Archive for February, 2021

This article was written by Mila McManus, M.D. and it can be found on her blog at The Woodlands Institue. Dr. McManus is the A4M member of the month, as a functional medicine specialist, she practices preventive and personalized patient care and believes in a proactive approach to healthcare.

Bio-identical hormones are hormones that are near identical to the hormones our bodies produce. This is in contrast to conventional hormone replacement therapy (a.k.a HRT) which uses synthetic hormone-like drugs, such as birth control pills and other synthetic hormones used to treat menopausal symptoms in women. One might wonder why doctors would prescribe synthetic hormones when real hormones are available. The answer involves understanding patent laws. Nobody can patent things that already occur naturally, so you cant patent a palm tree, and drug companies cant patent the structure of a real hormone. Since drug companies are in the business of making money, they want to be able to protect their property with patents, so they created synthetic hormones which they could patent. These are, unfortunately, the only hormones we learn to prescribe in medical school.

Some causes of hormone imbalance include stress, sleep deprivation, vitamin deficiencies, poor dietary habits, toxins, and side effects of various medications. The list of symptoms of hormonal imbalance is long. Some symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, depressed moods, decreased mental sharpness, anxiety, PMS, post-partum depression, decreased sex drive, unexplained weight gain and inability to lose weight, low motivation, headaches, hot flashes, night sweats, and irregular menstruation.

Benefits of balancing and optimizing hormones with bio-identical hormones include improvement or resolution of the above symptoms, improvement in bone density, preservation of brain function, reduced risk for heart disease, and increased overall sense of wellbeing, to name a few. Risks are minute compared to typical HRT with synthetic hormone-like drugs. For instance, there is virtually no risk of blood clots with bio-identical progesterone, whereas synthetic progestins are well-known to heighten the risk. Its also noteworthy to say that the Womens Health Initiative Study that revealed an increase in the incidence of breast cancer was based solely on the use of synthetic hormones. Moreover, keep in mind that cancer is the result of a perfect storm of events, and hormones are a tiny piece of that puzzle. Other factors that are linked to cancer that people tend to ignore are stress, sleep deprivation, poor dietary habits, vitamin and other nutrient deficiencies, and toxins.

A wonderful thing about bio-identical hormones is the ability to have them compounded into specific doses. For instance, one person may need 5mg twice daily of progesterone, while another may need 37.5mg twice daily. We can order various doses in various forms, such as creams, pills, lozenges, injections, and pellets. Doses are fine-tuned based on the resolution of symptoms and other factors. This is not possible with most commercially-available options.

As has happened in the past, the FDA is again gearing up to issue a ban on compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy under the disguise of insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness, when it is just one of the ways the FDA and the government bolster drug monopolies and undermine natural health options. Interestingly, it is the FDA-approved synthetic hormones that are known for common side effects including headaches, breast tenderness, mood swings, fluid retention, weight gain, and loss of libido. They are also associated with an increased incidence of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blood clots to the lungs. And there are numerous and severe side effects of synthetic hormones listed in the Physicians Desk Reference.

As a functional medicine physician, I would be very saddened to see compounded bioidentical hormones banned. So please take 60 seconds to join the fight! Click this LINK to sign the petition.

On a final note, while not optimal or easily customized to patients individual needs, if bio-identical hormones are banned in the future, there will be some alternatives! There are a few bio-identical hormones that are commercially available, made possible by the drug companies patenting a delivery mechanism, for instance, such as a patch.

Link:
Why Bioidentical Hormone Therapy? - Anti Aging News

Breathing hasnt always gotten the respect it deserves. Weve always known that it keeps us alive, in an automatic and largely unthought of way, but now, we are living in a time when breath has never felt more sacredbecoming eerily significant as a respiratory virus ravages the globe. But almost concurrent with the spread of COVID, the practice of breathwork has gained momentum and entered the realm of pop culture.

The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow debuted on Netflix in late January 2020, a few weeks before the world shut down. In a popular episode highlighting Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hofs soft belly breathing and cold-resistance training for physical and psychological healing, we watched from the comfort of our couches as Goop employees plunged into a freezing-cold lake. By the time Justin Bieber called him a G on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in December 2020, and reported DM-ing with him on Instagram (as one of his 1.6 million followers), the self-proclaimed crazy Dutch man was practically a household name. Breathwork had gone mainstream, practiced by influencers and spiritual seekers alike.

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But breathwork is hardly new. A particular reverence for the breath as a conduit of life force energy goes back thousands of years in spiritual traditions and Eastern practices; breathing through the physical postures is a critical component of yoga, while counting your breaths is the backbone of certain meditative traditions. Most breathing practices come from ancient yoga traditions and are based on pranayama, which means the regulation of the breath through certain techniques and exercises, says Jay Bradley, founder of BreatheOnIt and Chakra Balms, who teaches a three-part, circular breath technique.

The draw of the practice largely comes down to the transformational potential a practice has on the mental state. Regular practitioners claim mental improvements such as overcoming depression, managing addiction, and/or having a more compassionate self-view. But even in our modern world, the spiritual component cannot be ignored. The depth of practice, experience of the practitioner, and the trust and willingness of the person are what can elevate a simple technique to a whole other level of sacred, even in a less typical-seeming, spiritual context, explains Erin Telford, a breathwork instructor who teaches a form of the practice created by David Elliott.

For the skeptics: Medicine also confirms claims of its physical benefits. There are so many studies that show deep breathing is one easy, accessible practice that can help to balance the mind and body, and reduce the stress response, says Mark Hyman, M.D., a 13-time New York Times best-selling author and the head of strategy and innovation at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. Breathwork has been shown to increase parasympathetic activity, heart rate variability, physiological flexibility, [and] is one of the greatest tools I have in my medical toolbox to help individuals manage stress, [which] has become an epidemic in our society.

Read on for everything you need to know about starting and maintaining a breathwork practice.

What is a breathwork practice?

As Shel Pink, founder of SPARITUAL and a proponent of breathwork in Slow Beauty, puts it, Breathwork can be the meditation, or breathwork can be the focus or the intention of the meditation. Put differently, Breathwork is an active meditation technique that uses breath to purge the body and nervous system of emotional debris, says ALTYR practitioner Rony Ghoraishy, a yoga and holotropic breathwork teacher. [It facilitates a] disconnection from the mind and thoughts, and a connection to the heart.

The relaxing effects of a class can be immediate, but profound cumulative effects come from turning your sessions into regular occurrences. If someone is looking to speed up their emotional healing, doing a breathing technique [for 20 to 28 minutes] every day for one to two weeks is a wonderful kick-start, advises Bradley. For maintenance, to stay centered and balanced, one to two times per week is recommended.

If you dont have a ton of time though, Erika Polsinelli, a Kundalini breathwork teacher and the founder of Evolve by Erika, explains that every little bit counts. Ideally, a 20- to 30-minute practice in the morning would be wonderful. However, even just spending three minutes each morning consciously breathing can help change the projection of your entire day. She recommends practicing in the mornings, because the brains relaxed; a sleepy state can help you achieve a meditative headspace more quickly and with fewer distractions.

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How exactly does breathwork, work?

Of the hundreds of schools of breathwork, and within them, various breath types (i.e., circular, boxed, ujjayi, breath of fire) and techniques (i.e., nostril breathing, opposite nostril breathing, mouth breathing, breath holding), the healing mechanism remains the same: the mind-body connection. In 1975, Harvard physician Herbert Benson coined the term relaxation response, the body's innate stress-countering mechanism courtesy of the parasympathetic nervous system. His research showed that you could use relaxation techniques (i.e., meditation) to quell the physiological fight-or-flight response, or stress response.

Research has shown over and over again that learning to relax is one of the most important keys to long-term health and vitality, Hyman says. That doesnt mean sipping a glass of chardonnay while watching TV or practicing retail therapy. You have to learn how to deeply relax and stimulate your vagus nerve. He explains that the vagus nerve connects to all the bodys immune cells, stem cells, organs, and tissues, and that it has the ability to turn off your stress response and activate your relaxation response, making it incredibly healing to the nervous system. Your stress response gets turned on automatically day after day. However, very few of us know how to calm this system down, [and] this is a serious health concern, because stress is very bad for your brain. Breathwork is one of the most powerful tools we have to activate the vagus nerve and improve the brain and mind-body connection.

What does a breathwork session feel like?

During a class, your breathwork teacher first guides you through the specific breathing technique in which they are trained. Once you begin breathing, they might play inspirational music, have you incorporate aromatherapy or crystal therapy into your session, and finish with a guided meditation or even Reiki healing. Breathwork can be practiced just as effectively remotely, and even alone, but the presence of an instructor is suggested to guide you through the sometimes physically and emotionally intense experience.

Ghoraishy teaches a form of holotropic breathwork consisting of a two-part inhale and one-part exhale through the mouth. In a session with her, she also pulls an Inner Compass Meditation Card to help you set an intention for the practice. Everyone remembers their first breathwork session, she says. For me, it was the emotional release, the freedom, and liberation from my thoughts, and the flooding of gratitude that brought me back to the practice again and again. She felt drastically better after each session, and found it to be so healing that she decided to get certified in order to teach the self-help tool to others. I have seen breathwork serve as an emotional release for people struggling with stress, anxiety, PTSD, and depression. Some of the most profound shifts I have seen are an overall increased mind-body connection and emotional purging, says Ghoraishy.

Speaking from experience, it can feel like your hands are vibrating. You may experience temperature changes, lightheadedness, tingling, or tetanywhere your hands temporarily spasm into a clawlike position. (The first time I experienced it, during a session with Ghoraishy, I couldnt wait to tell her. It took a few minutes before I could type or text again.)

Emotional release is also common, as unconscious emotions that have been stored in the body bubble their way up to consciousness. Subconscious thoughts, memories, insights, emotional realizations, and even creative inspiration can arise; lines of this article spontaneously came to mind in the middle of a session with Bradley. It happened after painful, lingering, psychosomatic pressure in my throat (what metaphysically minded folks would call an energy block in the throat chakra, the energy center associated with self-expression and speaking your truth) dissipatedmuch to my reliefafter 30 minutes of breathing with a kyanite crystal on my blanket, essential oil-infused ChakraBalms, and Bradley as my guide.

Many also report losing a sense of time. Once your body enters a state of deep relaxation, timelessness takes over; it reminds me of the state between wakefulness and sleep that is induced by acupuncture, a modality that always leaves me clueless as to how much time has passed or whether I have fallen asleep. After 20 to 30 minutes of breathwork, you emerge from the depths of your inner mind and shift your focus back to the environment. You feel clarity, lightness, and energized, having sent oxygen through the blood to the bodys vital organs. This, of course, is all connected to the bodys parasympathetic nervous system activity. But the experience of the relaxation response is like a miniature vacation from the stress of lifeand in this case, your breath is the only vehicle needed.

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At the core, breathwork is a stress-reduction technique that brings physical relaxation and peace of mind. Naturopathic doctor Nadia Musavvir explains, Shallow breathing (or not breathing) sends the message to the brain that you are under threat. You can interrupt this by simply taking a pause to breathe. The longer you exhale, the more the lungs can expand and send a signal to the brain that you are not in any imminent danger.

Breathwork also brings physical changes to the chemistry of the body, reducing the stress hormones like cortisol and releasing the pleasant cuddle hormone oxytocin. Alterations to your perspective, when less influenced by stress, provide you with the ability to reframe your world view more positively, while making other thought processeslike stress-exacerbating ruminationless prevalent. Breathwork has helped me break old patterns and recurring thoughts, breathwork facilitator Nadia Josse, who also works in the luxury fashion industry, tells us. I made peace with some childhood traumas that were impacting my daily life. (As Dr. Hyman points out, trauma is kept in both the mind and body, which is why, he says, mind-body healing modalities can bring around long-term healing.)

Of her journey to breathwork, Josse says, I found breathwork first a few years ago. I dont think I was prepared to have such an intense experience at that time. After exploring breathing techniques during yoga, and even the Wim Hof Method, she resonated with the technique taught through Lara Elliott, and then Erin Telford. Every time I would go back to the breath, I would have an intense experience, sometimes even a breakthrough, says Josse. You feel the effects during the session but also afterbehaviors change, you start seeing the world differently without the lenses of your conditioning and traumas. Of course, this is all if you desire to do the work and change for the better.

Users also report a better relationship to themselves; a healthier, more harmonious, compassionate experience within their minds as they tune in and observe their inner processes. The biggest impact that breathwork has had on my life is that it has magnified my sense of self-love and self-acceptance, says Bradley. I was always my worst critic and had a pretty judgmental view of myself. I now treat myself with gentleness, kindness, and support. Bradley describes a past of suffering from depression and how, over time, his practice allowed him to separate from his depression experientially, becoming more of an observer. [Now], I watch my pain with less attachment, helping me to remain calm, balanced, and centered, even in the midst of high-stress situations, he says.

This ability to access mindful equanimity can help to promote emotional stability and create inner peace. Many people are still struggling with feeling safe and at home in their bodies and with their emotions, explains Telford. This practice allows you to learn how to be with yourself and the many ebbs and flows of the human experience. It connects you to the part of you that already knows, the part of you that holds embodied truths and wisdoms.

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As research verifies what we already know about the adverse mental health consequences of 2020, the isolation of our socially distant lifestyles makes individualized, self-directed practices like breathwork uniquely suited for our new normal. The ability to induce the bodys sense of calm imparts a sense of self-mastery that can help to restore the locus of controlsomething that we need during times of uncertainty. The flexibility of breathwork lies in how it can be practiced alone or remotely; even if you choose to have a session with a teacher, you can easily complete it over Zoom. And like anything that goes mainstream, the presence of breathwork in pop culture makes it feel relatable and relevant.

A growing need for meaningful relief has been met by the booming wellness industry. Camrin Agin, who founded ALTYR to make wellness practices accessible, considered the intricacies of the market when it came to selecting her offerings and found that breathwork warranted a place in her menu of services. Whats interesting about wellness is that it can be a very active, conscious endeavor just as much as it can be a passive, unconscious one, Agrin says. Meditation, breathwork, and readings all fall into the former category, while Reiki, sound baths, and yoga nidra fall into the latter. Sometimes its important to take charge of our own bodies, while other times, its important to have another audit them for us.

