPR Services9.3.1 gRNA Design and Vector Construction9.3.2 Cell Line and Engineering9.3.3 Screening Services9.3.4 Other Services

10 CRISPR Gene Editing Market (by Application), $Million10.1 Overview10.2 Agriculture10.3 Biomedical10.3.1 Gene Therapy10.3.2 Drug Discovery10.3.3 Diagnostics10.4 Industrial10.5 Other Applications

11 Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market (by End User)11.1 Academic Institutions and Research Centers11.2 Biotechnology Companies11.3 Contract Research Organizations (CROs)11.4 Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Companies

12 Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market (by Region)12.1 Introduction12.2 North America12.3 Europe12.4 Asia-Pacific12.5 Latin America

13 Competitive Landscape13.1 Key Developments and Strategies13.1.1 Overview13.1.1.1 Regulatory and Legal Developments13.1.1.2 Synergistic Activities13.1.1.3 M&A Activities13.1.1.4 Funding Activities13.2 Market Share Analysis13.3 Growth Share Analysis

14 Company Profiles14.1 Overview14.2 Abcam, Inc.14.2.1 Company Overview14.2.2 Role of Abcam, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.2.3 Financials14.2.4 SWOT Analysis14.3 Applied StemCell, Inc.14.3.1 Company Overview14.3.2 Role of Applied StemCell, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.3.3 SWOT Analysis14.4 Agilent Technologies, Inc.14.4.1 Company Overview14.4.2 Role of Agilent Technologies, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.4.3 Financials14.4.4 R&D Expenditure, 2017-201914.4.5 SWOT Analysis14.5 Cellecta, Inc.14.5.1 Company Overview14.5.2 Role of Cellecta, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.5.3 SWOT Analysis14.6 CRISPR Therapeutics AG14.6.1 Company Overview14.6.2 Role of CRISPR Therapeutics AG in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.6.3 Financials14.6.4 R&D Expenditure, 2017-201914.6.5 SWOT Analysis14.7 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. INC14.7.1 Company Overview14.7.2 Role of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.7.3 Financials14.7.4 R&D Expenditure, 2017-201914.7.5 SWOT Analysis14.8 GeneCopoeia, Inc.14.8.1 Company Overview14.8.2 Role of GeneCopoeia, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.8.3 SWOT Analysis14.9 GeneScript Biotech Corporation14.9.1 Company Overview14.9.2 Role of GenScript Biotech in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.9.3 Financials14.9.4 SWOT Analysis14.1 Horizon Discovery Group PLC14.10.1 Company Overview14.10.2 Role of Horizon Discovery Group PLC in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.10.3 Financials14.10.4 SWOT Analysis14.11 Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc.14.11.1 Company Overview14.11.2 Role of Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.11.3 SWOT Analysis14.12 Merck KGaA14.12.1 Company Overview14.12.2 Role of Merck KGaA in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.12.3 Financials14.12.4 SWOT Analysis14.13 New England Biolabs, Inc.14.13.1 Company Overview14.13.2 Role of Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.13.3 SWOT Analysis14.14 Origene Technologies, Inc.14.14.1 Company Overview14.14.2 Role of Origene Technologies, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.14.3 SWOT Analysis14.15 Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc.14.15.1 Company Overview14.15.2 Role of Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.15.3 SWOT Analysis14.16 Synthego Corporation14.16.1 Company Overview14.16.2 Role of Synthego Corporation in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.16.3 SWOT Analysis14.17 System Biosciences LLC14.17.1 Company Overview14.17.2 Role of System Biosciences LLC in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.17.3 SWOT Analysis14.18 ToolGen, Inc.14.18.1 Company Overview14.18.2 Role of ToolGen, Inc. in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.18.3 SWOT Analysis14.19 Takara Bio14.19.1 Company Overview14.19.2 Role of Takara Bio in the Global CRISPR Gene Editing Market14.19.3 Financials14.19.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/c7om7t

See more here:
Outlook on the CRISPR Gene Editing Global Market to 2030 - Analysis and Forecasts - GlobeNewswire

