Archive for April, 2017

Source: American Association of Swine VeterinariansAs resistance to antibiotics grows in the United States, researchers are looking for new ways to fight germs like Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that can cause fatal infections in hospitals and nursing homes.

One way to do that: a CRISPR pill that instructs harmful bacteria to self-destruct. CRISPR is the powerful gene-editing technology already being explored as a way to precisely edit human genes to cure diseases. But the technologys versatility is such that its being studied for a huge range of other uses. Just last week scientists in Boston showed they could craft CRISPR into cheap, simple diagnostic tests.

Now scientists want to turn it into ultra-precise antimicrobial treatments to specifically kill your bacteria of choice, says food scientist Jan-Peter Van Pijkeren of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

While not a household name, Clostridium difficile tops the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions list of urgent drug-resistant threats. A 2015 study by the agency found that the bug caused nearly half a million infections in Americans, including 15,000 deaths.

CRISPR was actually discovered in bacteria. In fact, the system is an immune defense bacteria use to fend off invading viruses called bacteriophage.

The way it works is that bacteria store memories of viral DNA in their own genomes as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats or CRISPRs. They use this memory, plus a DNA-slicing enzyme known as a Cas to recognize and chop up the genes of invading bacteriophage.

Van Pijkerens idea is to use bacteriophage to send a false message to C. difficile, one that instead causes the bacteria to make lethal cuts to its own DNA.

To do it, Van Pijkeren lab is developing bacteriophage capable of carrying a customized CRISPR message. On their own, the bacteriophage would quickly get broken down by stomach acid. So to get the viruses into a person, Van Pijkeren plans to add them to a cocktail of innocuous bacteria, or probiotic, that a person could swallow as a pill or a liquid.

Van Pijkeren compares the probiotic to a mothership. As the probiotic bacteria pass through a persons intestinal tract, the bacteriophage would burst forth and infect any nearby C. difficile, causing them to hack up their own DNA.

Van Pijkeren says the probiotic is still in early stages of development and hasnt been tested in animals. However, researchers have previously shown that using bacteriophages to trigger CRISPR can efficiently kill skin bacteria and might also help combat Shigella sonnei, a diarrheal infection common in the developing world.

A few companies, including Eligo Bioscience in Paris and Locus Biosciences, a spinout from North Carolina State University, have started to pursue CRISPR-based antibiotics commercially.

The appeal of using CRISPR is that such drugs would be very specific theoretically, they would kill a single species of germ while leaving beneficial bacteria intact. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, by contrast, kill off large swaths of both good and bad bacteria. In fact, the overuse and abuse of conventional antibiotics is what leads to resistance in the first place.

As long as we house patients together in a hospital or in a nursing home and we give a lot of them antibiotics were going to have a problem with C. difficile, says Herbert DuPont, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas.

Thats why alternatives like the one Van Pijkerens is developing are greatly needed. However, Peter Fineran, a microbiologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, says there is still quite a long way to go before this replaces our current antibiotics.

He says one challenge in deploying the approach against more types of bacteria will be finding suitable bacteriophage. Thats because each type tends to infect only specific bacteria. Fineran predicts CRISPR will become a complementary tool in the arsenal against the rise in antibiotic resistant and pathogenic bacteria.

Continued here:

'CRISPR pill' instructs harmful bacteria to self-destruct - National Hog Farmer

A new highly sensitive diagnostic system for diseases has been adapted from CRISPR.

Named SHERLOCK (Specific High-sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter UnLOCKing), the diagnostic systemcould detect miniscule amounts of RNA or DNA from samples and offer rapid, accurate results without the need for sophisticated lab equipment.

'This tool offers the sensitivity that could detect an extremely small amount of cancer DNA in a patient's blood sample, for example, which would help researchers understand how cancer mutates over time,' said Professor James Collins at MIT and Harvard University, who co-led the team behind the system. 'For public health, it could help researchers monitor the frequency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a population. The scientific possibilities get very exciting very quickly.'

The team led by Professor Collins and Professor Feng Zhang at MIT and Harvard University combined novel methods with established techniques to amplify genetic material in a sample, find a target sequence and then create a visible result.

The system uses an enzyme called Cas13a which targets RNA, and which was discovered by Professor Zhang of MIT and colleagues last year. By attaching a sequence tag, Cas13a can be guided to find and cut a specific RNA target. Once it has done this it will randomly cut any nearby pieces of 'collateral' RNA, regardless of their sequence.

The system adds so-called fluorescent reporter RNA to the samples, which emits a fluorescent signal only when cut. So if Cas13a finds its target sequence, its subsequent cutting of the reporter RNA produces a fluorescence which can be easily detected without the use of sophisticated equipment.

The precision of the enzyme is such that even a difference ofone base-pair- such as between the genetic codes of the African and American strains of Zika - will affect whether or not activation occurs. It is also able to detect concentrations as low as two molecules in a quintillion.

The system can be run in a standard test tube or on glass fibre paper, and requires no high-tech lab equipment or temperatures higher than body heat. The authors say the molecules for the test can be designed and made for as little as US $0.61.

'One thing that's especially powerful about SHERLOCK is its ability to start testing without a lot of complicated and time-consuming upstream experimental work,' said Professor Pardis Sabeti of Harvard University, a co-author of the paper. 'This ability to take raw samples and immediately start processing could transform the diagnosis of Zika and a boundless number of other infectious diseases.'

Dr Alexander McAdam, a medical microbiologist at Boston Children's Hospital who was not involved in the project, said to STAT: 'They've developed a promising method of detecting extremely low concentrations of [genetic material], but the key word is "promising".It's going to be a long walk from hopeful to clinically useful, and there is a lot to do to demonstrate practicality.'

The study was published in Science.

Excerpt from:

Highly sensitive CRISPR diagnostic tool created - BioNews

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Clean Start Weight Loss

At least 20 million Americans, 80 percent of them women, suffer from low levels of thyroid hormones, which can have major consequences. The thyroid gland regulates metabolism, heart, muscle and brain functions. An old, but rarely-used therapy may be a making a comeback among patients looking for a natural solution.

Cheryl Williams, 61, has a lot of energy these days for walking the dog and practicing yoga, but for years she had none and doctors had no idea why.

She said, "They'll say 'oh, everything looks great. All your levels are just great.' I'm going, 'well how come I need a wheelchair to get out of here?'"

Jane Sadler, M.D., a family physician at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center did tests which showed that Cheryl has a thyroid deficiency, hypothyroidism.

"Their body is going to run into problems with heart failure, osteoporosis, low heart rate," said Dr. Sadler.

Hypothyroidism is often treated with synthetic human thyroid hormone, but that didn't improve Cheryl's energy level so Dr. Sadler tried a seldom used remedy: pig thyroid extract. Doctors rarely prescribe the pig hormone because unlike the synthetic hormone, the concentration can vary. But it worked for Cheryl.

"It's rewarding, but I will emphasize that I have to monitor Cheryl's levels of thyroid much more closely than I would somebody on a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement," Dr. Sadler said.

"When I think back now, it's like wow, I can do these things without it being such a challenge and struggle," Cheryl said.

The American Thyroid Association said the number of Americans with thyroid deficiency could be as high as 60 million, with 60 percent undiagnosed. A simple blood test to measure TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone- will provide the answer.

Excerpt from:
New "old" remedy for thyroid disease - WTAJ

Testosterone, widely and misleadingly understood to be the male hormone, may provide relief to women experiencing the symptoms of menopause, according to a Shelby Township-based physician and many other experts.

Dr. Charles Mok recently published the book Testosterone: Strong Enough for a Man, Made for a Woman, which educates readers about the benefits of natural hormone replacement therapy.

Mok released the book, his first, in March. It costs $25.99 and is available on Amazon.

The evidence for testosterone therapy is overwhelming, and we want to get the message to doctors and, importantly, to their patients, Mok said.