The varied experiences afforded by breathwork can be seen as the public embracing the grounding return to the present moment, where we can face and cope with heightened stress (which often takes us to the future or to revisit the past) as we move forward into an uncertain future. To me, the popularity of breathwork in the mainstream means that we have reached a new level of readiness in the collective to face our shadows, to learn to trust our bodies and our intuition again, and to heal more deeply, Telford says.

For many, the heart of the matter is the need to feel okay againand breathwork is proving itself a popular and effective means for trying to do so. The quality of our breath is what connects us to our lives, says Pink. When my breathing is deeper, I feel more connected in the present, calmer, and life feels more meaningful and purposeful.

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Breathwork Has Gone Mainstream During the COVID Era - HarpersBAZAAR.com

By Karina Shah

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Sperm have one goal to reach the egg and fertilise it and it seems that some mouse sperm cells carrying a certain genetic mutation may boost their chances of doing so by sabotaging their rivals.

Bernhard Herrmann at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany, and his colleagues analysed sperm samples from mice. They found that sperm from some mice, carrying a genetic variant called the t haplotype, move faster and swim in straight lines. Other sperm without this variant from the same mice swim less productively, often moving slower and in circles.

Previous research has shown that mice with two copies the t haplotype genetic variant are more likely to be infertile, but this new study suggests that males with one copy of the genetic variant produce these t haplotype sperm cells that are more motile than those without.

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This t haplotype genetic variant is a selfish genetic element, because it can increase its likelihood of being passed on to offspring to higher than the usual odds of 50 per cent, and now Hermann and his team have figured out how these sperm gain their advantage.

The sperm cells carrying one t haplotype variant produce certain molecules that are able to disturb other sperm cells. The gene variants make it difficult for the rival sperm cells to interact with their environment, blocking various cell signalling molecules that normally provide the sperm with a sense of direction. Although the t haplotype sperm cells were more motile as a result of this competitive edge, the researchers did not test their ability to fertilise an egg.

The team also found a link between sperm success and an important protein in the body called RAC1, which plays a role in general cell movement and directs the sperm cell towards the egg. The levels of RAC1 in the body have to be just right too high or too low and the sperm cells wont move straight.

Sperm immotility is a big deal in male infertility, says Herrmann. Investigating the levels of this protein in human samples could help to develop treatments for infertility in men, he says.

Journal reference: PLOS Genetics, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009308

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Some mouse sperm try to sabotage rivals in race to fertilise the egg - New Scientist News

BERLIN, Germany The biological race between sperm to reach an egg is a fierce and competitive process. Now, researchers in Germany say they have discovered which protein gives sperm the winning edge. Their study finds a molecular switch in sperm could also allow men to turn their fertility on and off.

Experiments on mice find the winner carries a set of toxic mutations that poison rival sperm. Researchers say a genetic factor called t-haplotype promotes the success of the sperm carrying it. They are also fueled by a protein called RAC1, the molecular switch that propels sperm forward.

Sperm with this protein move faster than their peers, establishing an advantage in who reaches the egg first. The findings are expected to apply to humans as well. It could lead to a pill that boosts fertility in men, or a male oral contraceptive.

It would target this chemical, boosting or lowering levels. However, too much may cause male infertility. On average a man produces between 80 and 300 million sperm each time he ejaculates. Despite that, more than 60 percent of fertility issues are related to poor sperm, so its important to keep them healthy.

Sperm with the t-haplotype manage to disable sperm without it, says corresponding author Bernhard Herrmann of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in a university release.

The trick is that the thaplotype poisons all sperm, but at the same time produces an antidote, which acts only in t-sperm and protects them. Imagine a marathon, in which all participants get poisoned drinking water, but some runners also take an antidote.

The study finds some of the genes carry mutations that distort regulatory signals, which then get distributed to all the sperm. These are the poison that disturbs progressive movement. The antidote comes into action after the set of chromosomes are split evenly between sperm during maturation, with each cell now containing only half.

Only those with the t-haplotype produce an additional factor that reverses the negative effect. Optimal amounts of RAC1 improve the competitiveness of individual sperm, offering fresh hope of combating male infertility.

It is literally a race for life when millions of sperm swim towards egg cells to fertilize them. Herrmann and colleagues described t-haplotype as a selfish and naturally occurring segment of DNA. It breaks the standard rules of genetic inheritance and awards a success rate of up to 99 percent to sperm cells containing it.

Analysis of individual sperm revealed most made only little progress on their paths and were genetically normal. On the other hand, straight moving sperm contained the t-haplotype. Crucially, RAC1 was identified as the key to differences in motility. It transmits signals from outside the cell to the inside by activating other proteins. RAC1 also directs sperm cells towards the egg, sniffing their way to the target.

The competitiveness of individual sperm seems to depend on an optimal level of active RAC1; both reduced or excessive RAC1 activity interferes with effective forward movement, first author Alexandra Amaral adds.

When the researchers treated the mixed population of sperm with a substance that inhibits RAC1, genetically normal sperm could now swim progressively. The advantage of t-sperm disappeared. The results explain why mice with two copies of the t-haplotype, one on each of the two chromosomes 17, are sterile.

They produce only sperm that carry the t-haplotype. These cells have much higher levels of active RAC1 than sperm from genetically normal mice. However, sperm from normal mice treated with the RAC1 inhibitor also lost their ability to move progressively. In other words, too little RAC1 activity is also disadvantageous. The researchers believe abnormal RAC1 activity might also be the underlying problem in forms of human infertility among men.

Our data highlight the fact that sperm cells are ruthless competitors, Herrmann says.

Furthermore, the example of the t-haplotype demonstrates how some genes use somewhat dirty tricks to get passed on.

Genetic differences can give individual sperm an advantage in the race for life, thus promoting the transmission of particular gene variants to the next generation.

The groundbreaking study appears in the journal PLoS Genetics.

SWNS writer Mark Waghorn contributed to this report.

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Sperm switch would allow men to turn their fertility on and off - Study Finds

A former friend once told me that she would never date a Black man because she finds dark skin unattractive. She is white. While I was not surprised by her statement, I nonetheless felt uncomfortable and frustrated. This was not the first time I encountered blatantly racist ideas about attractiveness, nor are such beliefs novel to many Black people and people of color, more broadly.

Racism is oddly tolerated in the dating realm, allowing racist beliefs to be passed off as innocuous preferences. However, such preferences mandate myopically believing in white-centric standards of beauty and lumping together people of color based on racist stereotypes.

Take the trend shown in the Tiktok video below as a microcosmic representation of this problem. The video starts with a white man pointing to the camera with the caption, Look its the dude who think black girls attractive. Seven other men (including Black men) responded to the video by recording themselves turning and looking over their shoulder, indicating that they do not find Black women attractive. This particular version ends with a different white man, @btcm_abbc, crossing his arms and leaning back against a table, indicating that he does think Black women are attractive. He says, What about it?

(Note that @btcm_abbc does not objectify or hypersexualize Black women. This would have been fetishization, which I talk about later.)

Not degrading Black women should be the bare minimum, yet here we are. Although users declare their preferences very casually, racism ultimately drives the belief that Black women are unattractive.

Race is a social construct not grounded in genetics. When early racial theorists/white supremacists invented race and used it to justify slavery and colonialism, they lauded whiteness as exceptionally attractive.

Building the myth of white supremacy also mandated the fabrication of stereotypes about appearance. However, no physical trait or set of traits is unique to or accurately describes an entire racial group.

While American beauty standards have somewhat evolved to be more inclusive, colorism is still rampant inside and outside of Black, Latinx, and Asian American communities; natural hairstyles are still widely regarded as unprofessional or dirty (unless the wearer is not Black); and representation of people of color in mainstream media is seriously lacking. This all stems, in part, from Western societies mobilizing a racialized definition of beauty and framing whiteness as a default state of being.

Blind adherence to the idea that proximity to whiteness equates to beauty fails to acknowledge that standards of beauty have to be created and sold, just like the racist beliefs that shape them. Therefore, racial preferences based on physical attributes are neither harmless or arbitrary: they are racist. Such beliefs ultimately result from internalizing, and thus perpetuating, overt or covert messaging that whiteness is superior.

This messaging also contributes to beliefs about personality based on race. If someone arrives at the conclusion that x group of people is un/attractive because they lack/possess y personality trait, they are dehumanizing and racially stereotyping members of that group. This includes stereotypes frequently used to justify not preferring members of certain racial groups (such as the stereotypes that Black women are too loud and Asian men are effeminate), as well as stereotypes that lead to preferring members of certain groups.

Stereotypes that rely on exoticizing and hypersexualizing people of color lead to fetishization, a sexual obsession fueled by objectification. Fetishization of Black men and women represents one example. The medias obsession with the Spicy Latina represents another. Still one more is yellow fever, the fetishization of Asian people.

Yellow fever originates from popular Western portrayals of Asian women as submissive, passive, and exotic that proliferated during the 19th century. These stereotypes have persisted and since merged with the model minority myth, contributing to the fetishization of Asian women among the white supremacists of the alt-right. Obsession with male K-pop idols and their soft masculinity has contributed to the fetishization of Asian men as well.

@_itsjing lists real messages she has received from men who have yellow fever.

Fetishizing someone is not a compliment. Yellow fever fails to recognize the individuality, personality, and humanity of Asian people, instead reducing them down into the same monolithic caricature on the basis of their race.

@sourandnasty talks about a related problem: the idea that someone would only be attracted to Asian people if they have yellow fever.

Think about which traits are attractive to you. Do you want a partner who has a good sense of humor? Someone who is kind and compassionate? Flirty? Thoughtful? Loyal? Would you avoid someone who is rude? Dishonest? A bad listener? These are human traits that have nothing to do with race. Someone saying that they do/do not prefer members of a certain race based on their having/lacking those traits is simply absurd.

The video below demonstrates this: in it, @mmdvg40 acts as himself and a potential romantic interest (played by him with a paper towel on his head). The romantic interest describes various traits she finds attractive, such as a sense of humor and a taste for indie music, all of which @mmdvg40 possesses. However, he eventually figures out that she has a bias against Black men, despite claiming to be not racist.

Across the political spectrum, those who pride themselves on being anti-racist (or at least emphatically claim that they are not racist) sometimes fail to engage with how their beliefs have been shaped by systems and messaging intended to perpetuate racial inequality.

In the video below, @ambermorman46 and a co-TikToker say, Were we really ugly, or did we just go to a predominantly white school? Anyways. The point is that whiteness is not the pinnacle of beauty despite the racist spaces and beliefs that promote it as such.

Too often at institutions like Princeton and beyond, the euphemizing language of preference is used to conceal beliefs that result from failure to question and willingness to embrace the tenets of white supremacy deeply embedded into Western societies. An ignorant conception of beauty centered on whiteness and characterized by stereotypes perpetuates racism, regardless of how insistently someone maintains that their preferences are not racist.

Brittani Telfair is a junior from Richmond, Va. majoring in SPIA and pursuing a certificate in African American Studies. She can be reached at btelfair@princeton.edu.

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Decolonize dating: a Tiktok essay - The Princetonian - The Daily Princetonian

When sperm race, it's for keeps. So it comes as little surprise that in some species, the competition over who reaches the egg first can get a little dirty.

A variant in mice genes has been found to give sperm that possess it a clear advantage by poisoning its peers while they're still in development, robbing them of their ability to efficiently sniff their way towards the egg.

In a rather karmic twist, a race consisting only of would-be assassins would be a complete disaster, with researchers finding the genetic variant risks overdosing on its own killer cocktail unless the race is balanced out by its victims.

Geneticists from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin uncovered this rather unique 'cheat code' in mice sperm while investigating the mechanisms male sex cells use to direct their way through the female reproductive system.

"Our data highlight the fact that sperm cells are ruthless competitors," says institute director Bernhard Herrmann.

"Genetic differences can give individual sperm an advantage in the race for life, thus promoting the transmission of particular gene variants to the next generation."

They found a Rho protein switch called RAC1 plays an integral role in keeping sperm on the straight and narrow. Mess this regulator up and sperm will stagger about like it's heading home after closing time on cheap-drinks Tuesday.

But apparently evolution has this all worked out. According to the researchers, a variation in the coding of sequences on chromosome 17 seems to do just this, churning out a product that throws a spanner in the works of RAC1.

This region called a t-variant isn't new to science. In fact this stretch of DNA has stood out as an oddity in Mendelian genetics for close to a century.

Mice heterozygous for the trait (having one t-variant chromosome 17, and a partner chromosome with 'normal' coding) don't father the expected 50-50 ratio of offspring you'd expect. The odds of one of their offspring being born without the t-variant, in fact, are one in a hundred.

Yet if they happen to be homozygous for it with both versions of chromosome 17 containing this aberrant coding then they can kiss fatherhood goodbye. They're completely sterile.

With all of this in mind, the researchers have teased apart exactly what's going on inside those tiny mice testicles by genotyping individual sperm and assessing their motility patterns.

Early in gamete production, inside sperm precursor cells that contain both the t-variant chromosome and a more normal version, the toxic t-coding interferes with the development of RAC1, effectively disabling it.

Once the precursor cells eventually split into their sperm forms, however, they undergo the process of meiosis, divvying up the chromosomes so each sperm only has one of each pair.

This means some sperm now have a t-variant chromosome, and others don't. Here's the truly clever part the t-variants also produce their own remedy, rescuing RAC1 from harm by expressing a special regulating protein.

"Imagine a marathon, in which all participants get poisoned drinking water, but some runners also take an antidote," says Herrmann.

That antidote works well in small enough doses. Unfortunately, an abundance of RAC1 is just as bad as a shortfall. In a marathon packed with poisoners all churning out antidotes, the racers will soon be burdened by excess RAC1.

"The competitiveness of individual sperm seems to depend on an optimal level of active RAC1; both reduced or excessive RAC1 activity interferes with effective forward movement," says the study's lead author Alexandra Amaral.