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

TipRanks

Lets talk about growth. With corona receding, politics growing less exciting, and a new year ahead, investors are getting optimistic and that means theres a hunt for stocks that will bring in strong returns. In other words, growth stocks. In a recent interview, Jan Hatzius, chief economist at investment giant Goldman Sachs, said that he sees GDP growth in 2Q21 hitting as high as 10%. In an environment like that, most stocks are going to show a growth trend. Now, we all know that past performance wont guarantee future results. Still, the best place to start looking for tomorrows high-growth stocks is among yesterdays winners. Bearing this in mind, we set out to find stocks flagged as exciting growth plays by Wall Street. Using TipRanks database, we locked in on three analyst-backed names that have already notched impressive gains and boast solid growth narratives for the long-term. Kaleyra (KLR) We will start with Kaleyra, a cloud computing company offering communications solutions. The companys SaaS platform supports SMS, voice calls, and chatbots a product with obvious applications and value in todays office climate, with the strong push to telecommuting and remote work. Kaleyra boasts over 3,500 customers, who make 3 billion voice calls and sent 27 billion text messages in 2019 (the last year with full numbers available). Over the past 6 months, KLR shares have shown tremendous growth, appreciating 155%. Kaleyras revenues have grown along with the share value. The companys 3Q20 results hit $38.3 million, the best since KLR went public. While Kaleyra still runs a net earnings loss each quarter, the Q3 EPS was the lowest such loss in the past four quarters. Maxim analyst Allen Klee is bullish on KLR, seeing recent growth and product offerings as indicative of future performance. Over the past few years, Kaleyra has posted double-digit revenue growth and positive adjusted EBITDA. We forecast revenue growth of 9%, 22%, and 28% for 2020-2022. We project adjusted EBITDA declines in 2020 to reflect public company costs and COVID-19, but growth at over twice the rate of revenue for the following two years. We expect benefits from operating leverage, low-cost tech employees, cost volume discounts as the company expands, and margin improvement from new offerings and geographies. Over the longer term, we believe the company can grow revenue close to 30% with even faster bottom line growth," Klee opined. With such growth, its no wonder Klee takes a bullish stance on KLR. To kick off his coverage, the analyst published a Buy rating and set a $22 price target. This figure implies a 45% for the coming year. (To watch Klees track record, click here) Overall, based on the 3 Buy ratings vs no Holds or Sells assigned in the last three months, Wall Street analysts agree that this Strong Buy is a solid bet. It also doesnt hurt that its $19 average price target implies ~26% upside potential. (See KLR stock analysis on TipRanks) Vista Outdoor (VSTO) Next up, Vista Outdoor, is a venerable company that saw its niche gain attractiveness in recent times. Vista is a sporting goods company, with 40 brands in two main divisions: outdoor products and shooting sports. Vistas brands include well-known names as Bushnell Golf, CamelBak, and Remington. The company has found a burst of success in the corona year as people have turned more and more to outdoor activities that can be practiced solo or in small groups expanding the customer base. VSTO shares are up as a result, by 214% in the last 12 months. Vistas earnings reflect the increase in consumer interest in outdoor sports. The companys EPS grew in 2020, turning from a net loss to a $1.34 per share profit in the fiscal Q2 report (released in November). The fiscal Q3 report, released earlier this month, showed lower earnings, at $1.31 per share, but was still considered solid by the company, as it covered winter months when the company normally sees a revenue decline. Both quarters showed strong year-over-year EPS gains. Covering Vista for B. Riley, 5-star analyst Eric Wold sees several avenues for continued growth by Vista. He is impressed by the growth in firearm and ammunition sales, and by the price increase for products in both the outdoor goods and the shooting sports divisions. Given our expectation that the increased industry participation numbers for both outdoor products and shooting sports during the pandemic will represent an incremental tailwind for VSTO in the coming years beyond the impressive production visibility that has been created by depleted channel inventory levels, we continue to see an attractive set-up for baseline growth, Wold commented. Overall, Wold is bullish on the stock and rates it a Buy, with a $41 price target. This figure indicates room for 27% upside in the coming year. (To watch Wolds track record, click here) Vista is another company with a unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating. That rating is based on 9 recent reviews, all to Buy. VSTO shares have an average price target of $36.78, which gives an upside of 14% from the trading price of $32.15. (See VSTO stock analysis on TipRanks) Textainer Group Holdings (TGH) You might not think about the ubiquitous cargo container, but these deceptively simple metal boxes have changed the face of bulk transport since their breakout proliferation in the 1960s. These containers make it easy to organize, load, ship, and track vast amounts of cargo, and are especially valuable for their ease of switching; containers can be quickly loaded on or switched between ships, trains, and trucks. Textainer is a billion-dollar company that buys, owns, and leases shipping containers for the cargo industry. The company has over 250 customers, and boasts a fleet of 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Textainer is also a major reseller of used containers, and operates from 500 depots around the world. Even during the corona pandemic, when international trading routes and patterns were badly disrupted, and the quarterly revenues were down year-over-year, Textainer saw share gains. The companys stock soared 110% over the past 12 months. The bulk of these gains have come in the past six months, as economies and trading patterns have begun to reopen. Looking at Textainer for B. Riley, analyst Daniel Day is deeply impressed. He sees this company as the lowest priced among its peer group, with a strong market share in a competitive industry. Day rates TGH a Buy, and his $31 price target suggests it has room for 57% growth ahead of it. In support of this bullish stance, Day writes, in part, We believe that TGH is an underfollowed, misunderstood name that is ideal for the portfolio of a deep value investor looking for cash flowgenerative names trading at a steep discount to intrinsic value. With new container prices at multiyear highs amid a resurgence in container shipping, we expect upcoming earnings results to be positive catalyst events for TGH Some stocks fly under the radar, and TGH is one of those. Day's is the only recent analyst review of this company, and it is decidedly positive. (See TGH stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for growth stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

Originally posted here:
CRISPR Therapeutics to Participate in the Guggenheim Healthcare Talks 2021 Oncology Day - Yahoo Finance

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The study on the global CRISPR and CAS Gene market defines all of the segments together with the market sizing, year-over-year evaluation, and shape and size of the enterprise. Along with those product applications, it also examined whether it reaches up to the end-users or not. This report on this CRISPR and CAS Gene market has given an overall view of the recent technologies used and technological improvements. It also focuses on recent industry trends and which products are quite demanding from a customers perspective.

This report is representing a whole market scenario on a global basis. In this report, we can also find the analysis growth of industries. Through this report, we can easily interpreter the level of market competition, different pricing models, the latest market trends, customer demand, etc. This report acknowledges the revenue model and market expansion of this CRISPR and CAS Gene market. If you want to get that full market information, then this report can help you. It also gives a comprehensive knowledge about the demand and supply graph. Suppose that demand curves moved downward, then from this report, you can know about those factors responsible for its decline.

>>>Get a Sample Copy of the Report at https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/2598

CRISPR and CAS Gene market competitive landscape provides details and data information by players. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on revenue (global and regional level). Details included are company description, major business, company total revenue and the sales, revenue generated in CRISPR and CAS Gene business, the date to enter into the CRISPR and CAS Gene market, CRISPR and CAS Gene product introduction, recent developments, etc.

Some of the key players/Manufacturers involved in the CRISPR and CAS Gene MarketCaribou Biosciences Inc., CRISPR Therapeutics, Mirus Bio LLC, Editas Medicine, Takara Bio Inc., Synthego, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., GenScript, Addgene, Merck KGaA (Sigma-Aldrich), Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., OriGene Technologies, Inc., New England Biolabs, Dharmacon, Cellecta, Inc., Agilent Technologies, and Applied StemCell, Inc.

Detailed Segmentation:

By Product Type:

By Application:

By End User:

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If opting for the Global version of CRISPR and CAS Gene Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows:

North America (The US, Canada, and Mexico)

Europe (the UK, Germany, France, and Rest of Europe)

Asia Pacific (China, India, and Rest of Asia Pacific)

Latin America (Brazil and Rest of Latin America)

Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East & Africa)

Research and Methodology

For the research, the CRISPR and CAS Gene markets research teams are adopted various high-end techniques. Industry best analysts are worked on this report. They collected data from various reliable sources and have taken samples of different market segments. They utilize both qualitative and quantitative data in this report. All data are based on primary sources, which are focused on the assessment year 2020-2027. For wise decision-making, they have also done SWOT analysis, which can also help them know their predicted future results. This report also helps to develop CRISPR and CAS Gene market growth by improvising its strategic models.

Key Benefits:

This study gives a detailed analysis of drivers and factors limiting the market expansion of CRISPR and CAS Gene

The micro-level analysis is conducted based on its product types, end-user applications, and geographies

Porters five forces model gives an in-depth analysis of buyers and suppliers, threats of new entrants & substitutes and competition amongst the key market players

By understanding the value chain analysis, the stakeholders can get a clear and detailed picture of this CRISPR and CAS Gene market

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Table of Contents

Report Overview: It includes the CRISPR and CAS Gene market study scope, players covered, key market segments, market analysis by application, market analysis by type, and other chapters that give an overview of the research study.