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Men produce 10 times more testosterone than women, but in their early reproductive years women have 10 times more testosterone than estrogen coursing through their bodies.

Many experts believe that its the loss of testosterone, and not estrogen, that causes women in midlife to tend to gain weight, feel fatigue and lose mental focus, bone density and muscle tone as well as their libido. Mood swings, anxiety and hot flashes are other common symptoms.

Testosterone therapy, delivered in the form of a tiny pellet the size of a grain of rice that is inserted underneath the skin, is believed to keep women healthier and relieve many of the above symptoms.

Clinical research shows that testosterone reduces the risk of breast cancer by 50 percent to 75 percent, and natural estrogen cuts the risk of heart attacks by more than 70 percent if used long term, Mok said.

Additionally, theyll have better control of their weight, better energy, better sex, better moods and better hair and skin, Mok said.

Therapy isnt typically covered by health insurance. Treatment in his office is usually about $140 a month, Mok said.

In the book, Mok also explores the history of hormone replacement therapy in the 1940s through the 2002 Womens Health Initiative, which suggested women taking a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone had an increased risk of heart disease and breast cancer.

Unfortunately, that led many women away from getting help, Mok said.

Mok, an emergency room doctor, became interested in preventative care after recognizing that some of his patients conditions could have been avoided. Now, hes in the process of finalizing a hormone therapy book geared for men.

The rest is here:
Doctor says testosterone therapy can provide relief for women - The Macomb Daily

SAN DIEGO, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ GenomeDx Biosciences today announced the publication of interim results from an ongoing prospective clinical study of the impact of the Decipher Prostate Cancer Classifier Post-Op test (Decipher test) on physician and patient decision making after prostate surgery. The interim results showed that knowledge of Decipher test results was associated with a change in both physician and patient treatment decisions, as well as improved decision effectiveness for men with prostate cancer considering adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) or salvage radiation therapy (SRT) after radical prostatectomy (RP). The article, titled "Decipher Test Impacts Decision-Making among Patients Considering Adjuvant and Salvage Treatment following Radical Prostatectomy: Interim Results from the Multicenter Prospective PRO-IMPACT Study," was published online this month ahead of print in the journal Cancer.

Approximately 50% of patients will have one or more adverse tumor pathology features after prostate cancer surgery and will be at increased risk of recurrence, metastasis and death. In these men, a multi-modal treatment is often followed by combining surgery with radiation, and either with or without hormone therapy. While known to improve health outcomes, multi-modal therapy poses potential significant harm to the patient's quality of life, including impeding sexual and urinary functional recovery. The Decipher test provides a genomic assessment of the aggressiveness of the patient's tumor, and is used by physicians to determine the need for and timing of additional therapy after surgery.

"Making additional treatment decisions for men with adverse pathology after surgery is difficult. Prior to the development of genomic assessment for prostate cancer patients, there was a lot of uncertainty around which patients might benefit from postoperative radiation and when to begin treatment," said John Gore. M.D., M.S., Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Washington and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. "This study demonstrates that Decipher is important to guiding the shared decisions physicians and patients need to make after surgery and provides more confidence in those decisions. We have now completed the trial and look forward to the final study analyses to determine whether the treatment recommendations led to actual treatment decisions and how the use of Decipher has impacted patients' health-related quality of life."

The study included a total of 265 patients who enrolled at 19 community and academic practice settings. At baseline, prior to receipt of Decipher test results, physicians recommended primarily a 'wait-and-see' approach for most patients, irrespective of established clinical risk factors. With knowledge of Decipher test results, 96% and 74% of men with low genomic risk in the adjuvant and salvage arms, respectively, as indicated by Decipher test results, were recommended to observation. Among men whose Decipher test results showed a high genomic risk of metastasis, 37% and 69% of men in the ART and SRT arms, respectively, were recommended to receive intensification to multi-modal therapy. The study also indicated that decision quality was improved for patients considering post-surgery radiation therapy when exposed to Decipher test results, and that the fear of prostate cancer recurrence in the adjuvant and salvage arms decreased among low-risk patients.

"The clinical utility of Decipher seen in this interim analysis demonstrates that knowledge of Decipher test results can influence treatment recommendations and improve decision quality among men with prostate cancer," said Doug Dolginow, M.D., chief executive officer of GenomeDx. "As men in our society are living longer than ever before, determining the appropriate treatment of prostate cancer, which may save or extend life, is important. We believe incorporating Decipher into clinical practice will allow for better stratification of risk, improve decision-making and allow patients to be more confident with the difficult choices they may have to make."

About Decipher GRID and Decipher Prostate and Bladder Cancer Classifier Tests

GenomeDx's Decipher Genomics Resource Information Database (GRID) contains genomic profiles of thousands of tumors from patients with urological cancers, and is believed by GenomeDx to be the largest shared genomic expression database in urologic cancer as well as one of the world's largest global RNA expression databases using cloud-based analytics. GRID is a platform for interactive research collaboration, and may enable more rapid discovery, development, commercialization and adoption of new genomic solutions for key clinical questions in cancer treatment.

Derived from GRID, GenomeDx's Decipher Prostate and Bladder Cancer Classifier tests are commercially available genomic tests that provide a genomic assessment of tumor aggressiveness for individual patients. Decipher Biopsy is indicated for men with localized prostate cancer at diagnosis, Decipher Post-Op is indicated for men after prostate removal surgery and Decipher Bladder is indicated for patients being considered for neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to radical cystectomy. The Decipher tests are used by physicians to stratify patients into more accurate risk groups than determined by traditional diagnostic tools and to better determine which patients may be more likely to benefit from additional treatment. Each tumor analyzed with a Decipher test adds new data points to the GRID database, which is compiled into a Decipher GRID Profile that may reveal additional biological characteristics of the tumor for ongoing research purposes. Going beyond risk stratification, Decipher and GRID makes accessible genetic information for researchers to potentially better predict responses to therapy and more precisely guide treatment.

More information is available at http://www.deciphertest.com and http://www.deciphergrid.com

About GenomeDx Biosciences

GenomeDx has reimagined the use of genomics as a platform for mass collaboration to improve treatment and outcomes of people with cancer. GenomeDx has built Decipher GRID, a large and fast-growing genomics database in urologic cancer that provides a foundation for open and interactive research collaboration and knowledge creation. Using Decipher GRID and machine learning to analyze vast amounts of genomic data, GenomeDx develops and commercializes proprietary clinical tests that are intended to provide more accurate and useful diagnostic information than traditional diagnostic tools or existing genomic tests. GenomeDx's Decipher Biopsy, Decipher Post-Op and Decipher Bladder are commercially available prostate cancer genomic tests that provide an assessment of tumor aggressiveness based on a patient's unique genomic profile. GenomeDx is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and operates a clinical laboratory in San Diego, California.

Learn more at http://www.GenomeDx.com

SOURCE GenomeDx Biosciences

Original post:
GenomeDx's Decipher Post-Op Demonstrates Positive Impact on Physician, Patient Treatment Decisions in Multicenter ... - Broadway World

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Donald Trump vilified immigrants during his presidential campaign and has continued to do so since being sworn into office, signing executive orders that target undocumented immigrants, among other measures. As federal immigration officials emboldened by Trump's executive orders seek out and detain undocumented immigrants, their communities are experiencing an increase in fear that can impact their health.

"We noticed that there's a lot of mental health needs and specific health problems that people face when they're undocumented," says Wendy Mironov, a registered nurse with Salud Sin Papeles (Health Without Papers). The grassroots group has been around for two years and focuses on improving the health of and access to health care for undocumented immigrants, families, and communities by educating undocumented immigrants on their rights.

Often undocumented persons don't seek medical care or apply for financial assistance at hospitals or clinics because they're afraid their personal information will be shared with immigration officials or the police. Trying to navigate insurance and hospital bureaucracies without having a valid form of identification or fluency in English also can be a challenge.