It's the first time experiments have demonstrated exactly how heterozygous t-variant mice gain an advantage, while affirming the biochemistry of RAC1 in mammalian sperm navigation.

Being observed in mice, the research only has limited relevance to human reproduction. But the more we understand about diverse models of reproductive chemistry across the animal kingdom, the better we understand how ours evolved.

This research was published in PLOS One.

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In a Weird Twist, Sperm Have Been Caught Poisoning Other Sperm to Get Ahead in Mice - ScienceAlert

"Providing end-to-end care is good, but we think an end-to-never-end community is better."

"When women think of their physical, mental and emotional health, I want Mammogen to be the first, second, and third thing that comes to mind," said Ms. Cormier-May. "Mammogen is working to detect earlier, diagnose easier, treat better, and to support all women throughout the life-long battle that comes with survivorship. Providing end-to-end care is good, but we think an end-to-never-end community is better."

Mammogen's core technology is a non-invasive screening solution intended for all women, but particularly for the under-40 population who aren't eligible for annual mammography and the 55+ population who are only recommended for mammography every other year. "Mammogen's technology will provide regular and reliable screening and diagnostic tools for tens of millions of women who are grossly underserved by current standards of care," said the incoming CEO. "I am extremely excited to build off of Mammogen's strong scientific foundation and speed this innovation to market, so that we can get more women screened earlier and arm clinicians with actionable insights about their patients."

Ms. Cormier-May brings vast experience within medicinal chemistry, genetics, and both companion and molecular diagnostics while working with companies including Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Myriad Genetics, Qiagen, and Predictive Biosciences. Elizabeth built her career launching and selling diagnostic tests into the women's health, oncology and urology markets. During her tenure as Head of Commercial Operations at Exosome Dx (acquired by Bio-Techne), Elizabeth was responsible for building the infrastructure and defining the launch of the company's flagship diagnostic, ExoDx Prostate(IntelliScore).

"I am humbled by the fact that of all the opportunities in this space, Elizabeth chose Mammogen," stated company Founder and Chairman, Marty Keiser. "Denise (DeeDee) DeMan, the founder and CEO of Bench International, immediately connected with my passion for improving women's health and my vision to build Mammogen as a women-led organization. DeeDee not only brought us a top CEO, but she has also joined our board of directors, bringing extensive experience and connections in the life science community that will continue to add value at every stage of growth for Mammogen."

Mammogen is one of three joint venture companies established between IV BioHoldings (IVBH), a bio innovation studio founded by Keiser, and leadinghealthcare analytics provider, Liquid Biosciences. "When Marty first told me of his plans to apply his unique approach to venture creation to women's health, including finding ways to offer underserved women access to innovative technologies, it was obvious that people would be one of his greatest assets," said Ms. DeMan. "When you combine Elizabeth's experience in liquid biopsies and early-stage diagnostics, her track record in unlocking value for patients, payers and stakeholders, and her courageous and ambitious spirit, there is no question that we found the perfect person to build Mammogen into an industry leader in women's health."

About Mammogen

Mammogen is a female-led biotechnology company focused onmeaningfully improving the detection, diagnosis and treatment of women's health-related diseases, and creating an end-to-never-end community for women around the world. Mammogen's flagship product is a liquid biopsy test that measures novel circulating messenger RNA (mRNA) biomarkers required for the non-invasive detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. The non-invasive test is positioned to unlock regular and reliable screening for millions of women around the world and eliminate many unnecessary biopsy procedures. The company's proprietary multi-gene expression signature for breast cancer detection has been extensively validated in blood, as well as saliva, and has shown statistical significance towards providing measurable improvement upon current standards of care. Mammogen's product pipeline consists of an array of non-invasive prognostics and diagnostics for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis and other diseases that affect some-, mostly-, or only-women. For more information visit http://www.mammogen.bio.

About Bench International

Bench International is the oldest woman-founded executive search firm serving the Life Science and Healthcare sectors. The firm is also one of the most renowned experts in diversity recruitment at the board and executive level, as well as in R&D leadership. Bench's scorecard reflects over $150 billion in successful client exits, a 98% project completion record, with a 75% retention for five or more years. 33% of all leaders placed in Bench's 45+ year history have been gender and ethnically diverse. With headquarters in San Diego, California, and satellite offices in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Bench is One Global Team, No Borders, No Boundaries and One Global Budget, thus mitigating internally competitive offices. For more information visitwww.benchinternational.com.

About IV BioHoldings

IV BioHoldings (IVBH) is an innovation studio that specializes in de novo company creation exclusively within life sciences. The IVBH studio takes a multi-disciplinary approach to building companies; cross-pollinating ideas and experience across a variety of industries, breaking down silos, upending the healthcare R&D process, and rethinking the startup model. The studio uses advanced analytical science to provide greater insight into human biology and radically improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The current IVBH ecosystem comprises three transformative bio startups, including LiquidLung, HepGene and Mammogen, focused on pulmonary disease, metabolic disease, and women's health, respectively. For more information visit http://www.ivbh.studio.

About Liquid Biosciences

Liquid Biosciences (LBS) radically reduces diagnostic and drug development risk, time, and cost, from pre-clinical research through regulatory approval. LBS' Emerge bio-analytics platform agnostically discovers and models the nonlinear dynamics of how biology, behavior, and circumstances interact to drive patient outcomes. Our mathematical evolution technology goes beyond artificial intelligence's capabilities, and has produced superior accuracy, novel insights, and explainability in every head-to-head comparison with other analytic methods. Liquid Biosciences' clients are major biopharma firms, diagnostic companies, and world-class research institutions. We've completed over 165 major analytic projects across 44 diseases, using the full spectrum of clinical trial, real-world, and multi-omics biomarker data. For more information about Liquid Biosciences visit http://www.liquidbiosciences.com.

CONTACT: [emailprotected]

SOURCE Mammogen

http://www.mammogen.bio

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Veteran Biotechnology Executive Elizabeth Cormier-May Recruited to Lead Women's Health Startup Mammogen Inc. - PRNewswire

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Feb. 5) ratified two faculty positions, approved three new degree programs and awarded a posthumous bachelors degree. Trustees also issued resolutions of appreciation for friends of the university.

The ratified faculty positions are Barry Pittendrigh as the John V. Osmun Chair in Urban Entomology and Margo Monteith as a Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences, both on the West Lafayette campus.

Pittendrigh rejoined the Purdue faculty as a tenured full professor of entomology in January, returning to West Lafayette from Michigan State University. His research spans many aspects of insect toxicology, genomics and entomology and has made an impact on insect theoretical genetics, ecology and molecular biology. Pittendrigh previously served as an assistant and associate professor at Purdue from 2000-08, during which time he led the Indiana Center for Insect Genomics and the body louse genome project, an NIH-funded collaboration of over 60 labs. After Purdue, he moved on to the University of Illinois and Michigan State, where he held endowed and named professorships, respectively. He has received over $30 million in grant funding, including two grants in excess of $10 million, and has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications. Pittendrigh leads an innovative program in outreach and public education focused on multilingual tools, and boasts a strong track record as an educator and a student mentor.

Monteith is an internationally renowned expert on diversity, inclusion, stereotyping and prejudice reduction who has served as a full professor at Purdue since 2006. Her pioneering research has investigated the self-regulation of prejudice, strategies and processes of change in implicit stereotyping and prejudice, and effective strategies for confronting prejudice. She has translated her theory to practice by developing interventions to reduce behavioral manifestation of biases and to improve the sense of belonging among marginalized groups. Her research is consistently published in the highest impact journals in her field, and she serves as editor-in-chief of Social Psychological and Personality Science. She also has served on executive committees of professional societies and as president of the Midwestern Psychological Association. She is a Fellow of five professional organizations and has received numerous grants to address pressing social issues, including female underrepresentation in positions of power and leadership, the implications of diversity and inclusion for science and society, and student inclusion on the college campus. Monteith received the College of Health and Human Sciences Research Career Achievement Award in 2019.

In other action, the board approved three new degree programs: Online Master of Nuclear Engineering on the West Lafayette campus, and Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, and Masters Degree in Music Therapy, both on the Fort Wayne campus beginning in fall 2021. Trustees also approved the restructuring of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Professional Studies at Fort Wayne.

The Online Master of Nuclear Engineering degree is designed for working engineers and professionals to advance their skills without disrupting their careers, offering flexible plans of study with a format that allows students to study from their location. The School of Nuclear Engineering joins several other schools in the Purdue College of Engineering that offer online masters degree programs, including Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice will allow Purdue Fort Wayne to respond to increased student interest in this important area. The degree is designed to prepare students to work in the major areas of criminal justice including policing, courts and corrections.

The Masters Degree in Music Therapy will prepare students academically and clinically for board certification as a music therapist through the Certification Board for Music Therapists and for entry into the health care field as a clinical music therapist with advanced level clinical skills. Employers are increasingly showing preference for music therapists with a masters degree when hiring.

The restructuring at Fort Wayne results in an academic organization aligned with the separate colleges of science, colleges of liberal arts, and colleges of education at Purdue West Lafayette. The creation of the College of Liberal Arts and College of Science, as well as the elimination of the College of Professional Studies at Purdue Fort Wayne, will result in a structure that students will more easily identify with and that is more robust for future growth and engagement with corporate and community partners.

Trustees awarded a posthumous Bachelor of Science degree in computer graphics technology from Purdue Polytechnic New Albany to Amber Simler. Deceased students who have earned at least 85% of their credit-hour requirements and satisfied most of the requirements for a major may be nominated for a posthumous degree.

Additionally, the board approved resolutions of appreciation for retiring Purdue director of audits Peggy L. Fish and for those who recently contributed $1 million or more to the university. Appreciation goes to David and Bonnie Brunner, to support College of Veterinary Medicine; Joanne Troutner, to support Purdue University, Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, Purdue Research Foundation, the College of Agriculture, College of Liberal Arts, College of Veterinary Medicine, Convocations and Intercollegiate Athletics; William Phillips, to support the College of Science; Suzanne Robertson, to support the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; David Burow and Suzanne Sweeney, to support the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Valerie McKinney, to support the School of Management; Alexander and Helena Galezewski, to support Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation; Michael and Carol Sohn; to support Purdue Bands & Orchestras and the College of Engineering; the estate of Jon Taenzer, to support the College of Science; and one anonymous gift, to support the College of Health and Human Sciences.

In recognizing these donors, trustees further approved the naming of the forthcoming David and Bonnie Brunner Purdue Veterinary Medical Hospital Complex. The board also approved the naming of Dr. Jon C. Taenzer Floor in the Chaney-Hale Hall of Science. Taenzer received his Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1964.

As construction and fund-raising continues for Marc and Sharon Hagle Hall, trustees approved an increase to the authorized budget for the facility from $20 million to $22 million. The project cost is entirely covered by gift funds.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap atpurdue.edu.

Sources: Jay Akridge, akridge@purdue.edu

Chris Ruhl, ruhlc@purdue.edu

Mike Cline, mbcline@purdue.edu

April Heady, ADHeaddy@prf.org

Barry Pittendrigh, pittendr@purdue.edu

Margo Monteith, mmonteit@purdue.edu

Journalists visiting campus: Journalists should followProtect Purdue protocolsandthe followingguidelines:

Originally posted here:
Purdue trustees ratify faculty positions, approve new degree programs, award posthumous degree, honor friends of the university - Purdue News Service

Gabbi Tuft was formerly known as Tyler Reks while she was a WWE Superstar. A press release was sent out today from Extra TV regarding Gabbi making her long-awaited gender reveal that she is a woman.

Despite his successes during and after hisWWEcareer, Gabe was still wrestling with a secret persona dwelling deep within him, the press release reads. This is a persona he has been hiding in the loud silence of his soul since childhood. Finally, with the blessing of his loving wife Priscilla, Gabe is ready to reveal who he really is. He is now known as She: A beautiful, wise, witty and wonderful woman called Gabbi.

More on Gabbis story will air tomorrow on Extra TV.

This is a story that wrestling and other sports fans, friends and followers must not miss, especially many in theLGBTQcommunity dealing with challenging transgender issues, who Gabbi and Priscilla are willing to help.Airing exclusively on Extraon Friday, Feb.5, 2021.Tune in to your local listingfor this exclusive story.

Gabbi Tufts social media profiles have been counting down to todays announcement:

Gabbi has similar posts going back several days on her account.

Tyler Reks started with WWE in 2007 and asked for her release in 2012. She retired from wrestling although would later team with Curt Hawkins in 2014 on the indie scene for a brief period.

Reks is a former FCW Champion, 2x FCW tag-team champion (1x w/ John Morrions, 1x w/ Curtis Axel).

Read more:
Former WWE Star Tyler Reks Reveals She Is A Woman Named Gabbi Tuft - SEScoops

Introduction

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental illness with complicated clinical symptoms. The disease is characterized by intrusive unwanted thoughts and repetitive behavior. The lifetime prevalence of patients is between 1% and 3%, and it is listed as one of the ten most disabling diseases in the world by the World Health Organization (WHO).1,2 OCD is often accompanied by other mental illnesses, such as Tourettes syndrome or eating disorders, which makes treatment more difficult.3,4

More and more evidences show that the glutamatergic system plays an important role in the etiology and subsequent treatment of OCD.5 Imaging and biological studies have shown that glutamate dysregulated neurotransmission in special parts of the brain leads to the appearance of OCD symptoms.6 According to multiple independent family-based association studies and a case-control analysis, the SLC1A1 gene is closely related to the occurrence of OCD.79 Studies have pointed out that compared with the control group, the concentration of glutamate in the cerebrospinal fluid of OCD patients is higher.10 And the abnormal glutamatergic transmission in the cortex-striatum-thalamus-cortex (CSTC) circuit plays a certain role in the pathogenesis of OCD.11 In addition, it has been observed that children with OCD a decreased amount of glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex. In the brain regions of patients with OCD, the level of glutamate receptors is also modified. It has been reported that serotonin can affect dopaminergic activity indirectly through the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems.12 It has been reported that serotonin can influence dopaminergic activity indirectly through the glutamatergic and GABA-ergic systems.13

SLC1A1 is located on chromosome 9p24, which is expressed in brain regions related to OCD,14 including the cerebral cortex, striatum, and thalamus.15 As research into the hereditary pattern of OCD increases, the role of the glutamate transporter gene SLC1A1 in the pathogenesis of the disease has attracted attention.9,1618 The glutamate transporter EAAC1 (EAAT3) is a crucial transporter for mammals. Approximately 3040% of synapses in the mammalian brain are affected by EAAC1, which is encoded by SLC1A1 gene.19 Bellini et al found that mice lacking EAAC1 showed increased anxiety-like and disrupted grooming behaviors, and then they identify new molecular mechanisms by which EAAC1 can shape glutamatergic and dopaminergic signals and control repeated movement execution.20 An important function of EAAC1 is to stop the postsynaptic effects of glutamate as well as to regulate extrasynaptic glutamate levels, thus limiting the activation of extra-synaptic neurotransmitter receptors by rapidly removing released glutamate from the synaptic cleft and so alleviating subsequent excitotoxicity. EAAC1 enables excitatory transmission between synapses to function correctly. The SLC1A1 gene polymorphisms may be factors which contribute to glutamate dysfunction in cases of OCD.