Executive Summary: This section of the report gives information about CRISPR and CAS Gene market trends and shares, market size analysis by region and analysis of global market size. Under market size analysis by region, analysis of market share and growth rate by region is provided.

Profiles of International Players: Here, key players of the CRISPR and CAS Gene market are studied on the basis of gross margin, price, revenue, corporate sales, and production. This section gives a business overview of the players and shares their important company details.

Regional Study: All of the regions and countries analyzed in the CRISPR and CAS Gene market report is studied on the basis of market size by application, the market size by product, key players, and market forecast.

Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.

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Original post:
CRISPR and CAS Gene Market Competitive Insights With Global Outlook 2020-2027 | Caribou Biosciences Inc., CRISPR Therapeutics, Mirus Bio LLC, Editas...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Every year, about 10,000 people in the U.S. need a stem cell transplant but cant find a donor.

The intense medical procedure, which can help those with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other blood diseases, can save lives but securing a donor can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Be The Match is a nonprofit, national registry where people can sign up to donate their stem cells. More than 35 million people around the world have volunteered yet only a small percentage of those donors are Americans, and even the registry admits most Americans dont know it exists.

The mother of a 12-year-old boy with leukemia has set out to change that.

Mandy Goldman is a hairdresser who lives with her husband and four children outside Boston. She remembers the devastating day five years ago when doctors told her the chemotherapy they gave her son Mateo Goldman, 9 years old at the time, didnt work.

They told us that our only option of curing Mateo was a bone marrow transplant, she says, a risky procedure that often involves a host of complications. But they had no other choice, she says.

The family got to work on the monumental task finding Mateo Goldman a close enough match.

Linda Matchan first reported the Goldman familys experience for The Boston Globe. In her research, she found very, very few people had any awareness of the need for bone marrow and stem cells donors. The awareness campaign around the subject is severely lacking compared to other campaigns like the importance of donating blood, she says.

For example, there's a little boy right now in North Carolina named Thor Forte, who's 10 and has sickle cell disease. And he has been waiting for literally half his life, five years, for a donor to be available, Matchan says. He's a tough match, but they finally did find somebody. And then when the time came for the procedure, the person backed out. So two years later, the boy is still waiting.

Fortunately, quickly after finding out Mateo Goldman didnt match with anyone in his family, he was paired with a donor on the registry from Germany. Mandy Goldman says Laura Stterlin of Frankfurt was ready to go and donate, ultimately saving her son.

Mateo Goldman wrote Stterlin, whose name he did not know at the time, a thank you note reading: Dear Donor, thank you for giving me the bone marrow. You feel like youre already part of my family, he says.

And unlike usual Make-A-Wish requests, Mateo Goldman asked to meet Stterlin in person halfway across the world. The trip to Germany was planned for summer of 2020 but has since been canceled due to the pandemic.

In 2019 when she was reporting this story, Matchan had a trip planned to Germany. She ended up meeting Stterlin and hearing the story of how she became a donor. Stterlin said she was at a sporting event with her husband when she got hungry and went on the hunt for some grub.

Dear Donor, thank you for giving me the bone marrow. You feel like youre already part of my family.

Germany has a robust public service campaign to get citizens to donate bone marrow, Matchan says. So it came to no surprise to Stterlin when she came across a kiosk to sign up.

Just three months later, she got a call and an email from the registry saying that there is somebody in the United States for whom she could be a match and was asked if she would donate, Matchan says. A couple of days later, she went into the hospital and did the donation.

Stterlins stem cells then crossed the Atlantic Ocean, making their way to America during a snowstorm.

The cells started working in Mateo Goldman right away but not without some difficulties, Mandy Goldman says. He battled total body stiffness from graft-versus-host disease, a complication of the transplant.

But, you know, Matteo's an amazing kid, she says, so through it all, he was smiling and making the best of it, even though he was suffering for a lot of the time.

Two years later, in July of 2020, the cancer came back. But since Mateo Goldmans first transplant, the science had evolved greatly.

So much so that his older brother, Leo Goldman, became a candidate to donate his cells for the second stem cell transplant.

I didn't realize how I could get my brother's cells, Mateo Goldman, now 12 years old, says. Once that sank in, I felt that it would connect me and my brother more.

Right before Christmas last year, the family got extraordinary news: Mateo Goldman had zero cancer in his bone marrow, Mandy Goldman says.

Now the mom of four is on a mission to raise awareness on stem cell donations and share the story of how it saved her sons life.

The amazing feeling Leo got from being able to be the person who saved his brother's life is something he's going to carry with him forever, she says. And even Laura [Stterlin], she gave him three and a half years of his life that we get to spend with him. I just really want to educate people about how empowering it is to do something so incredible for somebody else.

When she started talking to others to raise awareness, she was shocked to discover how fearful people were in committing to be a donor.

If people could see the trauma these patients go through her son had a drain placed in his stomach, total body radiation, chemotherapy that left him head-to-toe in a skin-burning rash she says then maybe they wouldnt be scared to dedicate a small action for someone whose only cure is through a stem cell transplant.

Once people are educated about how much of a difference it makes, she says, then I feel like they would do it.

Click here to learn more about the Be The Match Registry.

Tinku Rayproduced and edited this interview for broadcast.Serena McMahonadapted it for the web.

More:
After Bone Marrow Donation Saves 9-Year-Old Boy With Cancer, Boston Mom Fights To Raise Awareness - Here And Now

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood. The two most common types in children are acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia.

In a person with leukemia, blood cells are released into the bloodstream before they are fully formed, so there are fewer healthy blood cells in the body.

Below, we describe the types of childhood leukemia, the symptoms, and the treatments. We then look at when to contact a doctor, what questions to ask, and where to find support.

Childhood leukemia is the most common form of cancer in children. It affects up to 3,800 children under the age of 15 in the United States each year.

Leukemia occurs when bone marrow releases new blood cells into the bloodstream before they are fully mature.

These immature blood cells do not function as they should, and eventually, the number of immature cells overtakes the number of healthy ones.

Leukemia can affect red and white blood cells and platelets.

The bone marrow produces stem cells. A blood stem cell can become a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell.

Lymphoid stem cells become white blood cells. Myeloid stem cells can become:

Leukemia is typically acute or chronic, and chronic types are rare in children. They can include chronic myeloid leukemia or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Most childhood leukemias are acute, meaning that they progress quickly and need treatment as soon as possible.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type in children, accounting for 75% of childhood leukemia cases.

It affects cells called lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.

In a person with ALL, the bone marrow releases a large number of underdeveloped white blood cells called blast cells. As the number of these increases, the number of red blood cells and platelets decreases.

There are two subtypes of ALL: B-cell and T-cell.