Salud Sin Papeles advises people who attend its workshops never to use false identification to get health care but to avoid sharing their immigration status with their health-care provider if possible, or if it's not, to ask them to not record their status on their medical chart. The group also gives undocumented people strategies they can use to negotiate payment plans with hospitals and recommends going to a clinic or medical facility that offers free or low-cost care.

An estimated 307,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Cook County as of 2014, according to a report commissioned by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Many can turn to the Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems when sick without fear of being turned over to ICE.

"We do not ask patients about their immigration status," says Monifa Thomas, a CCHHS spokesperson in an e-mailed statement.

Another resource Salud Sin Papeles recommends for undocumented patients is Carelink, a financial assistance program established to help Cook County residents who are uninsured or underinsured relieve their financial responsibility for their health-care services.

"The stress of being undocumented has a huge health-care impact in terms of access to health care and in terms of stress on the body," Mironov says.

Rosa Aramburo came to the United States from northern Mexico 15 years ago. She's now 27 and, thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a medical student at Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine. Before DACA, she was uninsured.

"My mom started feeling ill. We went to a health fair and they told us her blood sugar was high, so they told her to go to a doctor to confirm if she had diabetes and get it treated," she says. "But we didn't have insurance, so my mom said she felt fine and we didn't go."

Eventually she convinced her mother to go to a free clinic, which recommended Aramburo take her mother to a hospital for treatment. Her mother was still resistant, but once there they learned she qualified for an affordable emergency care plan, Aramburo says. At the hospital she was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to the impairment of the heart, muscles, and nerves as well as brain swelling, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"The doctor told us she could have died had we had waited another day," says Aramburo.

That experience inspired her to make time when she's not in school to volunteer with Community Health, an organization that offer free health-care services in Chicago's West Town and Englewood neighborhoods.

"They help Polish and Hispanic immigrants. I want to help people like me, like my parents," Aramburo says. "They come from another country and they're kind of lost, just like I was."

And while she has some protections under DACA, she fears for her undocumented parents because they have nothing preventing immigration officials from deporting them.

"I don't think people who support these [immigration] policies have ever faced the fear that you'll never be able to see someone you love ever again," she says.

This constant state of fear can have far-reaching medical implications, and not just for the undocumented community.

"There was a really interesting study about the impact of the raid in Postville, Iowa, eight years ago," says Salud Sin Papeles' Mironov. "Nine months after this raid the birth weight of all children born to Latina mothers, regardless of immigration status, decreased dramatically. So that raid had such a huge health-care impact on the entire state."

The study, published by the University of Michigan's School of Public Health and Institute of Social Research team earlier this year, found that in the 37 weeks after the raid Latino babies born had a 24 percent greater risk of lower birth weight than babies born the previous year. (Low birth weight is associated with increasing a baby's chance of dying or having long-term health and academic problems.)

The study concluded that psychosocial stressors, like the Postville raid, cause pregnant mothers to shift stress hormone balances in ways that affect a developing fetus.

"I think we're just starting to learn the medical impact that being undocumented can have on someone," Mironov says. "It's this huge health-care issue in terms of both access and how it affects the body."

Read the original:
Deportation fears can lead to higher risk of illness in undocumented populations - Chicago Reader

There comes a time in every woman's life (for argument's sake, let's say it's around 48) that she can no longer ignore the elephant in the room. Andso during a recent visit to a women's health clinic I finally broached the menopause talk.

When I mentioned hormone replacement therapy (HRT, the medical replacement of a woman's oestrogen and progesterone and, sometimes, testosterone) the nurse's eyebrows almost took flight.

"HRT can really help manage the symptoms of menopause and it's safe," she added a little too quickly.

She went on to tell me that few women my age enquired about HRT. She suspected that they simply didn't trust it.

This didn't come as a complete surprise. I'd recently read that since the early 2000s, the number of women taking HRT had fallen by more than 60 per cent. This downward trend was reflected in women I know: of the 10 menopausal and post-menopausal women I spoke with for this article, only two had chosen HRT.

Several told me that their symptoms weren't severe or long-lasting enough to warrant intervention, others had looked at alternative medicine, but a few were still, some years down the track, suffering from anxietyand those interminable hot flashes and night sweats.

The reasons they dismissed HRT were simple they believed it dangerous and perhaps, even, deadly. Now this was a serious indictment for a treatment once billed as the cure-all of menopausal symptoms, as well as osteoporosis and heart disease, so the question had to be asked why?

To get some perspective we need to go back to 2002 when the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) released its longitudinal study, conducted to address health issues causing disease and early deaths in post-menopausal women. While ambivalent about cardiovascular benefits, the study concluded that taking HRT significantly increased the chance of breast cancer.

Few words carry more emotional weight for women than breast cancer (something the media were quick to pick up on), so it was little surprise that women abandoned HRT en masse.But unknown to many (including, it has to be said, many in the medical profession), the report, which was prematurely terminated, was riddled with inconsistencies.

Writing in Science Daily last month, International Menopause Society scientist and one of WHI's principal investigators Professor R. D. Langerwrote: "The incendiary reports indicated that the study was stopped because HRT caused breast cancer and heart attacks, when in reality there was no statistically significant harm for either breast cancer or heart attacks."

Endocrinologist and medical director of WA's Keogh Institute for Medical Professor Bronwyn Stuckey tells me that another problem with the 2002 report was that the results were said to apply to women of all ages, a finding rectified by a subsequent WHI 2007 report which acknowledged "that there was an age at which it's safe to start [HRT] and an age at which you probably should have second thoughts about starting".

The 2007 WHI report righted a series of wrongs, says Stuckey. It revealed that an early uptake of HRT increased protection against cardiovascular disease and led to a drop in type 2 diabetes, but most surprisingly and significantly it showed that there was less breast cancer among menopausal women solely on oestrogen than those on the placebo.

"It also showed that women who stopped taking HRT after five years had the same incidence of breast cancer as women who'd never taken it," says Stuckey.

Surely there was enough here to alleviate the fears of a significant number of women, so why wasn't this better known? Stuckey has her theories.

"It comes down to GPs being scared of it because they've grown up in the WHI era and it's a big problem," she says. "There's also something else at play, too. When you turn 50, the government invites you to have a mammogram, but it would be much more appropriate if women were invited to have their cholesterol checked, because heart disease is a much bigger killer of menopausal women than breast cancer is."

So there it was. This to me seemed the bigger scandal here. The fact that we weren't being given the proper information went beyond sheer negligence and moved into a far less grey area of potentially failing to save lives.

With the current consensus being that the earlier a menopausal woman starts on HRT the better, I know which road I'll be taking. Basically, like any working mother I've got enough worries to lose sleep over, but I'll not allow menopause to be one of them.

Jen Vuk is a freelance writer.

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Menopause is surrounded by unhealthy misinformation - The Sydney Morning Herald

Sarasota, FL (SBWIRE) 04/25/2017 Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled Male Hypogonadism Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024

Global Male Hypogonadism Market: Overview

Male hypogonadism is a medical condition, wherein the testes fail to generate enough testosterone which leads to incomplete development or delayed puberty. The condition is related to the development of breast tissues, impaired development of muscle mass, lack of deepening of the voice, and impaired body hair growth.

Global Male Hypogonadism Market: Segmentation

The male hypogonadism market is globally segmented into therapy, drug delivery, and type. On the basis of therapy, the market is segregated into testosterone replacement therapy and gonadotropin-releasing hormones therapy. The gonadotropin-releasing hormones therapy is further sub-divided into luteinizing hormone (LH), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Based on the drug delivery, the market is categorized into injectables, topical gels, transdermal patches, and others. Depending on the type, the market is divided into Kallmann syndrome, Klinefelters syndrome, pituitary disorders, and others.