It has been speculated that genetic variation within or near the SLC1A1 gene is associated with OCD in the Chinese Han population. OCD is a complex disease, in which patients with early-onset OCD and patients with late-onset OCD have different genetic foundations and clinical symptoms, which makes their treatment results often different. We classified the onset-age <18 as early-onset and the onset-age18 as late-onset in the present study. We aimed to provide basic evidence for SLC1A1 as a candidate gene for the etiology of OCD in this population. A total of 438 OCD patients and 465 healthy controls were genotyped, and four SNPs (rs10491734, rs3780412, rs301434 and rs3087879) were selected to validate our hypothesis.

A total of 438 OCD patients (mean age, 29.2713.96 years) and 465 controls (mean age, 28.779.25 years) from the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College Qingdao University participated in this study. All subjects provided written informed consent, children in the present study were written and provided by their guardians. The OCD patient group included 260 male patients and 178 female patients, while the control group comprised 276 male subjects and 189 female subjects. We diagnosed patients according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) and Obsessive compulsive symptoms of participants were assessed through the YaleBrown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Checklist (YBOCS-CL),21 indicating that all patients were severely affected (26.724.43). YBOCS severity scale scores range from 0 to 40, with a score 16, indicating clinically significant symptoms. A score of16 on the YBOCS severity scale was required for inclusion in this study. Subjects with a diagnosis, according to DSM-IV, of schizophrenia, recurrent major depression, bipolar disorder, mental retardation, alcohol or other substance abuse within the last 6 months or a history of psychosurgery, encephalitis, or significant head trauma were excluded. Subjects showing slight OCD symptoms with serious comorbidity symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and tic, were also excluded. Subjects refusing to participate or permit the extraction of venous blood were excluded.

Healthy control (n=465) subjects were recruited from the Center of Health Examination of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College. All controls were included after being interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies22 and Family Interview for Genetic Studies (assessing first-degree relatives of control families according to the reports of controls) to confirm the absence of both personal and familial history of OCD and other psychiatric disorders. Two experienced psychiatrists conducted a MINI for each member of the control samples to ensure that none of the controls suffered from any psychiatric disorders before beginning the current study.

The protocol of this study conformed to the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved through the Ethics Committees of Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College. All subjects provided written informed consent. In particular, the informed consent for children in the present study was written and provided by their guardians.

Genomic DNA was extracted from leukocytes in the peripheral blood using standard methods. DNA amplification was conducted using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The following PCR primer sequences were used: rs301434 forward, 5-ACGTTGGATGGCCCTGAAAAATCCCTTGAC-3, and rs301434 reverse, 5-ACGTTGGATGCAAGGGCAAGGACTTGTCTC-3; rs3780412 forward, 5-ACGTTGGATGAGCCCCCACAAAATACTCTG-3, and rs3780412 reverse, 5-ACGTTGGATGGAAGAGGTTTTATGTTTGTC-3; rs10491734 forward, 5-ACGTTGGATGGGAGACTTTGACTTTGCCAC-3, and rs10491734 reverse, 5-ACGTTGGATGCTTTTTGTTTCTGAATGCCC-3; rs3087879 forward, 5-ACGTTGGATGTGCAGAGTAAATCCCACGAC-3, and rs3087879 reverse, 5- ACGTTGGATGGGAGGAGACAAGAGTCATAG-3. PCR was performed in a final volume of 5 L containing 1 L of genomic DNA, 0.95 L of H2O, 0.625 L of PCR Buffer (10), 0.325 L of Mg Cl2 (25 mM), 1 L of dNTP (2.5 mM each), 1 L of primer, and 0.1 L of HotStarTaq DNA Polymerase (5 U/L). The following cycling conditions were used: initial denaturation at 94C for 15 min, followed by 45 cycles at 94C for 20 s, 56C for 30 s, and 72C for 1 min, with a final extension at 72C for 3 min and storage at 4C. Subsequently, we added the SAP reaction mix (final volume of 2 L), containing 1.53 L of H2O, 0.17 L of SAP Buffer (10), and 0.3 L of SAP enzyme (1 U/L), to the PCR product. The reaction was initiated at 37C for 40 min, followed by incubation at 85C for 5 min. The reaction was maintained at 4C. iPlex reagent (Sequenom, San Diego, CA) (final volume of 2 L, containing 0.755 L of H2O, 0.2 L of iPlex Buffer (10), 0.2 L of iPlex Termination mix, and 0.041 L of iPlex enzyme) was then added to the reaction product. The following cycling conditions were used: 94C for 30 s, followed by 40 cycles at 94C for 5 s, five cycles at 52C for 5 s, and 80C for 5 s, with a final extension at 72C for 3 min and storage at 4C.

Following purification, the reaction product was analyzed using MassARRAY SpectroCHIP (Sequenom, San Diego, CA). SNPs were detected with a MassARRAY Compact Analyzer (Sequenom, San Diego, CA). Results were analyzed using TYPER software (Sequenom, San Diego, CA) and genotyping data were obtained. Detection accuracy was 99.6%. SNP genotyping was performed at Shanghai Benegene Biotechnologies Co. Ltd., and data analysis was conducted using SPSS software (version 17.0 for Windows; SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Age comparisons between the OCD and control groups were made with a t-test. Allelic, genotypic and haplotype frequencies between OCD participants and controls, as well as to estimate the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were established by SHEsis software (http://analysis.bio-x.cn).23

No deviation of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found in the distribution of the four SNPs among OCD and control groups (P>0.05). We found significant differences in genotype frequencies of rs301434 between all OCD and control groups, while there were significant differences in genotype frequency of rs301434 between early-onset OCD and control groups, late-onset OCD and control groups as well as male OCD and control groups (total 2=9.948, P=0.007; male 2=8.766, P=0.013; female 2=2.331, P=0.311; early-onset 2=8.982, P=0.011; late-onset 2=8.839, P=0.012).

We also found that genotype and allele frequencies of rs3780412 were statistically significant for the late-onset OCD and control groups (genotype 2=7.196, P=0.027; allele 2=5.575, P=0.018). However, we found that genotype and allele frequencies of rs10491734 and rs3087879 were not statistically significant for OCD or control groups.

Four loci haplotypes (rs10491734-rs3780412-rs301434-rs3087879) were found to be associated with OCD. Haplotypes G-A-A-G and G-G-A-G were statistically significant for all OCD and control groups (P=0.033 and 0.030, respectively). Haplotype G-A-G-G was associated with the male OCD group (P=0.010), while G-G-A-G was associated with the female OCD group (P=0.039). Finally, we found that G-A-A-G, G-G-A-G were associated with the late-onset OCD groups (P=0.019 and 0.050, respectively). In addition, our use of haplotype analysis showed that G-A-G-G is a risk factor for male OCD (OR = 1.737, 95% CI: 1.1342.660), while G-G-A-G is a risk factor for total (OR = 1.412, 95% CI: 1.0331.930), female (OR = 1.670, 95% CI: 1.0212.730) and late-onset OCD (OR = 1.469, 95% CI: 0.9972.166).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a complex multifactorial disease, which seems to be affected by environmental and genetic factors. Recent reports indicate that glutamate transporter gene mutations play a role in the etiology of OCD. Our study found significant differences in genotype frequencies of rs301434 between total OCD group and control group. After grouping by gender and age, the results indicate a significant difference in the genotype frequency of rs301434 between early-onset OCD and control groups, late-onset OCD and control groups as well as male OCD and control groups (See Table 2). Arnold et al found that two variants located within a single haplotype block, rs301434 and rs301435, were associated with the transmission of OCD,7 while de Salles Andrade and colleagues found that the A-A-G (rs301434-rs3780412-rs301443) haplotype was twice as common for people with OCD than for controls. Regarding clinical characteristics, the G-A (rs301434-rs3780412) haplotype in patients with OCD seems to be related to the symptoms of hoarding.24 This finding implicated that rs301434 may be an important SNP to OCD in the Han Chinese population. Rs301434 may influence the development of OCD through expression of the neuronal glutamate transporter.

Table 1 The Results of Single-Site Allele Association Analysis for the Overall, Male, Female, Early-Onset, and Late-Onset OCD Samples

Table 2 The Results of Single-Site Genotype Association Analysis for the Overall, Male, Female, Early-Onset, and Late-Onset OCD Samples

Dickel et al found a positive relationship between rs3780412, rs301430 and OCD, where the association is limited to males in rs3780412.8 Wendland et al found three highly significant synthetic markers in haplotype analysis, where rs3087879, rs301430 and rs3858819 were significant in the OCD haplotype test.9 When we tested rs3780412 and rs3087879 in the Han population, we found a significant difference in allele and genotype frequency of rs3780412 between late-onset OCD and control groups. However, genotypes and alleles of rs3087879 were not statistically significant between OCD patients and control groups, nor between the stratified groups (See Tables 1 and 2). The further research significance of dividing OCD into early and late subtypes lies in exploring the genetic and neurobiological determinants of OCD and predicting the best treatment plan. The symptoms of OCD are heterogeneous and are thought to emerge from complex genetic, environmental, and epigenetic interactions. Compared with late-onset OCD, early-onset OCD are more likely to be associated with Tourette syndrome, have greater heritability, and have more difficult treatment. We speculate that late-onset OCD may be related to rs3780412, which may have connection with the influence of psychosocial factors on patients. Certain social factors may have an impact on this SNP, which is expressed in patients with late-onset OCD. We will make further analysis of related influencing factors in future research.

Some authors have found that 3-SNP haplotype rs4740788-rs10491734-rs10491735 was associated with a total sample of OCD patients as well as with male OCD.16 Wu and colleagues found that rs10491734 was significantly associated with early-onset OCD.25 However, we did not reach this conclusion for the Han population (See Tables 1 and 2). This may be due to the polymorphism of the locus.

Although we only found positive results in the two SNPs rs301434 and rs3780412, haplotypes studies found more positive results, which may be due to polymorphisms at multiple loci alleles affect different subtypes of OCD and clinical symptoms (See Table 1). We found that haplotypes of the four SNPs (rs10491734-rs3780412-rs301434-rs3087879) showed significant differences between the OCD and control groups as a whole. After classifying OCD participants on the basis of sex and age, we found significant differences between male OCD and controls, female OCD and controls as well as late-onset OCD and controls. The haplotype G-A-A-G was associated with both total OCD and late-onset OCD. Haplotype G-A-G-G was associated with male OCD and is a risk factor for male OCD. Haplotype G-G-A-G was associated with total OCD, female OCD and late-onset OCD, and is a risk factor for these groups (See Table 3).

Table 3 The Results of the Haplotype Analysis for SNP rs10491734-rs3780412-rs301434-rs3087879 in OCD Patients and Controls

In conclusion, we found that the genotype of SLC1A1 rs301434 is significantly associated with all OCD and control groups, early-onset OCD and control groups, late-onset OCD and control groups as well as male OCD and control groups. The genotype and allele of rs3780412 is significantly associated with late-onset OCD and control groups. The haplotypes (G-A-A-G, G-G-A-G) are associated with total OCD and control groups. Haplotype (G-G-A-G) is associated with female OCD, haplotype (G-A-G-G) is associated with male OCD, and haplotype (G-A-A-G, G-G-A-G) is associated with late-onset OCD. Our findings support the idea that SLC1A1 is a susceptibility gene for OCD, but this study also has limitations, due to the limited sample size, our results need to further increase the sample data for verification.

The authors wish to thank the patients, healthy volunteers, and their family members.

All authors declare no conflicts of interest for this work.

1. Fontenelle LF, Mendlowicz MV, Versiani M. The descriptive epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2006;30(3):327337. doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2005.11.001

2. Ruscio AM, Stein DJ, Chiu WT, Kessler RC. The epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Mol Psychiatry. 2010;15(1):5363. doi:10.1038/mp.2008.94

3. Leckman JF, Goodman WK, Anderson GM, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid biogenic amines in obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourettes syndrome, and healthy controls. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1995;12(1):7386. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1380241

4. Nutt D, Malizia A. Anxiety and OCD - the chicken or the egg? J Psychopharmacol. 2006;20(6):729731. doi:10.1177/0269881106068424

5. Kwon JS, Joo YH, Nam HJ, et al. Association of the glutamate transporter gene SLC1A1 with atypical antipsychotics-induced obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66(11):12331241. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.155

6. Rosenberg DR, Benazon NR, Gilbert A, Sullivan A, Moore GJ. Thalamic volume in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder patients before and after cognitive behavioral therapy. Biol Psychiatry. 2000;48(4):294300. doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(00)00902-1

7. Arnold PD, Sicard T, Burroughs E, Richter MA, Kennedy JL. Glutamate transporter gene SLC1A1 associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006;63(7):769776. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.63.7.769

8. Dickel DE, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, Cox NJ, et al. Association testing of the positional and functional candidate gene SLC1A1/EAAC1 in early-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006;63(7):778785. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.63.7.778

9. Wendland JR, Moya PR, Timpano KR, et al. A haplotype containing quantitative trait loci for SLC1A1 gene expression and its association with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66(4):408416. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.6

10. Rajendram R, Kronenberg S, Burton CL, Arnold PD. Glutamate genetics in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a review. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017;26(3):205213.