In most childhood cases of ALL, the cancer develops in the early forms of B-cells. The other type, T-cell ALL, typically affects older children.

Research from 2020 reports that the majority of people diagnosed with ALL are under 18 and typically between 2 and 10 years old.

The American Cancer Society report that children under 5 years old have the highest risk of developing ALL and that this risk slowly declines until a person reaches their mid-20s.

The outlook for ALL depends on the subtype, the persons age, and factors specific to each person.

Myeloid leukemias account for approximately 20% of childhood leukemia cases, and most myeloid leukemias are acute.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) affects white blood cells other than the lymphocytes. It may also affect red blood cells and platelets.

AML can begin in:

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) accounts for approximately 12% of leukemia cases in children.

This rare type is neither acute nor chronic. JMML begins in the myeloid cells, and it typically affects children younger than 2 years.

Symptoms can include:

The symptoms of leukemia may be nonspecific similar to those of other common childhood illnesses.

A doctor will ask how long the child has been experiencing the symptoms, which can include:

Children may experience specific symptoms depending on the type of blood cell that the leukemia is affecting.

A low number of red blood cells can cause:

A low number of healthy white blood cells can cause infections or a fever with no other sign of an infection.

A low platelet count can cause:

Various factors can increase a childs risk of leukemia, and most are not preventable.

The following genetic conditions can increase the risk of leukemia:

Also, having a sibling with leukemia may increase the risk of developing it.

These can include exposure to:

If a child has symptoms that might indicate leukemia, a doctor may perform or request:

A bone marrow aspiration involves using a syringe to take a liquid sample of bone marrow cells. The doctor may give the child a drug that allows them to sleep through this test.

During the diagnostic process, a person might ask:

The doctor may recommend a variety of treatments for childhood leukemia, and the best option depends on a range of factors specific to each person.

The treatment usually consists of two phases. The first aims to kill the leukemia cells in the childs bone marrow, and the second aims to prevent the cancer from coming back.

The child may need:

Before or during treatment, a person might ask the doctor:

Questions to ask after the treatment might include:

Children who have undergone leukemia treatments require follow-up care, as the treatments often cause late effects.

These can develop in anyone who has received treatment for cancer, and they may not arise for months or years after the treatment has ended.

Treatments that can cause late effects include:

These complications may affect:

The late effects that may come can also depend on the type of treatment and the form of leukemia.

Because many leukemia symptoms can also indicate other issues, it can be hard to know when to contact a doctor.

Overall, it is best to seek medical advice if a child shows symptoms or behaviors that are not normal for them.

If a child has received a leukemia diagnosis, the effects can extend to parents, other family members, caregivers, and friends.

A person can find support and additional resources from:

The following organizations based in the United Kingdom also provide support and guidance:

Childhood leukemia can affect mental health, as well as physical health.

Learn more about mental health resources here.

According to the American Cancer Society, most children with leukemia have no known risk factors. There is no way to prevent leukemia from developing.

Because there are very few lifestyle-related or environmental causes of childhood leukemia, it is very unlikely that a caregiver can do anything to help prevent the disease.

A childs outlook depends on the type of leukemia. It is important to keep in mind that current estimates do not take into account recent advances in technology and medicine.

For example, the most recent 5-year survival rate estimates reflect the experiences of children who received their diagnoses and treatments more than 5 years ago.

The American Cancer Society report that the 5-year survival rate for children with ALL is 90%. The same rate for children with AML is 6570%.

Childhood leukemia is typically acute, which means that it develops quickly. As a result, a person should contact a doctor if they notice any of the symptoms.

The most common type of childhood leukemia is ALL, representing 3 out of 4 leukemia cases in children.

Treatment may include a combination of chemotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy, stem cell transplants, surgery, and radiation.

The prognosis depends on the type of leukemia and the childs age.

This diagnosis can affect mental as well as physical health, and the effects can extend to caregivers, family members, and friends. Many different resources are available for support.

The rest is here:
Leukemia in children: Symptoms, causes, treatment, outlook, and more - Medical News Today

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Paragon Biosciences, a life science innovator that creates, invests in and builds life science companies in biopharmaceuticals, cell and gene therapy and synthetic biology utilizing artificial intelligence, has launched CiRC Biosciences, a cell therapy company developing treatments for serious diseases with high, unmet needs with an initial focus on the eye."The addition of CiRC Biosciences to our portfolio builds upon our cell and gene therapy platform, an area that has tremendous potential to address serious genetic diseases," said Jeff Aronin, founder, chairman and chief executive officer, Paragon Biosciences. "CiRC Biosciences gives us the science to target retinal diseases that could lead to vision restoration with numerous other applications in the years ahead."CiRC Biosciences is currently advancing pre-clinical development of chemically induced retinal cells for vision restoration in Geographic Atrophy Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Dry AMD), which is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss over the age of 65, and advanced Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a genetic disorder that causes tunnel vision and eventual blindness. There are no U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatments to restore vision loss in Dry AMD or RP.The company's novel mechanism of action is designed for direct chemical conversion of fibroblasts into other cell types using a cocktail of small molecules in an 11-day chemical conversion process. Pre-clinical studies have shown efficacy in blind mice that demonstrated vision restoration. CiRC Biosciences has provisional patent applications to protect its platform."Our technology transforms ordinary skin cells into specialized retinal cells using a cocktail of small molecules," said Sai Chavala, M.D., co-founder and chief scientific officer, CiRC Biosciences. "This process is potentially safer, quicker, more cost effective and easier to manufacturer than using traditional stem cells. Working with Paragon Biosciences to build and advance CiRC Biosciences provides us the opportunity to efficiently progress this technology through research and development stages.CiRC Biosciences first reported its discovery in the highly respected scientific journal Nature (April 15, 2020). A recently published New England Journal of Medicine article (Nov. 5, 2020) discussed CiRC's technology of using chemically induced cells to restore retinal function. The article concluded, "The new and emerging strategies for the rescue, regeneration, and replacement of photoreceptors suggest a bright future in the fight to preserve and restore vision in blinding eye diseases."The abstract in Nature is available here.Access to the NEJM article is available here.