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Global Male Hypogonadism Market: Growth Factors

The key factor that is driving the male hypogonadism market includes increasing cases of testosterone deficiency among men, increasing awareness among people about hypogonadism treatment owing to awareness drives that are organized by several governments across the world, and increasing infertility rates. The high risk of hypogonadism among the aged population with obesity and diabetes and escalating cases of chronic disorders among the geriatrics are further boosting the markets growth. On the other hand, factors such as high side effects of testosterone products challenge the growth of the market. The market players are focusing on research and development activities to introduce newer products with less or negligible side effects and better results. Technological advancements are anticipated to extend new opportunities to the markets growth.

Global Male Hypogonadism Market: Regional Analysis

The male hypogonadism market can be segmented into regions such as North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America dominates the market owing to the increase in the number of individuals that are suffering from the primary and secondary conditions of hypogonadism, and the rising awareness among the people about treatment. Other factors that contribute to this growth are the presence of unconventional health care infrastructure and growing popularity of the technologically advanced products which will offer new opportunities to the top market players in this market. The region is strongly followed by Europe. Asia-Pacific region is expected to offer productive opportunities to this market owing to the modernization of the healthcare infrastructure in the developing economies of India and China and the growing awareness about the treatment for the condition. In Asia Pacific, there is a rise in the number of people that suffer from hypogonadism and infertility rates coupled with the rise in the geriatric population base having obesity and diabetes are triggering the growth of the market.

Global Male Hypogonadism Market: Competitive Players

Some of the key market players that are involved in the male hypogonadism market include Astrazeneca Plc., Merck & Co. Inc., Laboratories Genevrier, Allergan Plc., Endo International Plc., Ferring, AbbVie Inc., Eli Lilly and Company Ltd., Finox Biotech, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Bayer AG, and IBSA Institut Biochimque.

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Global Male Hypogonadism Market: Regional Segment Analysis

North America U.S. Europe UK France Germany Asia Pacific China Japan India Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa

What Reports Provides

Full in-depth analysis of the parent market Important changes in market dynamics Segmentation details of the market Former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value Assessment of niche industry developments Market share analysis Key strategies of major players Emerging segments and regional markets Testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.

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Global Male Hypogonadism Market, 20162024: Type. Size, Share, Trends & Forecast Report - MilTech

A research team at the University of Minnesota found a way to heal broken hearts.

Researchers used a 3D printer to create protein patches that mimic heart tissue to treat post-heart attack scars. The research is in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Brenda Ogle, a University biomedical engineering professor and lead researcher for the project, said she and her team have investigated proteins that surround cells in the body for 15 years. The team has been studying how the proteins also called the extracellular matrix influence stem cell behavior.

For many years, weve been trying to develop optimum formulation that can support stem cells in new cardiac [cell] types, Ogle said, adding that theyve focused on cardiac cell types to figure out a way to strengthen them after the muscle cells are damaged and die during a heart attack. Its one of the cell types in the body that cant be recovered.

The team successfully treated mice with the patches and is now planning to test the method on larger animals.

Molly Kupfer, a doctoral student who is part of Ogles team, said a heart attack occurs when there is a blockage in a primary blood vessel that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the heart.

When that happens, you have cell death in the area of the heart that doesnt receive the appropriate oxygen and nutrients, Kupfer said. Those cells that die arent able to recover."

Typically, after a heart attack, the blood clot in the heart is removed at a hospital, and if the heart has not been damaged too badly, doctors monitor the heart long-term, prescribe medicine and regularly check for signs of heart failure, Ogle said.

What you get instead after a heart attack is scar tissue forming, and that scar tissue ultimately fails, Ogle said.

Associate Professor Brenda Ogle places a 3D printed biopatch on a mouse heart in Nils Hasselmo Hall on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. Her research team induces heart attacks in mice, which causes a dead area of cardiac cells. The patch is placed in this dead zone and mimics the cells of the native heart that aren't able to be replenished on their own. "A defining moment was when the [mouse] heart started to beat, and we realized human heart pacing could be possible too," Ogle said.

Kupfer said she worked with Paul Campagnola and his lab at the University of Wisconsin to print the patches; the cells were prepared at the University of Minnesota.

Campagnola, a biomedical engineering professor, said he initially developed the underlying printing technology in 2000.

"The idea of the patch is it could actually behave like native cardiac tissue and assist the function of the heart, Kupfer said, adding that the method used to print the patches results in extremely high resolution structures.

Ogle said before applying the patch to the animal hearts theyre currently testing on, they take a scan of the scarred tissue and create a digital template for the 3D-printer to follow and print the proteins in the same pattern.

Campagnola said the patch provides a stable space for cells to grow and be implanted in damaged areas.

Cardiac cells are also added to the patch when it covers a damaged area. Ogle said it not only provides a support structure, but transplants healthy cells that will eventually become integrated into the heart, stabling it structurally and functionally.

A huge aha moment was when [the cardiac cells] started to beat on this patch synchronously and spontaneously, she said. When that happened, we realized that this could be a viable therapy for the heart, a way to replace those lost muscle cells.

Through the research group at the University of Alabama, Ogle said a study was conducted where the patch was tested on dead or dying tissue in mice hearts and the group saw improvement in the mice after four weeks.

The project was funded through a series of grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation with support from the University, she said.

The group has since received larger funds from the NIH to run a study using the patch on larger animals within the next year.

Ogle said it would take about 10 years until the patch can be used on human patients in a clinical setting.

View original post here:
UMN research team fixes broken hearts with 3D-printed tissue patch - Minnesota Daily

Wade Watcher

A Perryville, Missouri, family is organizing a bone-marrow registration drive in hopes of finding a match for their 6-year-old son, who needs a bone-marrow transplant.

Wade Watcher's mother Jenni said for the most part, he's a regular 6-year-old.

"Active and funny and adorable," she said. "He's smart and loves to draw. He likes playing basketball. He's a pretty awesome kid."

But for him to continue leading a normal childhood, Watcher likely would need a bone-marrow transplant.

"We knew that he had a rare disease when he was a baby, and so yearly we have to get a bone marrow biopsy to see if his bone marrow is failing," Watcher said. "It had been fairly normal until December. ... It showed his bone marrow was in the stages of failing and that it was kind of like a waiting game to see if he needs to be sent for a bone marrow transplant or not."

Wade, who suffers from Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, a rare congenital disorder, is stable, but his mother said they don't know for how long.

So they're organizing a registration drive for members of the community to sign up to have their cheeks swabbed and see whether they may be a match. The drive will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday at the AMVETS Post 94 in Perryville.

Watcher said she's not sure how many people are scheduled to participate, but she to register as many people ranging in age from 18 to 55 years old people as possible.

"Anybody that can would be amazing," she said. "It would provide a lot of help for our family as well as other families."

Registration involves filling out a form and having a cheek swabbed for about 30 seconds. Donor recruitment coordinator Olivia Haddox said people typically shy away from such drives because they are unsure of what it may mean if they are "matched" with a person in need.

"People are surprised to find how easy it is just to register, but then the next question is always, 'What's going to happen if I get that call?'" she said. "We definitely get that a lot."

There are two ways for the donation to happen if a match is found, she said. About 80 percent of the time, donations are done via peripheral blood stem-cell donation, a four- to eight-hour session in which blood is taken from one arm and filtered through an aphoresis machine to separate the blood from the stem cells. After taking the stem cells, the blood is returned to the donor's body.

"That can kind of be compared to a lengthier platelet or plasma donation," Haddox said. "You don't actually even lose any blood that day; you just lose some stem cells, and you regenerate those in about a week, so what you give you do get back," she said.

People usually watch Netflix while donating, she said, and minor side effects more often come from the series of injections donors receive before the procedure to boost the stem cells. Those injections can cause some fatigue or other side effects.

"Nothing so severe that it might keep anyone out of work," Haddox said. "It's just kind of your body preparing for the donation."

The other, less-common method is an outpatient procedure whereby liquid marrow from the lower back pelvic area is removed.