11. Bhattacharyya S, Khanna S, Chakrabarty K, Mahadevan A, Christopher R, Shankar SK. Anti-brain autoantibodies and altered excitatory neurotransmitters in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2009;34(12):24892496. doi:10.1038/npp.2009.77

12. Nissen JB, Thomsen PH. Clinicians views on clinical examination and treatment of children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A Danish national survey study. Nord J Psychiatry. 2008;62(4):309314. doi:10.1080/08039480801984065

13. Sassaroli S, Lauro LJ, Ruggiero GM, Mauri MC, Vinai P, Frost R. Perfectionism in depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders. Behav Res Ther. 2008;46(6):757765. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2008.02.007

14. Menzies L, Chamberlain SR, Laird AR, Thelen SM, Sahakian BJ, Bullmore ET. Integrating evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder: the orbitofronto-striatal model revisited. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2008;32(3):525549. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.09.005

15. Kanai Y, Hediger MA. The glutamate/neutral amino acid transporter family SLC1: molecular, physiological and pharmacological aspects. Pflugers Arch. 2004;447(5):469479. doi:10.1007/s00424-003-1146-4

16. Samuels J, Wang Y, Riddle MA, et al. Comprehensive family-based association study of the glutamate transporter gene SLC1A1 in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2011;156B(4):472477. doi:10.1002/ajmg.b.31184

17. Shugart YY, Wang Y, Samuels JF, et al. A family-based association study of the glutamate transporter gene SLC1A1 in obsessive-compulsive disorder in 378 families. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2009;150B(6):886892. doi:10.1002/ajmg.b.30914

18. Stewart SE, Fagerness JA, Platko J, et al. Association of the SLC1A1 glutamate transporter gene and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2007;144B(8):10271033. doi:10.1002/ajmg.b.30533

19. Nieoullon A, Canolle B, Masmejean F, Guillet B, Pisano P, Lortet S. The neuronal excitatory amino acid transporter EAAC1/EAAT3: does it represent a major actor at the brain excitatory synapse? J Neurochem. 2006;98(4):10071018. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03978.x

20. Bellini S, Fleming KE. Neuronal glutamate transporters control dopaminergic signaling and compulsive behaviors.. 2018;38(4):937961. doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1906-17.2017

21. Goodman WK, Price LH, Rasmussen SA, et al. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. I. Development, use, and reliability. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989;46(11):10061011. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1989.01810110048007

22. Nurnberger JI Jr, Blehar MC, Kaufmann CA, et al. Diagnostic interview for genetic studies. Rationale, unique features, and training. NIMH Genetics Initiative. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1994;51(11):849859; discussion 863844. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1994.03950110009002

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25. Wu H, Wang X, Xiao Z, et al. Association between SLC1A1 gene and early-onset OCD in the Han Chinese population: a case-control study. J Mol Neurosci. 2013;50(2):353359. doi:10.1007/s12031-013-9995-6

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It is important to recognize the signs of a heart attack, which can vary by person. Sometimes a person may have a heart attack without realizing it and not seek the emergency medical care they need. That could lead to lasting heart damage.

The medical name for a heart attack is a myocardial infarction (MI).

A heart attack usually happens because a coronary artery becomes blocked, reducing or stopping the nourishing blood supply to the heart muscle.

Chest pain is the most recognized sign of a heart attack, but the symptoms someone experiences can depend on their gender and age.

It is essential to identify a heart attack as early as possible and seek prompt medical attention. Treatment can minimize damage and increase the chances of a full recovery.

This article looks at the various symptoms of heart attacks, how these may vary in females and older adults, and when to seek medical attention. It also looks at risk factors, treatment, and prevention.

Most people know that chest pain is a typical heart attack symptom. However, a heart attack can affect the entire body, not just the heart.

Individuals of different ages and sexes may experiences heart attack symptoms differently.

Most heart attacks do have several defining symptoms, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are:

Heart attacks typically involve some level of pain or discomfort in the chests middle or left side. It may feel like sharper pain, or more like squeezing, fullness, or uncomfortable pressure.

Usually, this accompanies chest pain, but shortness of breath may also begin before any chest discomfort.

A person may feel pain or discomfort in one or both arms, which can radiate to the shoulders. There may also be pain in the neck, jaw, or back.

Someone may feel weak, faint, or break out into a cold sweat.

Heart attack symptoms may show up differently in females, and may seem less evident or unrelated to heart problems.

The following are common heart attack symptoms in females that can occur with or without chest pain:

Because heart attacks are commonly associated with chest pain, females often misread their symptoms and delay consulting a doctor.

It is crucial that everyone, especially females, recognize heart attack symptoms that may be atypical and seek immediate medical help when necessary.

Like females, older adults who experience heart attacks may have non-typical symptoms.

Asymptomatic or silent heart attacks are more common in older adults, and chest pain is an infrequent finding.

During a silent heart attack, someone may experience no symptoms and feel relatively well apart from feeling unusually tired or short of breath. They may also show one or more of the signs associated with heart attacks in females.

The National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute state that acting quickly could save someones life in the case of a heart attack.

Even if an individual is not entirely certain they are experiencing a heart attack, it is best to seek emergency medical help to limit any potential damage to the heart.

The consequences of an untreated heart attack could be severe.

People should always seek medical attention if they suspect a heart attack.

If someone experiences heart attack symptoms for more than 15 minutes, the hearts muscle cells are at a high risk of damage.

From the onset of symptoms, an individual has less than 90 minutes before critical damage levels occur.

If the heart does not receive oxygenated blood, it cannot function normally, which can cause a heart attack. This can happen when a coronary artery is partially or fully blocked.

The most common cause of blocked coronary arteries is coronary heart disease.

When coronary heart disease occurs, fats and cholesterol can form deposits or plaques on the arterial walls, called atherosclerosis.

Over time, the plaques narrow the arteries, and eventually, this obstructs blood flow.

Use of recreational drugs, such as cocaine, can also cause heart attacks.

Several factors increase an individuals risk of a heart attack. These include being age 65 or over, being male, or having a family history of heart disease.

Race also plays a part, as people of African, Mexican, and American Indian descent are at higher risk.

There are also modifiable factors that increase the risk of heart attacks. These include:

The good news is that people can change, treat, or control the modifiable risk factors to reduce the chances of having a heart attack.

Anyone who thinks they are having a heart attack should immediately seek medical attention.

A doctor will diagnose heart attack based on symptoms, age, general health, and family history. They will also carry out tests including:

If the tests show that an individual has had a heart attack, doctors may recommend the following procedures:

A doctor may also treat a heart attack with medications to thin the blood, break up clots, relax the blood vessels, and help with pain relief.

Heart attacks can damage the heart muscle, leading to complications including:

The severity and duration of any complications often depend on how much damage the heart attack caused to the heart muscle.

Although people cannot control all the risk factors of heart attacks, such as gender, age, and genetics, habit changes could help with prevention. These include:

Fortunately, for most people, having a heart attack does not mean the end of a normal, healthy life. However, around 20% of people over age 45 will have further heart attacks in the 5 years following their first.

For this reason, it is important to focus on living a lifestyle that can help prevent heart problems in the future.

Although most people are familiar with a heart attacks common signs, such as chest pain and breathlessness, they may not realize that females and older adults can experience heart attacks differently.

In these groups, heart attack symptoms such as indigestion and extreme fatigue can seem unrelated.

If someone is experiencing any symptoms that may be related to heart problems, they should seek immediate medical attention.

Prompt treatment can save someones life and prevent permanent heart damage from occurring.

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How to recognize the signs of a heart attack and what to do - Medical News Today

The NutriNet-Sant study is an ongoing investigation into the relationship between nutrition and health. In this Special Feature, we look at some of the projects findings and speak with Principal Investigator Dr. Mathilde Touvier, who has been involved in the study since its inception.

A range of factors influences health, including genetics, lifestyle, environmental factors, and diet. Unraveling the complex relationships between these factors is a challenge.

For many reasons, it is incredibly difficult to investigate the role of nutrition in health and disease. For instance, no two people eat the exact same diet, and very few people eat the exact same food 2 days in a row.

As it is neither feasible nor ethical to ask thousands of people to follow a strict diet for 10 years to see what happens, researchers have to find other ways of unpicking the links between diet and disease.

The best way to tackle any difficult health-related question is to generate as much good quality data as possible, and this is the NutriNet-Sant studys raison detre.

Beginning in 2009, the NutriNet-Sant study was the first internet-based study of its kind. By the start of 2021, the team was regularly collecting data from 171,000 people aged 15 years and older, making it the largest ongoing nutrition study in the world.

Now running in France and Belgium, the team is also seeding similar projects in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Specifically, the researchers set out with the following aims:

The researchers keep a biobank of serum, plasma, and urine from about 20,000 people. They also collect stool to monitor and analyze gut bacteria.

Alongside questions about food intake, the NutriNet-Sant team collects information about food packaging, cooking practices, mode of production, physical activity, tobacco, drugs, environmental factors, and domestic and professional exposures.

Importantly, data from the NutriNet-Sant study are linked with medical and insurance records to improve accuracy regarding medications, diagnoses, and long-term sick leave. The study is financed entirely by public institutions.

Article highlights:

In recent years, ultra-processed foods have become a nutritional pariah, and the NutriNet-Sant study has played no small part in this.

Over recent years, data from the NutriNet-Sant study have revealed associations between diets high in ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, mortality, depressive symptoms, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and gastrointestinal disorders.

As an example, one paper based on data from the NutriNet-Sant cohort, which appeared in the BMJ in 2018, concluded:

In this large prospective study, a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with a significant increase of greater than 10% in risks of overall and breast cancer.

Another study using their data, which also appeared in BMJ, concludes:

[H]igher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with higher risks of cardiovascular, coronary heart, and cerebrovascular diseases.

Yet more research, which appeared in BMC Medicine in 2019, investigated ultra-processed foods and their links with depression. The authors write:

Overall, [ultra-processed food] consumption was positively associated with the risk of incident depressive symptoms, suggesting that accounting for this non-nutritional aspect of the diet could be important for mental health promotion.

Next, the NutriNet-Sant researchers plan to investigate the causative aspects of this relationship. They will drill down into the specific compounds that might be responsible.

According to Dr. Touvier, thanks to the researchers wealth of nutrition data, they can now estimate the additive exposure for more than 330 additives authorized in Europe and also detect the mixtures of additives that are consumed by the population.

They have already identified these cocktails of additives and are now searching for relationships between particular mixtures of compounds and specific disease states.

Understanding which foods are associated with which health conditions is important, but the next step changing behavior can be even more challenging.

To address this, the NutriNet-Sant study focused on food labeling. Although product labels already provide information about levels of fat, sugar, and other ingredients, as Dr. Touvier pointed out, quickly gauging whether a product is healthful as you rush around a grocery store is not easy.

With this in mind, the NutriNet-Sant group designed Nutri-Score. This simple label gives each product a score from A to E, with A being the most healthful and E the least healthful.

The scoring system takes into account the amount of sugar, saturated fats, sodium, protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes to provide a score.

The score has been validated against many health outcomes, using the NutriNet-Sant cohort [and other cohorts]. So we showed that people who ate foods with a better score had less risk of cancers, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and so on. We also validated it in other independent cohorts, explained Dr. Touvier.

We also used the NutriNet-Sant cohort to validate how the score is understood and used by participants to rate nutritional quality.

And, even more importantly, the research has shown that in a grocery setting, people with access to this type of labeling choose more healthful foods. As the authors of one paper explain:

The Nutri-Score was associated with a higher nutritional quality of purchases in experimental and large scale trials.

In France, some companies are already applying this label on a voluntary basis. To date, 520 firms, including a total of 690 brands, have registered to use the scoring system.

Dr. Touvier and the team are currently trying to convince the European Union to roll out the scoring system throughout the E.U. in 2022. However, they are facing stiff resistance from certain large food corporations and their lobbying groups.

More than 40 published studies back the benefits of the Nutri-Score. Dr. Touvier hopes that it will be adopted because, for the consumer, we really showed it will have a great impact.

Over the years, there has been a fair amount of controversy around the benefits of eating organic produce. As Dr. Touvier explained, until recently, there were simply not enough data to make connections between these products and health outcomes.

Once again, the NutriNet-Sant study has begun to fill these gaps. According to Dr. Touvier, the team found an association between higher concentrations of organic food and a lower risk of breast cancer and lymphoma. Similarly, the data showed a lower risk of obesity, overweight, and metabolic syndrome.

The researchers have also demonstrated that people who eat more organic foods have lower levels of pesticides in their urine. Next, they plan to quantify exposures to the various types of pesticides and identify cocktails of pesticide exposures. They are in the process of assessing whether certain pesticidal cocktails might be associated with specific health outcomes.

According to Dr. Touvier, one such study, which has just been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Epidemiology, found that:

People exposed to these cocktails of pesticides had a higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, so does NutriNet-Sants data collection. The scientists are tracking how diets have shifted during these unusual times.

One study, for instance, showed that the pandemic has affected people differently, with some eating less healthfully and others improving their diet significantly.

We saw a very diverse profile of participants. Some of them started to eat more sugary foods and to eat between meals because they were bored or stressed. Also, they lowered the level of physical activity. [] For these participants, we saw an increase in body weight, explained Dr. Touvier. But the pandemic has had different effects on other people, she noted:

Other participants began to cook more at home, so less processed foods and more homemade meals, and they increased their level of physical activity [] These participants lost weight.

The NutriNet-Sant scientists also found that there were people who had made no change to their diet or level of activity.

As the researchers have also collected dried blood spots from more than 20,000 participants, they are able to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

They are currently working on a way to link infection to diet. This research could reveal whether any dietary patterns are associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or, conversely, whether any nutritional profiles are associated with a protective effect.