Excerpt from:
Paragon Biosciences Expands Cell And Gene Therapy Platform - Contract Pharma

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Introduction

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the major causes of cancer-associated illness and death, with more than 600,000 newly diagnosed cases worldwide each year1 and a continuously increasing incidence rate.2 HNSCC includes cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. The anatomical structures of the head and neck can be damaged by the tumor itself or treatments such as surgical resection and chemoradiotherapy, which sometimes cause speech, swallowing, and breathing impairments.3,4 Patients with HNSCC have been shown to bear greater psychological distress than those with other types of cancer.5

Despite the currently available therapies, patients with advanced HNSCC still experience poor outcomes.68 For example >50% of patients with locoregionally advanced HNSCC experience recurrence or metastases development within 3 years of treatment.911 Treatment options for patients with the recurrent and metastatic disease following progression after a platinum-based regimen are limited, and the median overall survival of such patients is less than 7 months.1215

The recurrence and metastasis of HNSCC are facilitated by immune evasion;16 therefore, as one of the methods to inhibit immune evasion, the use of programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway inhibitors is considered effective in the treatment of recurrent HNSCC.1719 Nivolumab, a fully human IgG4 antiPD-1 monoclonal antibody, has shown remarkable antitumor efficacy and safety when administered to patients with recurrent HNSCC whose disease had progressed within 6 months of platinum-based chemotherapy;19 Furthermore, nivolumab treatment has been shown to improve the quality of life of these patients.20 However, PD-1 inhibitors can upregulate T cells in vivo, which may lead to the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).2123 To the best of the authors knowledge, no studies have investigated the safety and efficacy of nivolumab in patients with HNSCC after allo-HSCT. Here, we report the case of a patient who experienced excellent control of left buccal squamous cell carcinoma with nivolumab after the failure of platinum-based chemotherapy despite receiving allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Without any family history of tumor, a 33-year-old man was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia on March 19, 2014. He received one course of vincristine and prednisone therapy and four courses of vincristine, daunorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone therapy. He was in complete remission at the end of therapy. Subsequently, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation was performed; the donor was his human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical sibling (sister). He experienced chronic GVHD (c GVHD) of the oral cavity and skin 3 months after transplantation, for which he was treated with steroid hormone- and cyclosporine-based therapies. Skin rejection lasted for more than 3 years. Imatinib mesylate was administered for 2 years after transplantation, and his leukemia was well controlled.

In August 2018, the patient developed an ulcer of approximately 0.5 0.5 cm size in the left buccal mucosa; the ulcer was slightly painful and covered with white moss. In September 2018, the patient was admitted to Peking University Stomatological Hospital, where a biopsy of the buccal mucosa was performed. The pathology results showed the presence of squamous cell carcinoma in the left cheek. Unfortunately, this patient was not a right candidate for HNSCC in terms of exposure to risk factors, such as long terms of smoking and drinking. On October 10, 2018, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (CT) showed that the mass in the left cheek was metabolically active, which is consistent with the activity of a malignant tumor. One course of an adjuvant therapy regimen (nimotuzumab [200 mg d0] + docetaxel [60 mg d1, 8]+ nedaplatin [60 mg d2, 3]) was administered on October 26, 2018. Following this, the patient developed degree II thrombocytopenia and redness, swelling, and ulceration of the cheek, which had discharge with a peculiar smell. On November 29, 2018, a head and neck CT scan showed a left buccal malignant tumor with the destruction of the neighboring mandibular bone and lymph node enlargement in the left submaxillary region and right carotid sheath. The CT examination revealed disease progression. Following a multidisciplinary consultation in our hospital, surgery was not recommended; instead, a chemotherapy-based comprehensive treatment was recommended as a better option for the patient. The patient received chemotherapy with albumin paclitaxel (200 mg d1, 8)+ bleomycin (15,000 units d2, 9) from November 30, 2018 to January 9, 2019. On another CT scan, the curative effect was evaluated as partial remission (showed in Video 1, Figure 1A); subsequently, two courses of a chemotherapy regimen comprising nivolumab (140 mg d1) + albumin paclitaxel (200 mg d1, d8) were administered. A CT examination showed stable disease (SD) on March 12, 2019, following which the patient was administered 120 mg of nivolumab once every 2 weeks from March 15 to May 23, 2019. Another CT examination was performed on May 28, 2019 (showed in Video 2, Figure 1B). During the therapy course, the related tumor markers showed an overall downward trend, the new metastases did not appear, the patients status became better than before. Subsequently, another CT examination performed in August 02, 2019 showed the extent of the tumor was obvious reduction than before (showed in video 3, Figure 1C). And the corresponding CT report in August 02, 2019 was described as follows Compared with the CT on 28 May, 2019, the extent of the tumor in the left cheek became obviously smaller, the tubercle in the left submandibular and the lymph nodes in the left neck also became smaller. There were no other significant changes in this image. Most importantly, the patient did not develop any form of GVHD following nivolumab administration.

Figure 1 Head and neck CT images showing tumor before (A) and after treatment with nivolumab (B, C, respectively).

Abbreviation: CT, computed tomography.

Note: The arrows indicate the maximum length diameter of tumor or tumor site.

Reliable data on the clinical safety and efficacy of nivolumab in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC have been obtained in a Phase III randomized clinical trial (CheckMate 141).19 In this trial, 361 patients with recurrent HNSCC for whom disease had progressed within 6 months after platinum-based chemotherapy were enrolled between May 29, 2014, and July 31, 2015. The median follow-up duration for overall survival (OS) was 5.1 months (range, 016.8 months). OS was significantly greater in patients randomized to receive nivolumab than in those who received standard second-line, single-agent systemic therapy with either methotrexate, docetaxel, or cetuximab (hazard ratio, 0.70; 97.73% confidence interval (CI), 0.510.96; P = 0.01). The median OS was 7.5 months (95% CI, 5.59.1) in the nivolumab group versus 5.1 months (95% CI, 4.06.0) in the standard therapy group. The one-year survival was also greater in patients who received nivolumab than in those who received standard therapy (36.0%vs. 16.6%). Furthermore, the response rate was higher in those who received nivolumab than in those who received standard therapy (13.3% vs 5.8%); however, the median progression-free survival was not significantly different between the groups (2.0 vs 2.3 months; P=0.32). In this study, patients who were treated with nivolumab had a longer OS than those treated with standard therapy, regardless of tumor PD-L1 expression or p16 status. Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 13.1% of patients who received nivolumab and 35.1% of those who received standard therapy. Physical function, role functioning, and social functioning were stable in the nivolumab group, whereas they were substantially worse in the standard therapy group.20 Moreover, among Asian patients, the survival benefits were consistent with the global group.24

It was unclear whether nivolumab could be used in patients with recurrent HNSCC after allo-HSCT, though Khaddour et al proved the efficacy and safety of Pembrolizumab in patients who underwent allo-HSCT after relapsed and refractory Szary Syndrome and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.25 However, some case reports (Table 1) and clinical trials (Table 2) have reported the efficacy and safety of nivolumab when administrated to patients with recurrent hematological malignancies (mostly Hodgkins lymphoma) after allo-HSCT.