"And you're actually put under for this procedure, so you're not awake when it happens and you don't feel anything when it happens," Haddox said. "Afterwards, what most people tell me they feel is just a tenderness and a bruising around the site where they removed the marrow. A lot of people equate this to saying, 'I felt like I fell on some ice, and I had a bruise on my hip for a few days.'"

If people can't attend the drive, swab kits can be ordered at dkms.org.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

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Perryville family organizing bone-marrow drive Friday for ailing 6-year-old boy - Southeast Missourian

GETTY STOCK IMAGE

The way to the Red Planet and other mysterious worlds is being inspired by the villainous Khan from the blockbuster films, according to new research.

The use of stem cell technology may mean the difference between life and death on any attempt to travel beyond Earth into the wilderness of space.

So the first person to walk on Mars is likely to be selected from the growing group of people whose parents took the step to store their child's stem cells at birth.

Stem cells are 'blank' cells that can be reprogrammed to turn into any other cell in the body, enabling the replacement of damaged cells.

More and more British parents, including TV presenter Natalie Pinkham and dancer Darcey Bussell, are paying more than 2,000 to freeze samples from their babies' umbilical cords at birth.

Stem cells are also found in bone marrow and some body tissue, but the procedure to harvest them from umbilical cords is less risky.

Adventurous Mars pioneers will have to be especially prepared for the dangerous trip, which could expose them to cancer and other diseases, through carefully researched gene therapy.

1 of 16

We wince at the thought of genetically engineered humans

Mark Hall

Mark Hall, spokesperson for the UK's leading stem cell storage and diagnostics company StemProtect, said: "We wince at the thought of genetically engineered humans.

"And we are not going to create a Khan from Star Trek specifically to get to another planet. Getting humans to Mars and beyond will be both expensive and dangerous.

"But the scientific by-products - such as huge leaps in stem cell medicine - will benefit humanity for centuries to come."

Genetic engineering has featured in two Star Trek movies, and a number of TV episodes.

IG

1 of 14

This still image strikes an uncanny resemblance to a figure of a woman

Khan, who appeared in Space Seed and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, was modified to make him stronger and to give him greater stamina and intellectual capacity than a regular human.

Mr Hall said: "The first human to walk on Mars may not even be born yet - but that's an advantage."

StemProtect believes advanced medical techniques will be required to cope with the rigours of interplanetary space.

While a trip to Mars may appear "just around the corner" in galactic terms, it is highly possible exposure to radiation along the way could lead to the astronauts developing leukaemia and other cancers even before they arrived.

GETTY STOCK IMAGE

This means future travellers will have to be 'immunised' before they leave Earth.

Mr Hall said: "There was an article in The Times suggesting elephants would make ideal Martian travellers because they'd be largely immune to the radiation.

"But those laughing at the ridiculous sounding headline completely missed the point - the fact is scientists are already working on ways of getting humans there and back alive."

Recent research has shown radiation in deep space increase the risk of leukaemia while long term exposure to micro gravity may leave astronauts open to infection.

The three year round trip to Mars would affect humans at the stem cell level, leaving them with a drastically lowered immune system, NASA funded scientists say.

And NASA's own findings say stem cells may be crucial to the future of space travel, particularly how they respond in a low gravity environment.

One study showed stem cells flown in space and then cultured back on Earth had greater ability to self renew and generate any cell type, changing more easily into specialised heart muscle cells, for instance.

Mr Hall said an astronaut will have to be prepared for the journey "quite literally at the stem cell level."

He explained: "That means working with the best and most effective stem cells available to the patient - those harvested from the umbilical cord at birth."

GETTY STOCK IMAGE

The therapies required to 'immunise' humans to space travel are still being researched.

And with most space based science, it can only mean huge benefits to mankind back down on Earth when it comes to fighting otherwise deadly conditions and diseases.

Stem cells have the ability to treat a potentially infinite range of illnesses and diseases.

Stem cell therapy is already being used all over the world to treat some cancers and stroke victims - and there is fast progress being made in many other areas, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

Read more from the original source:
SUPERHUMANS: Mars 'will be colonised by genetically engineered Star Trek-style beings' - Express.co.uk

Using human skin cells, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists and their colleagues have created a method to generate one of the principle cell types of the brain called microglia, which play a key role in preserving the function of neural networks and responding to injury and disease.

The finding marks an important step in the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for targeted approaches to better understand and potentially treat neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. These iPS cells are derived from existing adult skin cells and show increasing utility as a promising approach for studying human disease and developing new therapies.

Skin cells were donated from patients at the UCI Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. The study, led by Edsel Abud, Wayne Poon and Mathew Blurton Jones of UCI, used a genetic process to reprogram these cells into a pluripotent state capable of developing into any type of cell or tissue of the body.

The researchers then guided these pluripotent cells to a new state by exposing the cells to a series of differentiation factors which mimicked the developmental origin of microglia. The resulting cells act very much like human microglial cells. Their study appears in the current issue of Neuron.

In the brain, microglia mediate inflammation and the removal of dead cells and debris. These cells make up 10- to 15-percent of brain cells and are needed for the development and maintenance of neural networks.

"Microglia play an important role in Alzheimer's and other diseases of the central nervous system. Recent research has revealed that newly discovered Alzheimer's-risk genes influence microglia behavior. Using these cells, we can understand the biology of these genes and test potential new therapies," said Blurton-Jones, an assistant professor of the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior and Director of the ADRC iPS Core.

"Scientists have had to rely on mouse microglia to study the immunology of AD. This discovery provides a powerful new approach to better model human disease and develop new therapies," added Poon, a UCI MIND associate researcher.

Along those lines, the researchers examined the genetic and physical interactions between Alzheimer's disease pathology and iPS-microglia. They are now using these cells in three-dimensional brain models to understand how microglia interact with other brain cells and influence AD and the development of other neurological diseases.

"Our findings provide a renewable and high-throughput method for understanding the role of inflammation in Alzheimer's disease using human cells," said Abud, an M.D./Ph.D. student. "These translational studies will better inform disease-modulating therapeutic strategies."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California - Irvine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Skin stem cells used to generate new brain cells: Study to advance ... - Science Daily

From Skin to Brain

The brain is one of the most vital organs in the human body, so damage to the brain from injury or aging can have major impacts on peoples quality of life.Neurological disorders representsome of todays most devastating medical conditions that are also difficult to treat.Among these is Alzheimers disease.

Usually, research involving Alzheimers rely on brain cells from mice. Now, neurobiologists from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have developed a method that could allow the use of human cells instead of animal ones to help understand neurological diseases better.

In their study, which was published in the journal Neuron, the researchers found a way to transform human skin cells into stem cells and program them into microglial cells. The latter make up about 10 to 15 percent of the brain and are involved in the removing dead cells and debris, as well as managing inflammation. Micgrolia are instramentalin neural network development and maintenance, explained researcher Mathew Blurton Jones, fromUCIs Department of Neurobiology & Behavior.

Microglia play an important role in Alzheimers and other diseases of the central nervous system. Recent research has revealed that newly discovered Alzheimers-risk genes influence microglia behavior, Jones said in an interview for a UCI press release. Using these cells, we can understand the biology of these genes and test potential new therapies.

The skin cells had been donated by patients from UCIs Alzheimers Disease Research Center. These were firstsubjected toa genetic process to convert them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells adult cells modified to behave as an embryonic stem cell, allowing them to become other kinds of cells. These iPS cells were then exposed to differentiation factors designed to imitate the environment of developing microglia, which transformed them into the brain cells.

This discovery provides a powerful new approach to better model human disease and develop new therapies, said UCI MIND associate researcher Wayne Poon in the press release. The researchers, in effect, have developed a renewable and high-throughput method for understanding the role of inflammation in Alzheimers disease using human cells, according to researcher Edsel Abud in the same source.