Investigating nutrition is challenging. Every individual eats hundreds or thousands of ingredients each week, and no two diets are the same. Also, when scientists rely on self-reported dietary information, they are likely to get imprecise answers.

The NutriNet-Sant study was the first to use online questionnaires to collect data. As trailblazers for this methodology, the researchers spent a great deal of energy making sure that the data they were collecting were accurate and meaningful.

Medical News Today asked Dr. Touvier how the NutriNet-Sant study team went about this. She explained that early on in the study, the investigators ran a series of validation studies in which they checked participants self-reported food intake against their blood and urinary biomarkers and their phone interviews with trained dietitians.

They found a high correlation between the information coming from participants, blood markers, and interview data.

In some cases, the data they collected were more reliable than the phone interviews. Dr. Touvier explained that some participants were more likely to enter unhealthful food in the anonymous online form than they were to mention it when speaking with a dietitian. She said:

Its not perfect. Its still an observational study, but we have validated all of these methods, so they are reliable.

Another common issue that nutrition scientists face is that one brand of frozen pizza is not the same as another, and one bag of chips can harbor entirely different ingredients than another.

To help minimize this issue, the researchers designed a barcode reader that allows participants to scan their food items directly into the system. In this way, the scientists have direct access to the precise nutritional content of the food item.

Another significant issue with nutrition research is the role of industry bias. Studies that receive funding from interested parties are more likely to report the benefits of their produce. The NutriNet-Sant study, however, is publicly funded, and the data are not open access.

As Dr. Touvier explained, we have a moral agreement with the participants not to provide the data to the food industry. However, the team does share their data with other public researchers.

Correlation versus causation is the thorn in any observational studys heel. Finding an association is one thing, but proving that one factor directly causes another is a different challenge altogether. To ensure that the researchers chop away as many confounding factors as possible, they track a great number of variables.

For instance, they keep anthropometric data, such as height and weight; socioeconomic data; information about participants occupations so that they can track potential environmental exposures to chemicals, for instance; medical history; current and past medications; activity levels; and more.

The NutriNet-Sant scientists are beginning to dive even deeper into the complexities of nutrition and health. Beyond the nutritional makeup of foods, they are beginning to investigate how the packaging might interact with food items and influence health. Their innovative barcode system helps them collate this information.

These data will also help with investigating sustainability, which is another area on which the team is beginning to focus.

The wealth of data that the NutriNet-Sant team has collected and continues to collect will slowly allow scientists to answer increasingly complex questions.

As the number of participants in the study steadily grows, Dr. Touvier hopes that the NutriNet-Sant team can continue indefinitely. Undoubtedly, the insights that this team generates will have a beneficial effect on the health of future generations.

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What have we learned from the worlds largest nutrition study? - Medical News Today

Gaining more fat cells is probably not what most people want, although that might be exactly what they need to fight off diabetes and other diseases. How and where the body can add fat cells has remained a mystery - but two new studies from UT Southwestern provide answers on the way this process works.

The studies, both published online in Cell Stem Cell, describe two different processes that affect the generation of new fat cells. One reports how fat cell creation is impacted by the level of activity in tiny organelles inside cells called mitochondria. The other outlines a process that prevents new fat cells from developing in one fat storage area in mice - the area that correlates with the healthy subcutaneous fat just under the skin in humans. (Both studies were done in mice.)

In the second study, a commonly used cancer drug was able to jump-start healthy fat cell creation in mice, a finding that raises the possibility of future drug treatments for humans.

While fat isn't popular, as long as people overeat they will need a place to store the excess calories, explains Philipp Scherer, Ph.D., director of the Touchstone Center for Diabetes Research at UT Southwestern and senior author of the first study focusing on mitochondria. There are two options, he says: squeezing more lipids (fat) into existing fat cells and ballooning their size, leading to problems such as inflammation and, eventually, diabetes; or creating new fat cells to help spread the load. Fat stored properly - in fat cell layers under the skin (subcutaneous fat) that aren't overburdened instead of around organs (visceral fat) or even inside organs - is the healthy alternative, he says.

Problems follow if existing fat cells are left on their own to become engorged, adds Rana Gupta, Ph.D., associate professor of internal medicine and senior author of the second study. "When these cells are so overwhelmed that they can't take it anymore, they eventually die or become dysfunctional, spilling lipids into places not intended to store fat."

Those lipids may move into the liver, leading to fatty liver disease; to the pancreas, resulting in diabetes; or even to the heart, causing cardiovascular disease, Gupta says. Visceral, or belly fat, may surround the organs, creating inflammation.

The healthiest place to store fat is in subcutaneous fat, adds Gupta. Ironically, that is where mice in his study were least able to create new fat cells, despite the fact that stem-cell-like progenitor cells primed to become fat cells were present there as well, he says.

Gupta's study identified a process that prevents progenitor cells from developing into fat cells in mouse subcutaneous inguinal fat.

The protein HIF-1a (short for hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha) is central to the process. It kicks off a series of cellular actions that ultimately inactivate a second protein called PPARgamma, the key driver of fat cell formation.

These proteins are found in both humans and mice. In fact, in a culture of human subcutaneous fat cell progenitors, HIF-1a also inhibited new fat cells from being created, according to Gupta.

In Gupta's mouse study, researchers used a genetic approach to inhibit HIF-1a and found that the progenitor cells could then make subcutaneous inguinal fat cells and fewer were inflamed or fibrotic.

Next, they tested the cancer drug imatinib (brand name Gleevec) and found it had the same effect. The cancer drug was tried because it was known to have beneficial effects against diabetes in cancer patients with both diseases, Gupta says.

In Scherer's study, researchers manipulated a protein called MitoNEET in the outer membrane of the precursor cells' mitochondria, organelles known as the cells' power plants. The resulting mitochondrial dysfunction and drop in cell metabolism caused precursor cells to lose the ability to become new fat cells and increased inflammation.

"This study shows we can manipulate the precursor cells' willingness to become fat cells," Scherer says. "The ability to recruit new fat cells by tickling these pre-fat cells to become fat cells is very important and has profound beneficial effects on health, particularly in the obesity-prone environment that we all live in."

He says his goal is now to design a drug that could stimulate mitochondrial activity.

"Understanding the mechanism is an important first step," Scherer says, referring to the findings from the two studies. "We will have to learn in the future how to manipulate these processes pharmacologically."

Reference: Joffin N, Paschoal VA, Gliniak CM, et aI. Mitochondrial metabolism is a key regulator of the fibro-inflammatory and adipogenic stromal subpopulations in white adipose tissue. Cell Stem Cell. doi:doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2021.01.002

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Two Studies Shed Light on How and Where the Body Can Add New Fat Cells - Technology Networks

With her sun-kissed hair and flawless golden skin, it's easy to forget that Heidi Klum is in her mid 40s. Genetics certainly help. But so do Heidi Klum's favourite skincare products by Glossier and Drunk Elephant, plus a reminder of home courtesy of German beauty brand The Cream by Augustinus Bader.

In a rare selfie, Klum showed off the Perfectil Hair Skin And Nails Vitamins she takes daily, alongside this smorgasbord of beauty products, which proves the supermodel takes her skincare seriously.

Here are some of her favourite products:

More from womanandhome:

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum

This night serum contains a hefty dose of glycol acid to exfoliate built-up dead skin cells and resurface dull, uneven skin. Expect brighter, smoother skin when you wake.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial 25% AHA + 2% BHA Mask

If you like to feel a product working, you'll positive love this mask. Like an AHA/BHA facial in a bottle, it resurfaces skin to reveal greater clarity and improved skin tone.

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum

This vitamin C day serum is packed with antioxidants to protect skin from urban aggressors.

Glossier Solution

A liquid exfoliator that you apply a bit like toner, it buffs away dead dulling skin with a single swipe.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

We know, we know, even supermodels get spots. This cult zit lotion contains salicylic acid, sulfur, and zinc oxide to dry up blemishes - fast.

Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream

The brainchild of a stem cell scientist no less, this overnight treatment uses amino acids and vitamins to re-energise cells to repair damage more effectively.

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Heidi Klum loves to pamper her skin with goodies from Drunk Elephant and Glossier - woman&home

There is no incorrect time of day to take fish oil supplements. However, some evidence suggests that people absorb omega-3 fatty acids more effectively when they take them with a meal that contains dietary fat.

This comes from a study in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care.

Fish oil is a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, which may have a number of health benefits.

In this article, we will discuss when people should take fish oil, how to take it, dosage, and any health benefits and side effects.

There is no significant benefit to taking fish oil at a specific time of day. However, people may wish to take fish oil with a meal that contains dietary fat.

A 2019 study on omega-3 found that taking an omega-3 concentrate with food that contains fat increased bioavailability, making it easier for the body to absorb.

Additionally, an older 2015 study found that taking omega-3 fatty acids with a low fat meal reduced absorption.

Both of these studies looked at omega-3 fatty acids specifically, so the results may not apply to people taking fish oil. Additionally, the amount of omega-3 in fish oil can vary, depending on factors such as the type of fish, and the brand.

People can take fish oil capsules with water during a meal. If a person typically does not eat much fat at breakfast, they may wish to wait until lunch or their evening meal before taking it.

Some people experience gastrointestinal side effects when taking fish oil. If a person experiences this side effect, they may find it helpful to split their fish oil into two doses and take them at different times of the day.

People who split their dose in half may need to take each one at different mealtimes.

Researchers have found it difficult to define an optimal amount of omega-3 fatty acids to get per day.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend adults take between 5001,000 milligrams of omega-3 per day. However, other countries and organizations recommend different doses.

The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) note that while some types of omega-3 have no official recommended dose, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an exception. This table shows the recommended daily amounts by age and sex:

The amount of ALA in omega-3 supplements can depend on the type of supplement and the manufacturer. Read the product label to determine how much a supplement contains.

Omega-3 fatty acids may have a positive effect on human health in a number of ways. Research into its benefits is ongoing, but there is evidence that it may:

However, many studies on omega-3s health benefits focus on getting these fatty acids from fish and seafood, rather than from fish oil capsules. If a person is thinking of taking fish oil for a health condition, they should speak with a doctor first.

Some specific conditions that may benefit from a higher intake of omega-3 include:

According to a 2015 review, there is some evidence that consuming omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent or manage cardiovascular conditions. Omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce triglyceride levels in the blood and reduce the risk of cardiovascular death.

Omega-3 fatty acids may also have antiarrhythmic effects, which means they help a persons heart beat in a regular pattern. The effect that omega-3 fatty acids have on arrhythmia may significantly reduce the risk of fatal ventricular arrhythmias.

However, more recent studies show that there may not be a clear benefit to taking omega-3 to prevent adverse effects of cardiovascular conditions. There is also some evidence that taking statins at the same time as omega-3 fatty acid supplements may reduce their protective effect on cardiovascular conditions.

Scientists need to carry out more research on omega-3 and its relationship with preventing or managing cardiovascular diseases.

Some studies have shown that a high omega-3 intake can reduce the risk of inflammatory disease mortality.

Some have also found that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for people with Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis, two types of inflammatory bowel disease.

However, there is no clinically significant evidence on whether omega-3 fatty acids help prevent relapses for people with these conditions.

Several in vitro studies show that omega-3 fatty acids have an effect on colorectal cancer stem cells (CCSC). CCSC have a long lifespan and can self-renew, leading to colon tumors.

CCSC can lead to cancer relapse and chemotherapy resistance. Omega-3 fatty acids may stop CCSC from growing and may reduce chemotherapy resistance.

Omega-3 fatty acids may have several positive effects with regards to prostate cancer, although research on this is mixed.

Several studies have found that consuming fish or omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer, including aggressive forms.

However, other studies suggest that there is no clear benefit to consuming omega-3 fatty acids to prevent prostate cancer.

Side effects of fish oil supplements are usually mild. They include:

Additionally, omega-3 supplements can have an adverse interaction with drugs that affect blood clotting.

People should contact their healthcare provider to ensure it is safe for them to take a supplement before trying it.

Some evidence suggests that taking supplements that contain omega-3 with a meal that contains fat can increase absorption. As a result, people may wish to take fish oil at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, there is no correct or incorrect time to take it.

Always speak with a doctor before starting a new supplement. If a person experiences side effects, they may benefit from splitting their dose in two.

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When to take fish oil: Timing, dosages and side effects - Medical News Today

Researchers at the Catholic University of Korea St. Marys Hospital have recently proved the efficacy of bone marrow-derived stem cells to treat ototoxicity hearing loss, the hospital said Thursday.

The team, led by Professor Park Kyoung-ho of the Department of Otolaryngology, conducted an experiment on animal models with ototoxic sensorineural hearing, or sudden hearing loss.

They utilized Catholic MASTER cells, bone marrow stem cells developed by the Catholic Institute of Cell Therapy, to compare the stem cell injection group with the controlled group.

The result showed that animals started to recover their hearing after three weeks. Five weeks later, they recovered normal hearing at 8000Hz, 16000Hz and 32000Hz frequency.

Ototoxic hearing loss is caused when a person ingests chemicals or certain medications that adversely affect the inner ear functions. Major symptoms related to the illness are dizziness, false hearing, and hearing loss, which permanently defects hearing functions. Elders with such symptoms should have medical consultations as they are a high-risk group, the hospital said.

We have proved the efficacy of our bone marrow stem cells in recovering hearing, said Professor Park, who doubles as the director of the Stem Cell Institute. Through the results, we expect to provide new treatment opportunities for patients with hearing loss.

The test results were published in the Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

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Stem cells efficacy confirmed in treating ototoxic hearing loss - Korea Biomedical Review

The outbreak of the Covidpandemic has made many patients reluctantto undergotreatments. While their apprehension seems to overpower them, doctors need to ensure thatstrict guidelines and protocols which assure the best quality service are followed.

Among elective surgeries andtransplants, bone marrow transplant cases have increased substantially in the past few months. Adhering to guidelines for pre-transplant evaluation and the management of a common complication, graft versus host disease (GVHD)is essential.

With the diversity of practice and expertise, the following guidelines will provide a pivotal tool for learning about the rapidly updated therapy landscape in Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

The guidelines intended to provide a systematic approach for transplantation and help streamline clinical practices and educate new generations of physicians-in-training. Additionally, guidelines can help to evaluate a potential transplant recipient anddetermine if the patient is an eligible candidate for the procedure.