Table 1 Case Reports of Nivolumab Use After Allo-HSCT

Table 2 Studies on Nivolumab Use After Allo-HSCT

In Herbaux et al, nivolumab (3 mg/kg, once every 2 weeks) was administered to 20 patients with Hodgkins lymphoma who experienced relapse after allo-HSCT. The overall response rate was 95%, the 1-year progression-free survival rate was 58.2%, and the 1-year OS rate was 78.8%.26 Compared with other treatment options, nivolumab was more effective in these patients.2730 Haverkos et al reported results after a median follow-up duration was 428 days (range, 133833 days). After treatment with PD-1 inhibitors [nivolumab 3 mg/kg, once every 2 weeks (n = 28) and pembrolizumab (n =3)], the overall response rate of 31 patients with relapsed lymphoma after allo-HSCT was 77%, the median progression-free survival was 591 days (range,400644 days), and 68% of the patients survived to the end of the study.23 These two studies showed that nivolumab is effective when administered to patients with recurrent blood cancers after allo-HSCT, which is consistent with the results of several other case reports3134 and case series.35,36 The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway plays a key role in the regulation of the balance among T cell activation, T-cell tolerance, and immune-mediated tissue damage. This pathway protects healthy cells from excessive inflammatory or autoimmune responses.37,38 Some studies have shown that the activation of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway can reduce acute and chronic GVHD, whereas its blockade can accelerate the graft-versus-host response and increase the associated mortality.21,22,39 It is unclear whether the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab increases the risk of GVHD and the associated mortality in patients after allo-HSCT.23,26 Some clinical studies and case reports have shown that nivolumab treatment-related GVHD and consequent death in patients after allo-HSCT might be affected by the following factors. First, GVHD after antiPD-1 treatment has been observed most frequently in matched sibling donor transplants; for which Haverkos et al reported an incidence of 75%.23 In a Phase I pilot study, without GVHD or G3/G4 immune toxicity after receiving multiple doses of nivolumab was only among one patient whose donor source was Haploidentical+cord blood Fludarabine.40 Second, a history of GVHD, especially for the acute GVHD, may lead to an increased risk of nivolumab treatment-related GVHD after allo-HSCT. In a French cohort, all patients who presented with acute GVHD after nivolumab treatment had a prior history of acute GVHD, among which three patients presented with steroid-refractory nivolumab-induced GVHD, and GVHD was not observed among patients without a history of GVHD.26 This phenomenon was also observed in Steinerovs medical report.41 In the study by Haverkos et al, 63% of patients with a history of GVHD prior to antiPD-1 treatment developed treatment-emergent GVHD after receiving antiPD-1.23 Third, the shorter the interval between transplantation and nivolumab use, the greater the risk of GVHD. In the study by Herbaux et al, the median intervals between transplantation and nivolumab use in cases with the presence and absence of GVHD were 8.5 months and 28.5 months, respectively.26 In another study by Wang et al, the reported four patients all experienced immune-related adverse events following nivolumab treatment and the median time from transplantation to nivolumab use was 7.8 months.40 Fourth, dose is a risk factor for nivolumab treatment-related GVHD. In a case report, chronic skin GVHD was observed when the dose of nivolumab was adjusted from 0.5 mg/kg to 2 mg/kg.33 Other factors, such as immunosuppressive therapy at the time of nivolumab administration, may also influence nivolumab treatment-related GVHD. Recently, a comprehensive literature review was launched by Awais et al to assess the safety and efficacy of the use of checkpoint inhibitors (ipilimumab, nivolumab and pembrolizumab) in blood cancers before and after allo-HSCT. Collective data showed that checkpoint inhibitors use after allo-HSCT for post-transplant relapse had higher efficacy but the risk of GVHD was significant. Moreover, the investigation indicated that higher drug doses, shorter intervals between checkpoint inhibitors exposure and allo-HSCT and prior history of GVHD had a positive correlation with the risk of GVHD.42

In the present case, HNSCC was effectively controlled without any nivolumab treatment-related acute or chronic GVHD after nivolumab administration, while the weight loss being the only adverse event. After comprehensive analysis, we found that many factors may impede the development of nivolumab treatment-related GVHD in our patient. On one hand, the appropriate donor, no use of checkpoint inhibitors prior to allo-HSCT, the long interval between nivolumab administration and allo-HSCT (36 months) and the standard dose use of nivolumab were the negative factors for GVHD development. On the other hand, the chronic GVHD of the oral cavity and skin before nivolumab use might lead to the development of GVHD. However, it remained unknown what role the immunosuppressant therapy played in the occurrence of GVHD, though we definitely known that immunosuppressant was administered more than 2 years after allo-HSCT and discontinued for 2 years before treatment with nivolumab in our patient. Finally, whether the two primary cancers in our case affected the efficacy and safety of nivolumab by some unknown pathways were unclear, which needed further exploration.

Nivolumab has been shown to be effective in patients with HNSCC for whom platinum-based therapy has failed. However, little is known about the efficacy and safety of nivolumab in patients with HNSCC who have undergone allo-HSCT. Our case report shows that nivolumab could be used effectively and safely in such patients, however, more clinical trials are required to confirm these results.

This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital. The authors state that they have obtained verbal and written informed consent from the patient for the inclusion of their medical and treatment history within this case report.

This work was supported by the Tianjin Science and Technology Commission (18ZXXYSY00070), Key Task Project of Tianjin Health and Family Planning Commission (16KG128), Anticancer Key Technologies R&D Program of Tianjin (12ZCDZSY16200), and Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin (18JCYBJC91600).

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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[Full text] Successful Use of Nivolumab in a Patient with Head and Neck Cancer Aft | OTT - Dove Medical Press

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

DUBLIN, Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cell Therapy Market by Cell Type, Therapy Type, Therapeutic Area, and End User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cell therapy market accounted for $7,754. 89 million in 2019, and is expected to reach $48,115. 40 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 25. 6% from 2020 to 2027.

Cell therapy involves administration of somatic cell preparations for treatment of diseases or traumatic damages. Cell therapy aims to introduce new, healthy cells into a patient's body to replace diseased or missing ones.

This is attributed to the fact that specialized cells, such as brain cells, are difficult to obtain from human body. In addition, specialized cells typically have a limited ability to multiply, making it difficult to produce sufficient number of cells required for certain cell therapies. Some of these issues can be overcome through the use of stem cells. In addition, cells such as blood and bone marrow cells, mature, immature & solid tissue cells, adult stem cells, and embryonic stem cells are widely used in cell therapy procedures.