In other words, by using human microglia instead of those from mice, the researchers have developed a more accurate toolto study neurological diseases and to develop more targeted treatment approaches. In the case of Alzheimers, they studied the genetic and physical interactions between the diseases pathology and the induced microglia cells. These translational studies will better inform disease-modulating therapeutic strategies, Abud added in the press release.

Furthermore, they are now using these induced microglia cells in three-dimensional brain models. The goal is to understand the interaction between microglia and other brain cells, and how these influence the development of Alzheimers and other neurological diseases.

This is all made possible by reprogrammable stem cells. Indeed, this study is one more example of how stem cells arechanging medicine.

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A New Technique Transforms Human Skin Into Brain Cells - Futurism

Women at the highest genetic risk for bone fractures benefit the most from hormone therapy, according to a University at Buffalo study of 10,000 participants in the national Women's Health Initiative.

As women age, their bone mineral density decreases, leaving them at greater risk of breaking bones from falls. Some women are more genetically prone to fractures. The researchers said their study is believed to be the first to investigate gene-hormone therapy interaction on fractures in postmenopausal white women.

We found that women who are genetically at the highest fracture risk can enjoy the greatest protection from fracture when they use hormone therapy, Heather Ochs-Balcom, a UB associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health who led the research team, said in a statement.

The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The papers first author, Youjin Wang, conducted the research as a doctoral candidate in epidemiology and environmental health at UB.

Researchers looked at a subset of 9,922 women among the more than 27,000 who had participated in Women's Health Initiative hormone therapy clinical trials. The federally funded Initiative began in 1991 and consisted of a set of studies looking at health issues in more than 161,000 postmenopausal women.

Further studies on gene-therapy interaction are needed to evaluate the advantages of targeted treatments based on genetic profile, the researchers said.

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UB study suggests reduced fracture risk with hormone therapy in ... - Buffalo News

By Jill U. Adams By Jill U. Adams April 24 at 8:38 AM

For many women this college graduation season, the primary reason to see a doctor soon after graduation may be to get birth control.

They may want to stick with whatever theyve been using, whether thats the pill or the patch or the vaginal ring. Or they may want to consider a broad menu of options that vary with regard to ease of use, side effects and duration of protection.

The most popular kind of birth control on campus is condoms, with 61percent of womenreporting that they used that method the last time they had sex. The pill came in a close second, with 58 percent, followed by withdrawal at 33 percent, according to a 2016 report by the American College Health Association from a survey of 80,129 undergraduate students. (Survey respondents often reported more than one method used.)

And yet, these commonly used contraceptive methods have failure rates that maygive one pause. For 100 women over the course of a year, there would be ninepregnancies with the pill, 18 with condom use and 22 with the withdrawal method.

The top two birth control options in terms of effectiveness are intrauterine devices (IUDs) and progestin implants. With these methods, the failure rate is less than one pregnancy per 100 women in a year.

These two methods have another advantage for users, which earns them the moniker long-acting reversible contraceptives, or LARCs. After a one-time procedure, women are protected from getting pregnant for at least three years or up to 10 years, depending on the product.

There are fewer or milder side effects with these long-acting methods, compared with birth control pills. Copper IUDs such as Paragard can increase menstrual pain and flow, especially in the first year of use. Hormone-releasing IUDs, such as Mirena and Skyla, can cause spotting or irregular bleeding, especially in the first six months of use.

The hormones released by IUDs stay locally in the uterus, says Kristyn Brandi, an OB/GYNat Boston University. So you dont get the same side effects as taking the pill, such as changes in mood and breast tenderness, she says.

A birth control implant can cause spotting throughout the monthly cycle. And its slowly released hormone distributes through the whole body, so hormonal side effects can occur, but less so than the pill,Brandi says.

With implants and hormonal IUDs, often menstrual periods become much lighter and in some women disappear altogether a side effect that many view as a benefit.

Why dont more young women use these long-acting, super-effective methods? In that survey of college students, IUDs were reported to be used by 9percent of females and implants by 6 percent.

One reason is lingering myths about their safety in young women. Its a myth that you cant have an IUD if you havent had a child, says Krishna Upadhya, a Johns Hopkins pediatrician who specializes in adolescent health.

Older versions of IUDs were thought to be too large for some young women, but thats no longer a concern, says Joanne Brown, a nurse practitioner at the University of Kentuckys health service. The newer IUDs are very small.

Another reason more young women dont use IUDs or implants is access, particularly on campus. Whereas 98percent of campus health services provide birth control pills, only 40percent provide the implant or IUDs. It can depend on the size of a college, how many providers or what level of services they have, says Brown, who works with the American College Health Association on sexual health issues.

Implants and IUDs require a procedure, not just a consultation and a prescription.

Cost can be a barrier, as well. The Affordable Care Actrequired health insurers to cover birth control, but that doesnt mean that every plan covers every birth control method. Getting an IUD can cost several hundred dollars and as high as $1,000, including a medical exam and insertion.

Even if youre paying some of the cost, IUDs are the most cost-effective birth control method, Brandi says. The non-hormonal IUD Paragard is good for 10years and cost-wise beats paying $20 per month for birth control pills.

A relatively new IUD called Liletta is made by a nonprofit company with the aim of making them cost-friendly. It costs $50 for a clinic to use, Brandi says.

Birth control implants, which last three years, are generally cheaper than IUDs, at a couple of hundred dollars, but can run as high as $800, including insertion.

Upadhya, who sees patients up to age 25, says she helps them explore all the options-- not just effectiveness and side effects, but how a particular option fits in with their lives. Comfort level can play a role, she says. The pill is the thing that everyone has heard of. People are very comfortable with the idea of it.

As Brandi puts it: The most effective form of birth control is the one people practice. Some people are good pill takers.

The bottom line is there are a lot of options: the LARCs, the pill, the patch, the ring and the shot. Even if youve had a problem with other kinds of birth control, Brandi advises, talk to you doctor; shell help you figure out how to find something that will work.

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Long-term birth control is the most reliable. So why do so few young women use it? - Washington Post

San Francisco Business Times

At high-stakes table, growing Peninsula biotech antes up with 'fatty-liver' drug San Francisco Business Times This South San Francisco biotech has 150 employees, has raised $300 million and has an important partnership with a Big Pharma company. But it is the one drug that is not part of that deal that could have a big impact on a growing disease.

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At high-stakes table, growing Peninsula biotech antes up with 'fatty-liver' drug - San Francisco Business Times

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of metabolic status on associations of serum vitamin D with hypogonadism and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)/benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

A total of 612 men underwent physical examination, biochemical/hormonal blood testing, and transrectal prostate ultrasound. Moreover, the subjects filled out standard questionnaires for identification and grading of LUTS and hypogonadism symptoms. Parameters were statistically compared with independent t-tests and correlation analyses.

Vitamin D levels positively correlated with total testosterone (TT) but not with prostate volume or International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Patients with metabolic syndrome had significantly lower vitamin D levels, which were not correlated with TT, prostate volume, or IPSS. However, vitamin D was positively correlated with TT, and negatively correlated with prostate volume and quality-of-life IPSS in subjects without metabolic syndrome.

The clinical usefulness of vitamin D for treatment of hypogonadism or LUTS/BPH varies according to metabolic status.

The aging male : the official journal of the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male. 2017 Apr 17 [Epub ahead of print]

Sun Gu Park, Jeong Kyun Yeo, Dae Yeon Cho, Min Gu Park

a Department of Preventive Medicine , Gachon University College of Medicine , Incheon , Korea., b Department of Urology , Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital , Seoul , Korea., c Department of Urology , Inje University, Sanggye Paik Hospital , Seoul , Korea.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28414251

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Impact of metabolic status on the association of serum vitamin D with hypogonadism and lower urinary tract symptoms ... - UroToday

It was Thursday afternoon, and the little girl from near Cologne, Germany, and the 40-year-old Duluth woman had known each other for less than 24 hours. But it was obvious that Edwards already had bonded with Ina and her little sister Mila.

They were together because the girls' mother had given Edwards a much greater gift: the gift of life.

"By your donation, I still get to be a mom," Edwards told Daniela Halfkann, 30. "(You're) a mom, so you completely understand how important it is to be here with your children."

Edwards, the mother of 15-year-old twin boys and the wife of Duluth Fire Chief Dennis Edwards, is alive because of the stem cell transplant she received at the Mayo Clinic on Oct. 31, 2014. As a result, she said, she is in remission from the rare and aggressive form of leukemia with which she had been diagnosed that June.

All she was told at the time of the transplant was that the donor was a woman from Germany.

Halfkann had registered as a potential stem cell or bone marrow donor at the large insurance company where she works in Cologne, she said. One day she received a call, saying her donation was needed.

After the six-hour procedure, Halfkann was told nothing more than that the recipient was a woman in the United States.

After a two-year waiting period required in Germany, the two women learned each other's identities last October and connected via Facebook.

Their meeting in Duluth was arranged by Amanda Schamper, Midwest donor recruitment coordinator for DKMS, the international organization that facilitated the donation.

Halfkann made the trip along with husband Stefan and their daughters, leaving their home at 3 a.m. on Tuesday and arriving at the Duluth International Airport at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Like Edwards, DKMS wants to raise awareness of the need for people to enter the registry, said Schamper, who also traveled to Duluth for the occasion.

She said 14,000 patients are in need of a peripheral blood stem cell or bone marrow donation, but fewer than half will get one because there's no match on the registry.

"We're looking for a particular protein in our DNA," she explained.

Only in 30 percent of cases are siblings a match. Edwards' brother and sister both had been screened, she said, and neither was a match for her.

Finding a match "is equated to finding your genetic twin, or winning the genetic lottery," Schamper said.

If more people were on the registry a process that only requires taking a swab from your cheek there would be more potential matches. But only 2 percent of eligible Americans are registered, Schamper said.

When the Halfkanns arrived at the gate on Wednesday, Dennis and Merissa Edwards, along with sons Caden and Jaxon, were waiting at the gate.

It was an emotional moment.

"It was hard for me," Merissa Edwards said on Friday, speaking to Daniela Halfkann. "I was crying. I was so emotional, so happy to meet you and hug you."

She wiped away a tear. "I still am."

"It was amazing," Halfkann responded. "I cried at the gate, too."

The Halfkanns, who are staying at the Edgewater, initially focused on recovery from jet lag. But Edwards is making sure they'll get a full taste of Duluth and Minnesota before beginning their return trip to Germany next Saturday. That includes visits to the Mall of America, the Great Lakes Aquarium and a trip up the North Shore.

A "thank-you party," open to the public, is planned on Sunday afternoon. Halfkann also will be recognized on Monday during the Saints Sports Awards ceremony at the College of St. Scholastica, where Edwards is an administrative assistant in the athletics department.

Recovery from the ravages of leukemia has been a long process, Edwards said, but she remains in remission. She gets a PET scan every six months to make sure that's still the case; the next one takes place next week.

Edwards shares her story, she said, not to call attention to herself but to highlight the need for people to take the simple step of registering as a potential donor.

"It's so important for us to help other people keep their families together and save a mother or father or son or daughter," she said. "The more people we can encourage to cheek-swab and get on the registry, the more lives we can help save and help families stay together."

TO LEARN MORE

For more information and to learn how to get on the bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell registry, visit dkms.org.

IF YOU GO

The thank-you party for Daniela Halfkann will be from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at The Other Place Bar and Grill, 3930 E. Calvary Road.

Read the original here:
Duluth woman meets the German donor whose stem cells saved her ... - Duluth News Tribune

Newswise Irvine, Calif., April 24, 2017 Using human skin cells, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists and their colleagues have created a method to generate one of the principle cell types of the brain called microglia, which play a key role in preserving the function of neural networks and responding to injury and disease.

The finding marks an important step in the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for targeted approaches to better understand and potentially treat neurological diseases such as Alzheimers. These iPS cells are derived from existing adult skin cells and show increasing utility as a promising approach for studying human disease and developing new therapies.

Skin cells were donated from patients at the UCI Alzheimers Disease Research Center. The study, led by Edsel Abud, Wayne Poon and Mathew Blurton Jones of UCI, used a genetic process to reprogram these cells into a pluripotent state capable of developing into any type of cell or tissue of the body.

The researchers then guided these pluripotent cells to a new state by exposing the cells to a series of differentiation factors which mimicked the developmental origin of microglia. The resulting cells act very much like human microglial cells. Their study appears in the current issue of Neuron. Link: http://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(17)30286-6.

In the brain, microglia mediate inflammation and the removal of dead cells and debris. These cells make up 10- to 15-percent of brain cells and are needed for the development and maintenance of neural networks.

Microglia play an important role in Alzheimers and other diseases of the central nervous system. Recent research has revealed that newly discovered Alzheimers-risk genes influence microglia behavior. Using these cells, we can understand the biology of these genes and test potential new therapies, said Blurton-Jones, an assistant professor of the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior and Director of the ADRC iPS Core.

Scientists have had to rely on mouse microglia to study the immunology of AD. This discovery provides a powerful new approach to better model human disease and develop new therapies, added Poon, a UCI MIND associate researcher.

Along those lines, the researchers examined the genetic and physical interactions between Alzheimers disease pathology and iPS-microglia. They are now using these cells in three-dimensional brain models to understand how microglia interact with other brain cells and influence AD and the development of other neurological diseases.

Our findings provide a renewable and high-throughput method for understanding the role of inflammation in Alzheimers disease using human cells, said Abud, an M.D./Ph.D. student. These translational studies will better inform disease-modulating therapeutic strategies.

Blurton Jones, Abud and Poon are with UCIs Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND). Ricardo Ramirez, Eric Martinez, Cecilia Nguyen, Sean Newman, Vanessa Scarfone, Samuel E. Marsh, Cristhian Fimbres, Chad A. Caraway, Ali Mortazavi, Michael Cahalan, Brian Cummings, Gianna Fote, Andriy Yeromin and Anshu Agrawal with UCI; Luke Healy and Jack Antel with McGill University, Montreal; Rakez Kayed with the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Karen Gylys with UCLA; and Abdullah Madany and Monica Carson with UC Riverside contributed to the study. The National Institutes of Health, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the Susan Scott Foundation provided support.

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Skin Stem Cells Used to Generate New Brain Cells - Newswise (press release)

Stem cells help researchers identify neuronal defects causing ... Science Daily Researchers have used stem cells derived from patients with Angelman syndrome to identify the underlying neuronal defects that cause the rare neurogenetic ... and more »

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Stem cells help researchers identify neuronal defects causing ... - Science Daily

"Sangamo once again has a very strong presence at ASGCT, with 19 oral and poster presentations," said Dr. Sandy Macrae, Sangamo's chief executive officer. "These data highlight the breadth of our clinical and early stage pipeline across genome editing, gene therapy, gene regulation and cell therapy. With our focus now on the translation of our groundbreaking science into new genomic therapies that transform patients' lives, our research and technology programs will continue to provide new assets for therapeutic development."

The following presentations are scheduled at the ASGCT Meeting sessions:

Invited Presentations at Scientific Symposia

Lysosomal Storage Disorders

Central Nervous System Disorders

Monogenic and Infectious Diseases

Technology and Delivery Developments

Applications of Gene Editing in Stem Cells

All abstracts for the ASGCT meeting are available online at 2017 ASGCT Annual Meeting Abstracts.

About Sangamo Therapeutics Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. is focused on translating ground-breaking science into genomic therapies that transform patients' lives using the company's industry leading platform technologies in genome editing, gene therapy, gene regulation and cell therapy. The Company is advancing Phase 1/2 clinical programs in hemophilia A and hemophilia B, and lysosomal storage disorders MPS I and MPS II. Sangamo has a strategic collaboration with Bioverativ Inc. for hemoglobinopathies, including beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease, and with Shire International GmbH to develop therapeutics for Huntington's disease. In addition, it has established strategic partnerships with companies in non-therapeutic applications of its technology, including Sigma-Aldrich Corporation and Dow AgroSciences. For more information about Sangamo, visit the Company's website at http://www.sangamo.com.

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements based on Sangamo's current expectations. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, references relating to presentation of data from various therapeutic and research programs and the potential of these programs to transform the lives of patients. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the dependence on the success of clinical trials of lead programs, the lengthy and uncertain regulatory approval process, uncertainties related to the timing of initiation and completion of clinical trials, whether clinical trial results will validate and support the safety and efficacy of ZFP Therapeutics, and the ability to establish strategic partnerships. Further, there can be no assurance that the necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained or that Sangamo and its partners will be able to develop commercially viable gene-based therapeutics. Actual results may differ from those projected in forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties that exist in Sangamo's operations and business environments. These risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Sangamo's Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Sangamo undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sangamo-therapeutics-announces-presentations-at-2017-annual-meeting-of-the-american-society-of-gene--cell-therapy-300444609.html

SOURCE Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc.

http://www.sangamo.com

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Sangamo Therapeutics Announces Presentations at 2017 Annual meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell ... - PR Newswire (press release)

BERKELEY, Calif., April 24, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XOMA Corporation (XOMA), a pioneer in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, today announced that it has achieved positive Phase 2 proof-of-concept results for X213 in physiological hyperprolactinemia (HPRL). X213 is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes prolactin action.

This proof-of-concept study was an important milestone in demonstrating the potential efficacy of this novel antibody. We believe that X213 could be a treatment option for a wide range of patients with hyperprolactinemia including prolactinoma and anti-psychotic induced HPRL as the signs and symptoms are similar irrespective of the etiology, said Jim Neal, Chief Executive Officer of XOMA. Consistent with our business strategy, we intend to maximize the value of X213 for shareholders by seeking a license partner for the program.

The Phase 2 study was a multi-center, open-labelled, randomized, single-dose, controlled trial of intravenously administered X213 in women who wished to suppress lactation immediately post-partum. The results of the study indicate that X213, when given as a single 700mg intravenous infusion during the first day post-partum, was effective in suppressing milk secretion, as well as breast engorgement and pain in 100 percent of the treated women. In addition, none of the treated women experienced rebound breast symptomatology during the 21-day study period. While the study was not intended, or powered to show statistical significance, it demonstrated that X213 was: safe and well tolerated; caused no significant adverse events (SAEs); showed favorable pharmacokinetics with a terminal half-life of two weeks and; demonstrated target (prolactin receptor) engagement and mechanism of action confirmation by serum prolactin profiling.

The findings from this proof-of-concept study are encouraging and confirm that X213 inhibits prolactin signaling and thus, may be effective in blocking effects of symptomatic hyperprolactinemia, said Dr. Shlomo Melmed, endocrinologist, Dean of the Medical Faculty and Professor of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. New classes of drugs such as X213 may offer benefit to the up to 20 percent of patients who do not respond to, or are intolerant of, current standard of care involving dopamine agonist medications.

Prolactin is a multifunctional hormone that is primarily secreted by the pituitary and whose best-known functions are related to lactation and reproduction. In pregnant women, excess prolactin secretion (hyperprolactinemia) occurs to enhance breast development and to induce lactation postpartum. Commonly encountered etiologies of hyperprolactinemia include prolactinoma, medication effect, kidney failure, cystic or granulomatous pituitary lesions, and disorders which interfere with hypothalamic inhibition of prolactin release. Prolactinomas, benign tumors of the pituitary gland, hypersecrete prolactin with significant medical consequences, particularly hypogonadism, infertility and osteoporosis.

About X213 X213 (formerly LFA 102) is a first-in-class allosteric inhibitor of prolactin action. It is a humanized IgG1-Kappa monoclonal antibody that binds to the extracellular domain of the human prolactin receptor with high affinity at an allosteric site. The antibody has been shown to inhibit prolactin-mediated signaling, and it is potent and similarly active against animal and human prolactin receptors.

The Phase 2 study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of X213 in post-partum women. The study was conducted at multiple medical centers in Spain.

About XOMA Corporation XOMA has an extensive portfolio of products, programs, and technologies that are the subject of licenses the Company has in place with other biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Many of these licenses are the result of the Company's pioneering efforts in the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics. There are more than 20 such programs that are fully funded by partners and could produce milestone payments and royalty payments in the future. In order to maximize its value in a licensing transaction, XOMA continues to invest in X358, an allosteric monoclonal antibody that reduces insulin receptor activity, as the antibody could have a major impact on the treatment of hyperinsulinism. For more information, visit http://www.xoma.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding: X213 as a potential treatment option for patients with hyperprolactinemia including prolactinoma and anti-psychotic induced HPRL; XOMA's portfolio of partnered programs and licensed technologies; XOMA's intent to license X213 and X358; and statements that otherwise relate to future periods. These statements are based on assumptions that may not prove accurate, and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to certain risks inherent in the biotechnology industry and for companies engaged in the development of new products in a regulated market. Potential risks to XOMA meeting these expectations are described in more detail in XOMA's most recent filing on Form 10-K and in other SEC filings. Consider such risks carefully when considering XOMA's prospects. Any forward-looking statement in this press release represents XOMA's views only as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. XOMA disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law.

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XOMA Announces Positive Results from its Phase 2 Proof-Of ... - Yahoo Finance

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A Lincoln student is set to save someone's life after finding out he was a match for someone who needed a bone marrow transplant.

John-Paul Dickie, the vice-president of academic affairs at the University of Lincoln, said he joined the register after his flatmate told him about it.

He doesn't know the identity of the person whose life he saved, but said he was delighted that he's been able to help someone who was desperate for a transplant.

He said: "My flatmate was involved with Lincoln Marrow, a student-led group trying to sign people up to the British Bone Marrow Register. He was telling me the benefits of it, including the fact it could potentially save someone's life.

READ MORE: Selfless mum marks 50th blood donation with daughter's first

"I signed up in February 2014, so it was a surprise when I heard back earlier this year that I was a potential match. I had some samples taken and eventually I had a date set for the operation in May.

"I'm looking forward to it, as it's an amazing way to help somebody.

"However I'm also a bit hesitant as it will require me to be strapped to a machine for four or five hours. My partner will be there to keep me company and I'll have books and TV to stop me from getting too bored."

When bone marrow is damaged it prevents a person from creating healthy blood cells and transplants like this help to treat the condition.

The transplant requires taking stem cells from the blood or bone marrow of one person and giving them to another.

John-Paul added: "There are two ways to take stem cells. One is taking them out of your back using a needle, which is painful but only 10 per cent of people have. Fortunately, I'm having the more common method in which blood is taken out of one arm, the stem cells are removed and then it is returned in the other arm."

READ MORE: 'Gordon was denied stem cell treatment, but I'll hold him in my heart forever'

Most people who need stem cells will be a match with a close family member. However, if this doesn't work then they will have to wait on the British Bone Marrow Registry.

"It's a great way to contribute and help save someone's life. All you have to do is give a sample of spit to get on the register, the process is so simple and easy. If you're able to do it, I would definitely encourage you to give it a try.

"The procedure is anonymous in case something goes wrong. You can find out their age and sex, but at the moment I don't know anything. After two years, you can apply to find out who they are."

Bone marrow donors need to be aged between 17 and 40 and already registered as a blood donor.

If you meet these criteria interested in signing up to the British Bone Marrow Register, visit their website for more information at: http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/bonemarrow/

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'It's amazing!' Student discovers he's a potential life-saving bone marrow match - Lincolnshire Echo