Types and selection of transplantation:

Selection of the type of transplantation for a patient depends on factors such as the type of malignancy, availability of a suitable donor, age of the recipient, the ability to collect a tumor-free autograft, the stage, the malignancy's susceptibility to the GVM effect, and status of disease -- bone marrow involvement, the bulk of disease, chemosensitivity to conventional chemotherapy. This method is particularly applicable for Autologous or Allogeneic Transplantation where one can have a sibling donor or a matched unrelated donor. In the case of a matched unrelated donor, ensure that the collection is adequate and stem cells are available well in time especially if they are imported from countries in Europe.

A haploidentical transplant is another type of transplant that uses healthy, blood-forming cells from a half-matched donor to replace the unhealthy ones. The ideal donor in this case is a family member.

That said, for bone marrow transplant blood products are the backbone and it is important to ensure to have adequate supply before you begin with the transplant.

What are the guidelines and protocols that can be adopted in current times?

Some measures for consideration are: Minimize face-to-face visits including monitoring and consider shifting to telehealth where feasible. Some adaptive community measures like the hospital in the home services, community practices for blood collection, imaging, and support services. For radiation oncology treatment, consider reducing fractions when supported by evidence Consider alternative and less resource-intensive treatment regimes. Minimize unnecessary visitors to cancer centers, for instance, limiting to only patients and their essential caregivers based on frailty and language needs Screen for possible symptoms of COVID-19 and triage patients for admission. If necessary, the admission has to be directed to oncology/hematology departments rather than emergency departments. Immunocompromised patients are likely to have atypical presentations of COVID-19 For suspected checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis prioritizes COVID-19 testing for an early decision regarding corticosteroid therapy.

These are some guidelines that you should heed during a bone marrow transplant. While it is imperative to be updated about the guidelines, timely intervention can reduce the other possible complications during the process.

(The author is the Director, Medical Oncology and Hemato Oncology, atFortis Cancer Institute, Bangalore)

Original post:
Understanding bone marrow transplant: The guidelines and the protocols - The New Indian Express

EDMONTON -- A little girl with leukemia in northern Alberta is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.

Friends and family of 10-year-old Ameilia Powder have set up a stem cell drive to find a match.

"Asking for help is probably one of the most difficult things to do when you're in this situation and really opening your story up to everyone is really hard. but at the end of the day Ameilia needs a bone marrow match," Ameilia's grandmother Jaime Harpe said. "I'll do whatever it takes to get her that match."

Ameilia was diagnosed in March 2020 and went through five months of treatment at the Stollery Children's Hospital before returning home to Fort McKay First Nation in August.

The cancer returned late last month and this time, a bone marrow transplant is the only option to save her life.

"All people have to do is go blood.ca/stemcells and they can register online, and a kit gets sent to you in the mail," organizer Amanda Main said. "You just swab your cheek, pop it back in and you get entered in the data base, that's all you have to do."

Potential matches need to be between the ages of 17 and 35.

A GoFundMe page has already raised more than $11,000.

Read more:
'Whatever it takes': Stem cell drive underway to find bone marrow match for girl on Alta. First Nation - CTV Edmonton

Regenerative therapies such as stem cells and platelet-rich plasma already play an important role in managing osteoarthritis (OA). Nonetheless, veterinarians have found that response to even these therapies is less than ideal in many cases, prompting researchers to continuously seek novel therapies for this all-too-common musculoskeletal disorder. One of the newest to be unveiled is called bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMNC) therapy. One researcher who presented at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held virtually, reported that the equine industry is in critical need for therapies that resolve joint inflammation but preserve tissue healing, and BMNC appears a promising candidate.

Much more than stem cells classically sought for cartilage healing, bone marrow is rich in macrophage progenitor cells, explained James B. Everett, DVM, MS, previously of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, who now works at the Equine Surgical Center at ThorSport Farm,in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that play a role in tissue repair and cartilage integrity, and produce the anti-inflammatory mediators, including interleukin-10 (IL-10).

Everett said macrophages in the synovial (joint) membrane are essential for joint health, clearing aggressors, secreting key molecules required for optimal joint function, and forming a shield that protects tissues undergoing repair, similar to a wound scab. However, when the amount of tissue damage overwhelms these housekeeping functions, macrophages stimulate inflammation as a means of recruiting more cells, especially more macrophages, to cope with increased demands for repair.

If this response is efficiently accomplished, macrophages then produce, among other things, high concentrations of IL-10 and resolve the inflammatory process, returning the joint to a healthy state, he said.

Everett emphasized that not all inflammation is bad. This acute inflammation is essential to establish a resolving response, and anti-inflammatory therapies can negatively interfere.

As presented by Everetts colleague Bruno Menarim, DVM, PhD, in a separate session, studies show that BMNCs promote the endogenous resolution of experimentally induced inflammation. To see if these promising features translated to naturally occurring inflammation in live horses, Everetts research team studied 19 horses, dividing them into three treatment groups:

The selected horses were diagnosed with OA in a single joint, and the team injected those joints once with the saline, triamcinolone, or BMNCs. The BMNCs were autologous, meaning veterinarians collected them from each patients own bone marrow aspirate. They processed the aspirate in-house, and the isolated mononuclear cells, composed predominantly of macrophages, were ready to inject into the affected joint within three hours of aspiration.

We found that while objectively assessed lameness (via Lameness Locator) decreased in all three groups, it was only significant in the BMNC-treated horses, said Everett. Further, the treatment was well-tolerated with no adverse events appreciated in this study.

He said that using BMNCs can help reduce the need for chronic use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids, which produces potentially harmful consequences. Further, BMNCs preserve the production of molecules such as interleukins and cytokines that are essential for restoring joint homeostasis. Corticosteroids often inhibit these molecules.

The researchers noted that these results support a larger clinical trial using BMNCs in clinical cases of equine OA.

Originally posted here:
Novel Bone Marrow 'Ingredient' To Help Arthritic Horses The Horse - TheHorse.com

- DKMS-BMST continues to urge Indians to step up to be a potential lifesaver!

BENGALURU, India, Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- February 4th is marked as World Cancer day every year. This day is observed to spread awareness about the disease and its increasing burden. In line with the theme for this year "Create a futurewithout cancer. The time to act isnow", DKMS BMST Foundation India, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide a second chance at life to blood cancer and blood disorder patients in India makes an appeal to people to come forward and register as potential blood stem cell donors.

On World Cancer Day 2021, DKMS is also celebrating a milestone of providing more than 90,000 blood cancer patients across 57 countries with a second chance at life, since it was founded almost 30 years ago in 1991. DKMS is an international non-profit organization that helps provide patients with lifesaving blood stem cell transplants. DKMS has presence in India, Germany, USA, Poland, UK, Chile, and South Africa.

Patrick Paul, CEO, DKMS BMST Foundation India, says, "DKMS is proud to be the world's leading donor center, accounting for nearly 30% of the total donor pool. While, this is a global milestone, when it comes to India, the fact is that the Indian donors are highly underrepresented in the global database. This is why it becomes difficult for doctors to find a matching blood stem cell donor for Indian patients. While DKMS has registered over 10.5 million donors and has provided over 90,000 patients with a second chance at life globally, it is critical to highlight that only over 43,000 Indian donors are part of this donor pool."

In India, every year, over one lakh people are diagnosed with a form of blood cancer and it remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among children. Most people are unaware that a life-threatening disease like blood cancer can be treated and in most of the cases, a stem cell transplant is the patient's only chance for survival. For instance, 15-year-old Maheer from Gujarat, India, is one of the blood cancer survivors who had received a lifesaving blood stem cell donation in 2012. He was able to find his matching blood stem cell donor, Dr. Sita, who hails from Germany. Today, he leads a normal, healthy and happy life. He is in grade 9 and loves to travel, read and swim.

Today, more than 37 million potential unrelated donors are listed worldwide with stem cell donor centers and registries, of which only 0.03% are Indians. Currently, in India, the biggest challenge is the lack of awareness about blood stem cell transplant and the importance of registering as a potential blood stem cell donor. The entire procedure is safe and secure. Once the blood stem cells are collected from a donor, they are infused into the patient through a transplant process which then moves through the bloodstream and settles in the bone marrow. These new blood stem cells begin to increase in numbers and produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, resulting in the replacement of the patient's diseased cells and that's how a blood cancer patient gets a second chance at life. This situation can only be improved by recruiting many more potential stem cell donors from India.

This World Cancer Day, one can take a pledge to become a potential lifesaver. Registration takes only 5 minutes. If one between 18 and 50 years and in good health, the first step to register as a blood stem cell donor by ordering the home swab kit at http://www.dkms-bmst.org/register.

SOURCE DKMS BMST Foundation India

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World Cancer Day 2021: DKMS Announces The Milestone Of Giving 90,000 Blood Cancer Patients Worldwide A Second Chance At Life - PR Newswire India

As an athlete, Courtlynn Havard has always set goals for herself to improve her game whether on the soccer or softball field. She has worked toward those goals through hard work and perseverance.

Now her goals have shifted slightly.

Courtlynn, a sophomore at Franklin Parish High School, currently has two main goals: to beat aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and to help others.

Helping others for Courtlynn brightens her day, strengthens her and gives her hope for a better tomorrow.

From that desire to help others, the Havard family is sponsoring a bone marrow drive at Life Church in Winnsboro Feb. 20 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The drive will be administered by DKMS, an international nonprofit organization, whose goal is to find bone marrow donors for people like Havard.

It is simple as a swab in your cheek, said Jaimie Havard, Courtlynns mother. That could save a life. It only takes a few minutes and is so easy for you to give somebody a second chance on life.

Anyone 18-55 with good health can participate in the drive. Participates stay in their car, watch a video on their phone and fill out a short form, said Amy Roseman of DMKS.

They are given a kit with a swab for their cheeks. The whole process takes 7-10 minutes.

In October, Courtlynn went to the doctor with kidney stones. When doctors took her blood, they found her blood count was low.

Her mother and Courtlynn met with an oncologist who gave them disturbing news.

At first the oncologist thought it was leukemia, Jaimie said. You feel like your whole world is collapsing. I didnt know what to say or do. Courtlynn was devastated and crying. I was trying to be strong for her.

The Havards were then sent to LSU Health Shreveport. The medical professionals there performed a bone marrow biopsy and found she had aplastic anemia and PNH.

You never think it can be your child, Jaimie said. It is really an unbelievable, indescribable feeling.

Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition leaves a person fatigued and more prone to infections and uncontrolled bleeding.

A rare and serious condition, aplastic anemia can develop at any age. It can occur suddenly, or it can come on slowly and worsen over time and can be mild or severe.

Treatment for aplastic anemia might include medications, blood transfusions or a stem cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant.

PNH is a rare acquired, life-threatening disease of the blood. The disease is characterized by destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia), blood clots (thrombosis), and impaired bone marrow function (not making enough of the three blood components).

PNH affects 1-1.5 persons per million of the population and is primarily a disease of younger adults. The median age of diagnosis is 35-40 years of age, with occasional cases diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. PNH is closely related to aplastic anemia.

Courtynns world use to evolve around sports, mud riding with her friends and being very social.

Now because of her weak immune system, she has to be careful and stay at home with her English Spaniel, Old Mack, and go to school virtually. Courtlynn talks to her friends via cell phone, computer and occasionally gets a visit from one that sits on her porch while she socially distances.

I missed my friends the most, Courtlynn said. I am one of those people that get up and go. I dont stay still.

She also goes to doctors whether it be locally to get her blood count tested, or Shreveport to receive platelets and blood or Memphis to St. Judes.

Saving people around the world

One thing that drives Courtlynn through this situation is keeping up with other kids situations, Jaimie said. There are so many stories out there of kids looking for bone marrow transplants.

The Feb. 20 bone marrow drive is a way Courtlynn and her family can help others.

DKMS has been finding matching bone marrow donors for 30 years. They are now in the United States, Germany, Poland, India and South Africa.

Sadly, only 2 percent of Americans have signed up as potential donors, Roseman said. We are hoping we will have really nice support for Courtlynn and the other patients looking for donors.

Reasons vary for the low percentage of potential donors, but Roseman attributes not knowing the need and ease of the process.

You fill out contact information, swab your cheeks and you are put in a data base that is only seen by medical teams searching for donors, Roseman said. We call it, youre a hero in waiting.

The biggest misconception is the donation of bone marrow if you are a match.

You are asked to donate stem cells from the blood stream, Roseman said. It is a very easy process. It is very similar to donating plasma or platelets and takes a morning or afternoon.

Blood is taken from one arm, and the blood is put back into the other arm, Roseman, said. Stem cells lost in the process will regenerate.

You have given someone a second chance in life, Roseman said.

A person may be asked to donate actual bone marrow if he or she is matched to a three year old or younger. This procedure is done in a hospital and takes less than an hour. DKMS pays for the hospital visit and time loss from work.

It is amazing to think about giving someone a second chance on life by giving up a just morning of your time, Roseman said.

A community comes together

The Franklin Parish community has come together in support of Courtlynn and the Havard family.

Boutique shops, individuals and restaurants have come together to raise money for her cause.

During the Feb. 20 bone marrow drive at Life Church a BBQ chicken plate lunch will be on sale for $10. T-shirts will also be on sale at the event. Keep up with all drives and Courtlynns journey on her Facebook page: Courtlynns Compass.

We have a really amazing group of friends and family that have come together, Jaimie said. Our local community has stepped up big time. Complete strangers are showing so much love and support for my baby. It speaks volumes for our little town we live in.

More here:
Helping others helps Havard through sickness | Community | hannapub.com - The Franklin Sun

Cynata Therapeutics (ASX: CYP), founded by two clever stem cell researchers and one wise Australian techpreneur, is in the process of developing a treatment for COVID-19.

Using its in-house stem cell technology Cymerus, the ASX-listed biotech hopes to treat one of the deadliest complications of COVID-19 -acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

In doing so Cynata would achieve what competitor Mesoblast (ASX: MSB) couldn't with FDA approval.

By deploying an industrialised approach to stem cell therapeutics, Cynata CEO Ross Macdonald (pictured) is confident the clinical trial process won't leave the company hamstrung.

In 1981 scientists discovered a way to derive embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos.

The discovery thrilled scientists, and eventually led to the development of a method to do the same in lab-grown human embryos by 1998.

While there have been plenty of discussions surrounding the ethics of using of embryonic stem cells, these major scientific movements have pushed researchers to discover new and inventive ways of treating a whole raft of diseases and infections.

One such researcher, Dr Ian Dixon, saw potential for the use of mesenschymal stem cells (MSCs) - a type of stem cell that can differentiate into a variety of cell types enabling the treatment of many diseases and infections.

However there was still an obstacle to overcome: how do you mass produce enough cells needed to commercialise a treatment?

Luckily, two researchers at the University of Wisconson, Professor Igor Slukvin and Dr Maksym Vodyanik, had invented a biotechnological breakthrough called Cymerus.

The technology was able to do exactly what Dixon needed: the consistent manufacture of MSCs on an ultra-large scale; basically what Henry Ford did to the industrialisation of the auto industry, but for stem cells.

So in 2003 Dixon partnered with the two researchers to start Cynata - now an ASX-listed biotechnology company trialing a number of different treatments for a wide variety of ailments.

Most recently, Cynata's focus has been on developing a treatment for a complication of COVID-19 called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

The complication ravages COVID-19 infected patients, destroying their organs through what is known as a cytokine storm. The complication is estimated to kill up to half of COVID-19 patients that suffer from it.

Melbourne-based Cynata is currently in the very early stages of its investigation into whether its MSCs will be able to treat the coronavirus complication overwhelming hospitals globally.

If this all sounds familiar, you might be thinking of another ASX-listed biotech called Mesoblast (ASX: MSB).

In March last year Mesoblast, also based in Melbourne, saw its shares surge after announcing plans to evaluate its stem cell treatment solutions on COVID-19 patients.

The group commenced the arduous clinical trial process to see if its remestemcel-L therapy could treat ARDS by using bone marrow aspirate from healthy donors - a similar approach the company had already taken to treat a condition many suffer from after receiving bone marrow transplants.

Mesoblast was riding high on the ASX following positive announcements surrounding the clinical traila process, especially back in April 2020 when a trial at New York City's Mt Sinai hospital found its remestemcel-L therpay achieved "remarkable" results.

Serious attention gathered around Mesoblast, with the company even securing $138 in funds from investors to continue its important research.

The company went so far as to sign a commercialisation deal for the COVID-19 treatment with Novartis, and the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) fast tracked the approvals process for the potential game-changing treatment.

However, in December 2020, Mesoblast hit a stumbling block.

Mesoblast's COVID-19 treatment flunked the test - its remestemcel-L therapy failed to show a lower mortality rate for patients in the prescribed 30-day timeframe of treatment.

At that point Cynata had commenced research into its own ARDS treatment. But did Mesoblast's failure unnerve Cynata CEO Ross Macdonald? Not a chance.

"I'm more confident that our trial will be successful where theirs was a failure," Macdonald said.

"If you use a process like we have developed - we don't rely on multiple different [stem cell] donations. You start with exactly the same material every time."

To explain, Macdonald used the analogy of a local caf; you normally expect a coffee from one caf to taste more or less exactly the same every time you go there - the same beans are used every time.

Whereas Macdonald said Mesoblast's process is like going to the same caf every day, but each visit they use different beans from a different supplier which leads to inconsistency in taste and flavour.

Cynata's approach with its MSCs is in line with the first example - what you get the first time from them will be replicated in each and every dose of the drug - while MSB's is like the latter.

"Yes, you still got the coffee, but the experience of the taste is totally different than it was yesterday," he said.

"The FDA said to Mesoblast, well you've got a manufacturing problem that is reliant upon multiple donors prepared to donate bone marrow and that is flawed.

"So with that in mind it's perhaps not surprising that they had a pretty disappointing result in the clinical trials."

Additionally, Macdonald said the initial investor reactions to MSB's early COVID-19 trail results were overblown.

"The initial data from their trial that got everybody excited was, in my view, quite flawed, because they said "look at how many patients are dying in intensive care units with COVID compared the patients that we treated," he said.

"But the reality of the situation was quite different. The control group at that time - the death rate was way, way higher than you would typically see for ARDS, whether its COVID or anything else. And it was simply because of the chaos that existed in intensive care units in New York in the first wave.

"So we think that the initial enthusiasm was perhaps a little misguided."

When asked why Mesoblast is receiving so much attention compared to Cynata, especially considering the above, Macdonald said it was simply because MSB is bigger and has been around for longer. For context, MSB has a market capitalisation of $1.46 billion, whereas Cynata's is just $94.56 million.

"I'd love to know why there is less attention, and how we can get our market cap above a billion dollars," joked Macdonald.

"I think the answer though is that they've been around for a lot longer than we have, they have spent a hell of a lot more money than we've spent - their monthly spend is more than we've spent for pretty much our entire existence.

"But I think the fundamental reason why is that data drives value in biotech, so the more clinical data you generate that shows your product works, the more attention you attract from investors."

That's not to say Cynata is being totally ignored in favour of the larger Mesoblast.

The company secured a $15 million placement led by $10 million from healthcare investor BioScience Managers in December.

The funds will be used to expand Cynata's clinical development pipeline and scale their operations in Australia.

As such, the company is preparing to expand its clinical development pipeline to include idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, renal transplantation, and diabetic foot ulcers.

"So we're starting to garner that attention now that says two things - one, cell therapies are definitely a medical revolution and two, Cynata is part of that new generation of companies," Macdonald said.

As for the company's pipeline, in addition to the COVID treatment trials, Cynata is planning on launching three new clinical candidates that will get under way this year.

There's also Cynata's osteoarthritis trial, which Macdonald describes as significant for the biotech company; with 2 million patients in Australia and 30 million in the United States the company is hoping to tap into an $11 billion plus addressable market.

"It will ultimately show whether MSCs are useful in that particularly devastating condition," he said.

"It doesn't just affect people who want to go and play golf or tennis, it affects, particularly manual labourers who can no longer work.

"So the cost to the economy of osteoarthritis is quite significant, which is of course one of the reasons why the Australian Government is funding this trial."

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Business News Australia

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Why Cynata is hopeful its COVID treatment trial will succeed where others have failed - Business News Australia

The anti-emetic agent metoclopramide blocked CD93 signaling in cell culture and delayed leukemia development in mice, according to data from a preclinical study published in Cell Reports. The results indicate that CD93 signaling, which is an important regulator of self-renewal and proliferation of murine and human leukemia stem cells (LSCs), could be a potential therapeutic target for the elimination of LSCs in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

To characterize the function of CD93 in CML, the researchers first demonstrated that all subsets of LSCs expressed CD93 while more differentiated leukemia granulocytes did not. Though CD93 was shown to encourage self-renewal and proliferation of murine and human LSCs, it notably had no such effect on hematopoietic stem cells.

In an experiment, the investigators injected mice with LSCs that were either proficient or deficient in CD93. Mice with CD93-deficient LSCs were found to incorporate bromodeoxyuridine, which is used to detect proliferating cells, at a lower rate than mice with CD93-proficient LSCs. The finding suggests that proliferation of LSCs is impaired when CD93 is absent.

Next, a drug library was used to screen for compounds that could block CD93 signaling. Among the 240 compounds evaluated in vitro, 10 blocked CD93 signaling; one of the compounds was the anti-emetic agent metoclopramide.

Mice were then treated with either vehicle or metoclopramide. Notably, metoclopramide-treated mice had delayed leukemia development and lived longer than vehicle-treated mice. Among the metoclopramide-receiving mice, most genes were downregulated in the LSCs, particularly genes that promote stem cell maintenance and myeloid differentiation, cell proliferation and survival, response to cytokine signaling, and gene expression.

In vitro exposure to metoclopramide was found to disrupt colony formation in human bone marrow CML stem/progenitor cells. A control experiment showed that metoclopramide had no effect on hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from humans with healthy bone marrow.

The study authors reasoned that because metoclopramide is a very well-tolerated and cheap anti-emetic drug, its LSC-eradicating activity in patients with CML can be directly tested in clinical drug repurposing studies.

Reference

Riether C, Radpour B, Kallen NM, et al. Metoclopramide treatment blocks CD93-signaling-mediated self-renewal of chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells. Cell Rep. 2021;34(4):108663. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108663

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Anti-Emetic Drug Effectively Blocks CD93 Signaling in Preclinical Evaluations, Suggesting Suitability in CML - Cancer Therapy Advisor

World Cancer Day 2021: It is observed on 4 February every year and this year the theme is "I Am and I Will".The campaign shows that our actions have an impact on everyone around us, within our neighbourhoods, communities, and cities. This year is a reminder of the enduring power of cooperation and collective action i.e. together, all our actions matter.

What are Blood Cancers?

It is a type of cancer that affects blood cells and affects the production and function of blood cells.

This type of cancer starts in the bone marrow which is the main source of blood production.

It occurs when abnormal blood cells start growing out of control and interrupt the function of normal blood cells that fight off infection and produce new blood cells.

World Cancer Day 2021: Current Theme, History and Key Facts

Blood Cancer: Types

Mainly, there are three types of blood cancers namely leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

Leukemia

It is a blood cancer that originates in the blood and bone marrow. It is caused by the rapid production of abnormal white blood cells and interferes with the bone marrow's ability to make red blood cells and platelets. These high numbers of abnormal white blood cells are not able to fight infection.

Lymphoma

This type of blood cancer affects the lymphatic system, which removes excess fluids from the body and produces immune cells. As we know that lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that fights infection. Therefore, abnormal lymphocytes become lymphoma cells that multiply and collect in the lymph nodes and other tissues. And over time, these cancerous cells impair the immune system of the body.

Myeloma

It is a type of blood cancer that begins in the plasma cells of blood which is a type of white blood cell made in the bone marrow. Plasma cells are white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight against infection and disease in the body. So, myeloma cells prevent the normal production of antibodies which make the immune system weak and susceptible to infection.

Blood Cancer: Symptoms

Loss of appetite, nausea

Fever, chills

Night sweats

Persistent fatigue, weakness

Unexplained weight loss

Bone/joint pain

Shortness of breath

Abdominal discomfort

Frequent infections

Itchy skin or skin rash

Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarms or groin

Delirium and confusion

Decreased urination and difficulty while urinating

What is High Grade Metastatic Cancer?

Blood Cancer: Treatment

On the type of cancer, treatment depends and how fast the cancer is progressing, where cancer has spread, and other factors. Some common treatment for blood cancer are:

Chemotherapy: In this anticancer cancer drugs are provided to the patient to interfere with and stop the growth of cancer cells in the body. In blood cancer, in chemotherapy treatment, sometimes several drugs are given together in a set regimen. This treatment may also be given before a stem cell transplant.

Radiation therapy: In this type of cancer treatment high-energy rays are given to kill cancer cells. It may also be given before a stem cell transplant.

Stem cell transplantation: In this type of treatment, healthy stem cells are infused into the patient body to help resume healthy blood production following therapy to destroy malignant blood cells. Stem cells may be collected from the bone marrow, circulating blood, and umbilical cord blood.

Blood Cancer in India

In India, over 20,000 new cases of childhood blood cancer are diagnosed every year of which nearly 15,000 of those cases are leukemia as per Globocan 2020.

The most common type of blood cancer is leukemia that affects children and teens (0-19 years) and one of the leading causes of death.

As per some studies, India ranks 3rd highest in reported cases of Blood Cancer after the US and China. Several factors are responsible like low accessibility of affordable healthcare in rural areas, lack of awareness and education on Blood Cancer, etc.

So, now you may have come to know about the blood cancer, types, symptoms, treatment, etc.

GK Questions and Answers on Types of Cancers

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World Cancer Day 2021: What are Blood Cancers, Types, Symptoms, Treatment and data in India? - Jagran Josh

Dave Asprey  |  Photo Credit: Twitter

A man who is determined to live until he is 180 years old says that his bizarre methods will soon be as popular as mobile phones. American millionaire tech entrepreneur Dave Asprey, 47, believes he will live to the year 2153 'at least' by using techniques such as sitting in a cold cryotherapy chamber and intermittent-fasting.

Dave coined the term 'Biohacking' to describe his methods of turning back the biological clock.

He got parts of his bone marrow removed to have the stem cells injected back into his body for $25,000 (Rs 18 lakh).

He speculated that people who are under 40 years of age will be "happy and highly functional" at 100 after applying his methods.

When This Morning's Holly Willoughby asked him why he wants to live so long, he replied, "I'm curious, I think there's a lot of things we can fix and improve in the world and I don't feel like I'm at all done yet."

Dave believes that he won't be the only one to be live for so long.

"The things I am working to pioneer, some of them are expensive, some of them are free like fasting. This will be like cell phones, everyone has cell phones - everyone will have anti-ageing. Change can happen rapidly in society," he said. "There will be many people who are under 40 right now who [will be] walking around under their own power, perfectly happy, highly functional, who are more than 100 years old."

Dave has spent an estimated $1 million on techniques and hacks to try and improve his body's overall functioning.

He added, "I set myself up to have much less inflammation than most people do, by controlling what I eat and how I sleep and a lot of other anti-ageing treatments."

He explained why he re-introduced his stem cells in his body, saying, "When we're young, we have a ton of stem cells and we heal like young people. As we age our stem cells get exhausted, so I do things like intermittent fasting which give me more stem cells and then I take my own stem cells and move them around the body so I heal and move like a young person."

Dave also believes in the benefits of cryotherapy, also known as cold therapy, which is the use of low temperatures in medical therapy to treat a variety of tissue lesions. He has been having cold showers for over ten years.

Another technique that Dave uses to live a long life is intermittent fasting, which involves restricting times that you eat meals to create periods of fasting over a certain period.

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Man who wants to live for 180 years spends Rs 18 lakh to re-inject his own stem cells - Times Now