Moreover, transplanted cells including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), embryonic stem cells (ESCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are divided broadly into two main groups including autologous cells and non-autologous cells. Development of precision medicine and advancements in Advanced Therapies Medicinal Products (ATMPS) in context to their efficiency and manufacturing are expected to be the major drivers for the market. Furthermore, automation in adult stem cells and cord blood processing and storage are the key technological advancements that fuel growth of the market for cell therapy.

In addition, growth in aging patient population, The rise in cell therapy transplantations globally, and surge in disease awareness drive growth of the global cell therapy market. Furthermore, The rise in adoption of human cells over animal cells for cell therapeutics research, technological advancements in field of cell therapy, and increase in incidences of diseases such as cancer, cardiac abnormalities, and organ failure are the key factors that drive growth of the global market.

Moreover, implementation of stringent government regulations regarding the use of cell therapy is anticipated to restrict growth of the market. On the contrary, surge in number of regulations to promote stem cell therapy and increase in funds for research in developing countries are expected to offer lucrative opportunities to the market in the future.

The global cell therapy market is categorized on the basis of therapy type, therapeutic area, cell type, end user, and region. On the basis of therapy type, the market is segregated into autologous and allogenic. By therapeutics, it is classified into malignancies, musculoskeletal disorders, autoimmune disorders, dermatology, and others.

The global cell therapy market is categorized on the basis of therapy type, therapeutic, cell type, end user and region. On the basis of therapy type, the market is segregated into autologous and allogenic. By therapeutic area, it is classified into malignancies, musculoskeletal disorders, autoimmune disorders, dermatology, and others. On the basis of cell type, it is segregated into stem cell therapy and non-stem cell type. On the basis of end user, it is segregated into hospital & clinics and academic & research institutes. On the basis of region, the market is studied across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

Key Benefits

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1: Introduction1.1. Report Description1.2. Key Benefits for Stakeholders1.3. Key Market Segments1.4. Research Methodology1.4.1. Secondary Research1.4.2. Primary Research1.4.3. Analyst Tools & Models

Chapter 2: Executive Summary2.1. Key Findings of the Study2.2. Cxo Perspective

Chapter 3: Market Overview3.1. Market Definition and Scope3.2. Key Findings3.2.1. Top Player Positioning3.2.2. Top Investment Pockets3.2.3. Top Winning Strategies3.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis3.4. Impact Analysis3.4.1. Drivers3.4.1.1. Technological Advancements in the Field of Cell Therapy3.4.1.2. The Rise in Number of Cell Therapy Clinical Studies3.4.1.3. The Rise in Adoption of Regenerative Medicine3.4.2. Restraint3.4.2.1. Developing Stage and Pricing3.4.3. Opportunity3.4.3.1. High Growth Potential in Emerging Markets3.5. Impact of Covid-19 on Cell Therapy Market

Chapter 4: Cell Therapy Market, by Cell Type4.1. Overview4.1.1. Market Size and Forecast4.2. Stem Cell4.2.1. Key Market Trends and Opportunities4.2.2. Market Size and Forecast, by Region4.2.3. Market Size and Forecast, by Type4.2.3.1. Bone Marrow, Market Size and Forecast4.2.3.2. Blood, Market Size and Forecast4.2.3.3. Umbilical Cord-Derived, Market Size and Forecast4.2.3.4. Adipose-Derived Stem Cell, Market Size and Forecast4.2.3.5. Others (Placenta, and Nonspecific Cells), Market Size and Forecast4.3. Non-Stem Cell4.3.1. Key Market Trends and Opportunities4.3.2. Market Size and Forecast, by Region

Chapter 5: Cell Therapy Market, by Therapy Type5.1. Overview5.1.1. Market Size and Forecast5.2. Autologous5.2.1. Key Market Trends and Opportunities5.2.2. Market Size and Forecast, by Region5.2.3. Market Analysis, by Country5.3. Allogeneic5.3.1. Key Market Trends and Opportunities5.3.2. Market Size and Forecast, by Region5.3.3. Market Analysis, by Country

Chapter 6: Cell Therapy Market, by Therapeutic Area6.1. Overview6.1.1. Market Size and Forecast6.2. Malignancies6.2.1. Market Size and Forecast, by Region6.2.2. Market Analysis, by Country6.3. Musculoskeletal Disorders6.3.1. Market Size and Forecast, by Region6.3.2. Market Analysis, by Country6.4. Autoimmune Disorders6.4.1. Market Size and Forecast, by Region6.4.2. Market Analysis, by Country6.5. Dermatology6.5.1. Market Size and Forecast, by Region6.5.2. Market Analysis, by Country6.6. Others6.6.1. Market Size and Forecast, by Region6.6.2. Market Analysis, by Country

Chapter 7: Cell Therapy Market, by End-user7.1. Overview7.1.1. Market Size and Forecast7.2. Hospitals & Clinics7.2.1. Key Market Trends and Opportunities7.2.2. Market Size and Forecast, by Region7.2.3. Market Analysis, by Country7.3. Academic & Research Institutes7.3.1. Key Market Trends and Opportunities7.3.2. Market Size and Forecast, by Region7.3.3. Market Analysis, by Country

Chapter 8: Cell Therapy Market, by Region8.1. Overview8.2. North America8.3. Europe8.4. Asia-Pacific8.5. LAMEA

Chapter 9: Company Profiles9.1. Allosource9.1.1. Company Overview9.1.2. Company Snapshot9.1.3. Operating Business Segments9.1.4. Product Portfolio9.1.5. Key Strategic Moves and Developments9.2. Cells for Cells9.2.1. Company Overview9.2.2. Company Snapshot9.2.3. Operating Business Segments9.2.4. Product Portfolio9.3. Holostem Terapie Avanzate Srl9.3.1. Company Overview9.3.2. Company Snapshot9.3.3. Operating Business Segments9.3.4. Product Portfolio9.4. Jcr Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.9.4.1. Company Overview9.4.2. Company Snapshot9.4.3. Operating Business Segments9.4.4. Product Portfolio9.4.5. Business Performance9.4.6. Key Strategic Moves and Developments9.5. Kolon Tissuegene, Inc.9.5.1. Company Overview9.5.2. Company Snapshot9.5.3. Operating Business Segments9.5.4. Product Portfolio9.5.5. Key Strategic Moves and Developments9.6. Medipost Co. Ltd.9.6.1. Company Overview9.6.2. Company Snapshot9.6.3. Operating Business Segments9.6.4. Product Portfolio9.6.5. Business Performance9.7. Mesoblast Ltd9.7.1. Company Overview9.7.2. Company Snapshot9.7.3. Operating Business Segments9.7.4. Product Portfolio9.7.5. Business Performance9.8. Nuvasive, Inc.9.8.1. Company Overview9.8.2. Company Snapshot9.8.3. Operating Business Segments9.8.4. Product Portfolio9.8.5. Business Performance9.9. Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.9.9.1. Company Overview9.9.2. Company Snapshot9.9.3. Operating Business Segments9.9.4. Product Portfolio9.10. Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc.9.10.1. Company Overview9.10.2. Company Snapshot9.10.3. Operating Business Segments9.10.4. Product Portfolio

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/shw12n

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Worldwide Cell Therapy Industry to 2027 - Profiling Allosource, Medipost and Mesoblast Among Others - PRNewswire

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

How much a penis extends in length while erect varies from person to person. It may also change over time and with age. However, there is no evidence to suggest this affects an individuals health or sex life.

A shower or grower refers to how much a penis expands in length when erect compared with its flaccid state.

This article explores the science behind the terms, how common they are, and whether being a shower or a grower has any significant impact on health and sex life.

According to the popular colloquialism, a shower is a person with a penis that does not expand relatively significantly in length when it becomes erect.

In contrast, a grower is a person with a penis that grows relatively significantly longer when erect.

The erectile tissue of the penis comprises:

All of these allow the penis to become erect.

However, with age, the penis can lose tissue elasticity, which may affect how it stretches.

People may also experience inflammation and less blood flow to the penis as they age, which can affect erection.

A 2018 study involving 274 males found that age played a role in whether participants were a grower or a shower.

The researchers defined a grower as having a flaccid to erect penile length increase of 4 centimeters (cm) or more, while an increase of less than 4 cm indicated that a person was a shower.

All of the participants had previously undergone penile duplex ultrasound (PDDU) for erectile dysfunction.

Researchers measured flaccid penile length and gave participants a vasodilation drug before measuring erect penile length.

Growers had an average length change of 5.3 cm, while showers had an average length change of 3.1 cm. The mean age of the growers was 47.5 years, compared with an average of 55.9 years in the showers.

The research also reported that 37% of males who fell into the grower category were single, compared with 23% in the showers category, although this may also relate to age.

Growers also had a lower dose of the vasodilation drug.

There were no differences in the showers or growers regarding:

The study notes that confirming these findings requires more research, including larger scale, multicultural, and multinational studies.

The research did find an age difference between growers and showers. According to the International Society for Sexual Medicine, the way the penis changes as people age may account for this age differentiation.

The 2018 study found that out of 274 participants, 73 males (26%) were growers, while 205 males (74%) were showers, according to the researchers criteria on flaccid to erect penis length.

This suggests that showers may be more common, but there is not enough evidence to reflect the whole population.

Further studies are needed to confirm the findings.

People may be able to tell if they are a shower or grower without any tests.

If people have a penis that does not significantly change size between a flaccid and erect state, they may be a shower.

In contrast, if an individuals penis size changes drastically between a flaccid and erect state, they may be a grower.

People can measure their penis when flaccid, from the base to the tip. They can then take the same measurement when their penis is erect.

If the difference between the two measurements is greater than 4 cm, people meet the definition of a grower.

However, if the difference is less than 4 cm, people meet the definition of a shower.

The 2018 study found that age was the main factor in whether people were a grower or a shower, which suggests that people may change between a grower and a shower as they age.

When people age, collagen and elastic fibers in the penis decrease, which may affect whether they are a shower or grower.

Other penis changes can also happen as people age. Testosterone levels start to decline after a person reaches 40 years of age, which can cause the penis to shrink slowly.

Health conditions that impair blood flow can also affect penis color and erection.

According to the Kinsey Institute, flaccid penis size is not a reliable indicator for its erect size.

Generally, shorter flaccid penile lengths enlarge by a greater percentage than longer flaccid penile lengths.

The 2018 study found that growers had a larger erect penis size, measuring 15.5 cm compared with 13.1 cm in the showers group.

There is no research to suggest whether being a shower or a grower impacts a persons sex life.

However, concerns about penis appearance may affect sexual activity.

A 2016 survey looked at genital dissatisfaction in 4,198 males aged 1865 years and living in the United States.

Participants reported the lowest satisfaction with flaccid penile length, with 27% reporting dissatisfaction. Different demographics had no bearing on survey answers.

Those who reported dissatisfaction with their genitals reported less sexual activity, including less vaginal sex and less receptive oral sex.

If a person has concerns that their penis appearance is affecting their self-esteem, confidence, or sex life, people may find it helpful to talk with their partner or healthcare professional.

Being a shower or a grower refers to the change in penis length from a flaccid to erect state.

If people have a penis that increases significantly in length from a flaccid to erect state, they may be a grower. If there is no significant change, they may be a shower.

Some research suggests being a shower or a grower relates to age. Therefore a persons category may change over time.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that being a shower or grower affects their health or sex life.

Link:
Shower vs grower: What is the difference and does it really matter? - Medical News Today

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted Takedas PROSTAP SR DCS & PROSTAP 3 DCS (leuprorelin acetate) for use in patients with early breast cancer and advanced breast cancer.1,2,*,

Leuprorelin acetate belongs to a family of drugs called gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists which is used as adjuvant treatment in combination with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor for endocrine responsive early-stage breast cancer and in advanced breast cancer suitable for hormone manipulation. In patients with breast cancer cells that have oestrogen receptors (ER) about 70% of cases of breast cancer3 it is important to lower the levels of oestrogen in the body to stop the cancer cells from growing.

Leuprorelin acetate works by suppressing the release of luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and offers an additional treatment choice as its dosing regimen means that suitable patients with early-stage breast cancer require four clinic visits a year, up to 13 visits a year as with other GnRH agonists licenced for breast cancer.

GnRH agonists are an important part of treatment for women with oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer. In patients with early breast cancer, the combination of (GnRH) agonists with the peripheral oestrogen antagonist, tamoxifen results in a significant benefit in recurrence-free survival and overall survival, while the regime in those with advanced breast cancer has been shown to prolong progression-free survival.4

Dr Roger Henderson, GP in Dumfries and Galloway, said: As a GP I find that being able to use PROSTAP 3 DCS in women with early breast cancer helps to reduce both the number of times a woman with early breast cancer needs to visit the hospital and the stress associated with these, while maintaining efficacy of treatment.

References

1 https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/4650/smpc

2 https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/4651/smpc

3 ttps://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/treatment/hormone-therapy

4 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12706354/#:~:text=GnRH%20agonists%20have%20been%20shown,produce%20combined%20oestrogen%20blockade

Read more:
Positive decision from SMC on Takeda's breast cancer treatment - Pharmafield

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith