One thing weve been hearing a lot recently when a man particularly a man a lot of people really like is accused of something awful is that the accusations arent real but in fact are part of a baseless, bloodthirsty, politically motivated mass hysteria known as a witch hunt.

This is a relatively new usage of the term. Traditionally, witch hunt has been used in reference to the witch trials of early modern Europe and colonial America, during which an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 people were brutally tortured by being briefly ostracized at work and having a lot of people yell at them.

Whoops, sorry, my mistake! They were actually hanged, beheaded, or burned at the stake. Still, though. Very, very similar to the modern-day witch hunts against men!

Imagine, if you will, a fine woodcut print of a colonial witch burning. A town square, a black sky, perhaps a fat bristly pig. A massive bonfire crackles hungrily, and at its heart, three screaming women are bound to a post, burning to death in agony. Nearby, a group of angry men in pantaloons and buckled hats stoke the flames with long poles. A bat-winged demon harries the dying women from above, while all around the townspeople froth at the mouth and howl in a frenzy of bloodlust. Here and there, corpses litter the ground, but the townspeople seem not to notice or care. Some fricking knave beheads the pig with a sword.

Now, in case youre not familiar with classic seventeenth-century iconography, I, an art historian*, have compiled a handy reference guide to what each of these elements represents:

*Honorary degree, Trump University.

Women burning to death = Men who did nothing wrong

Men stoking the fire = Feminists (third-wave, booooooooo!)

Demon = How Sharons butt looked in those pants

The fire = Call-out culture

Townspeople = The court of public opinion

The pig = Due process

The knave = Salma Hayek

Corpses = Free speech, comedy, human reproduction, the legacy of Matt Lauer

I think we can all agree that this fully checks out and that, indeed, it is men who are the true victims of witch hunts. Which they invented. To kill women.

From The Witches Are Coming. 2019 Lindy West. Published by Hachette Book Group.

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Excerpt from 'The Witches Are Coming' by Lindy West - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Factor affecting sperm retrieval rate (SRR) or pregnancy rates (PR) after testicular sperm extraction (TESE) in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) have not been systematically evaluated. In addition, although micro-TESE (mTESE) has been advocated as the gold standard for sperm retrieval in men with NOA, its superiority over conventional TESE (cTESE) remains conflicting.

The objective was to perform a meta-analysis of the currently available studies comparing the techniques of sperm retrieval and to identify clinical and biochemical factors predicting SRR in men with NOA. In addition, PRs and live birth rates (LBRs), as derived from subjects with NOA post-ICSI, were also analysed as secondary outcomes.

An extensive Medline, Embase and Cochrane search was performed. All trials reporting SRR derived from cTESE or mTESE in patients with NOA and their specific determinants were included. Data derived from genetic causes of NOA or testicular sperm aspiration were excluded.

Out of 1236 studies, 117 studies met the inclusion criteria for this study, enrolling 21404 patients with a mean age ( SD) of 35.02.7years. cTESE and mTESE were used in 56 and 43 studies, respectively. In addition, 10 studies used a mixed approach and 8 studies compared cTESE with mTESE approach. Overall, a SRR per TESE procedure of 47[45;49]% (mean percentage [95% CI]) was found. No differences were observed when mTESE was compared to cTESE (46[43;49]% for cTESE versus 46[42;49]% for mTESE). Meta-regression analysis demonstrated that SRR per cycle was independent of age and hormonal parameters at enrolment. However, the SRR increased as a function of testis volume. In particular, by applying ROC curve analysis, a mean testis volume higher than 12.5ml predicted SRR >60% with an accuracy of 86.2%0.01. In addition, SRR decreased as a function of the number of Klinefelter's syndrome cases included (S=-0.02[-0.04;-0.01]; P<0.01. I=0.12[-0.05;0.29]; P=0.16). Information on fertility outcomes after ICSI was available in 42 studies. Overall, a total of 1096 biochemical pregnancies were reported (cumulative PR=29[25;32]% per ICSI cycle). A similar rate was observed when LBR was analysed (569 live births with a cumulative LBR=24[20;28]% per ICSI cycle). No influence of male and female age, mean testis volume or hormonal parameters on both PR and LBR per ICSI cycle was observed. Finally, a higher PR per ICSI cycle was observed when the use of fresh sperm was compared to cryopreserved sperm (PR=35[30;40]%, versus 20[13;29]% respectively): however, this result was not confirmed when cumulative LBR per ICSI cycle was analysed (LBR=30[20;41]% for fresh versus 20[12;31]% for cryopreserved sperm).

This analysis shows that cTESE/mTESE in subjects with NOA results in SRRs of up to 50%, with no differences when cTESE was compared to mTESE. Retrieved sperms resulted in a LBR of up to 28% ICSI cycle. Although no difference between techniques was found, to conclusively clarify if one technique is superior to the other, there is a need for a sufficiently powered and well-designed randomized controlled trial to compare mTESE to cTESE in men with NOA.

Human reproduction update. 2019 Oct 30 [Epub ahead of print]

Giovanni Corona, Suks Minhas, Aleksander Giwercman, Carlo Bettocchi, Marij Dinkelman-Smit, Gert Dohle, Ferdinando Fusco, Ates Kadioglou, Sabine Kliesch, Zsolt Kopa, Csilla Krausz, Fiore Pelliccione, Alessandro Pizzocaro, Jens Rassweiler, Paolo Verze, Linda Vignozzi, Wolfgang Weidner, Mario Maggi, Nikolaos Sofikitis

Endocrinology Unit, Medical Department, Endocrinology Unit, Azienda Usl Bologna Maggiore-Bellaria Hospital, Bologna, Italy., Department of Urology, Imperial College NHS Healthcare, London, UK., Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malm, Sweden., Department of Urology, Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy., Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands., Department of Neurosciences, Human Reproduction and Odontostomatology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy., Department of Urology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey., Department of Clinical and Surgical Andrology, Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology (CeRA), Mnster University Hospital (UKM), Mnster, Germany., Andrology Centre, Department of Urology Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary., Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Inconguence Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy., Diabetes and Metabolism Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda ASL 02 Chieti-Lanciano-Vasto, F. Renzetti Hospital, Lanciano, Italy., Endocrinology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University and Humanitas Research Center IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, SLK-Kliniken Heilbronn, University of Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Germany., Department of Urology, Pediatric Urology and Andrology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany., Department of Urology, Ioannina University School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31665451

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Sperm recovery and ICSI outcomes in men with non-obstructive azoospermia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. - UroToday

Gay parents will both be able to register their names on their child's birthday certificate from May 2020.

More than a year ago, Minister Harrissought approval to introduce legislation allowing both parents to be recognised as such on their child's birth cert, and after a lengthy campaign by Equality for Children, it will finally come into effect next year.

Up until now,an anomaly meant that some parental rights for same-sex couples were afforded to the child's birth mother only.

In 2015, parts 2 and 3 of theChildren and Family Relationships Act allowed for parentage through donor-assisted human reproduction.

However, a loophole meant that these clauses had yet to be enacted.

According to the Irish Independent, Minister Simon Harris said:

"While we know some of their issues will be addressed through the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, there are areas that require some consideration.

"I have some proposals as to how to look at these matters but I want to discuss these with the families first and hope to make some progress on this next week."

It is hoped that the new clause will come into action on May 5, 2020.

Originally posted here:
Same-sex parents will be able to legally register both names on child's birth cert - Her.ie

Few topics arouse as much interest and controversy as sex. This is hardly surprising. The biological continuance of the species hinges on it if human beings stopped having sex, there would soon be no more human beings. Popular culture overflows with sex, from cinema to advertising to, yes, even politics. And for many, sex represents one of the most intimate forms of human connection.

Despite its universality, sex and its purpose have been understood very differently by different thinkers. I teach an annual course on sexuality at Indiana University, and this work has provided opportunities to ponder sex from some provocative angles, including the body, the psyche, and the spirit.

Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956) was an insect biologist whose alarm at widespread ignorance of sexual structure and physiology led him to become perhaps the first major American figure in the study of sex. The Kinsey Reports, published in 1948 and 1953, presented a highly statistical taxonomy of sexual preferences and practices. Despite draining sex of virtually all eroticism, the books managed to sell about three-quarters of a million copies.

The intellectual climate for Kinseys studies of sex had been powerfully shaped by the work of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Physician and founder of psychoanalysis, Freud created a model of the human psyche that placed libido or sex drive at its core and postulated that psychological and social life are powerfully shaped by its tensions with the conventions of civilized behavior. According to Freud, failure to adequately resolve such tensions could manifest in a variety of mental and physical ailments.

The stage for psychoanalysis had in turn been set by Charles Darwin (1809-1882). In Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), Darwin argued that human beings are animals, likening differences between males and females in body and behavior to those seen among species such as peacocks and emphasizing female choosiness and direct competition among males. From Darwins vantage point, and later that of Freud, even some of the most sophisticated trappings of human civilization reflect basic biological imperatives. The subject of non-heterosexual attraction requires a different account.

At first glance, sexual reproduction is a puzzle, since each member of an asexually reproducing species can produce its own genetically identical young at a lower biological cost. However, sexual reproduction allows a more rapid reshuffling of the genetic deck, increasing the probability that some individuals will be well-adapted to environmental changes. Because human beings reproduce sexually, the foundation is laid for sexual selection, the competition for mates of which Darwin wrote in such detail.

The writer Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) presents a more broadly humanistic understanding of the purpose of sex. In Anna Karenina, often ranked as the greatest of all novels, sex provides the foundation for the family. Characters who treat sex as an adventure with no regard to family come to bad ends, while those who devote themselves to family happiness fare well. In Tolstoys view, the seemingly mundane joys of family life, made possible by sex, constitute the truest joys accessible to human beings.

Consider Tolstoys description of the life of a devoted mother, Dolly, troubled by the illnesses of her children:

Though hard it was for the mother to bear the dread of illness, the illnesses themselves, and the signs of evil propensities in her children the children themselves were even now repaying her in small joys for her sufferings. These joys were so small they passed unnoticed, like gold in sand, and at bad moments she could see nothing but the pain, nothing but sand; but there were good moments too, when she saw nothing but the joy, nothing but gold.

In the first book of Anna Karenina, two men discuss the theories of love in Platos (428-348 B.C.) dialogue, The Symposium. One of its characters, the comic poet Aristophanes, grounds sex in our desire for completeness. Aristophanes tells the story of once-whole creatures, who, because of their pride, were cut in two, creating human beings who now wander the Earth seeking completion in their other half. For Aristophanes, sex represents above all a desire for wholeness.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430), a saint in Catholicism, also subordinates sex to other purposes in human life. As a young man, Augustine had relished the pleasures of sexual life, even taking a concubine who bore him a son. Later in his Confessions, he describes his former self as a slave to his sexual impulses. He recognized that such impulses could find appropriate expression in marriage and family, but he treated his own preoccupation with sex as evil, because it prevented him from orienting his life around his ultimate purpose, God.

One of the most extraordinary books in the Bible is the Song of Songs. Unlike the other books, it does not mention the God of Israel or covenant, contains no prophecy, and does not represent a wisdom text, like Proverbs. Instead, it celebrates the mutual yearning of two lovers, each of whom waxes erotically on the others charms and the sexual intimacy they enjoy. More than any other text discussed here, this is love poetry in which lovers revel in one anothers allure and embrace.

In an era in which sex and religion are often portrayed as antagonists, it can be a bit hard to fathom the view of some rabbis that the Song of Songs represents the Holy of Holies, capturing the flow of divine love and the restoration of harmony between God and creation. Likewise, Christian interpreters have often read the Song of Songs as an analogy for the love between God and man, in which the two exist in full accord. In both traditions, sex is seen as an earthly sign of a higher union.

Today, we doctors take for granted that sex and health are linked. Sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV/AIDS, immunization against human papillomavirus (HPV), and the health implications of pregnancy are rightly regarded as essential topics in sex education. Likewise, there is increasing interest in the health benefits of sex sex as a form of exercise good for the heart, intimacy as a way of relieving tension, and the benefits of sex for immune function and general sense of healthiness.

Yet the biologists, psychologists, and theologians of sex invite us to think more deeply about the purposes of sex. From a biological point of view, sex enables each human being to participate in the perpetuation of the species, interweaving each generation with its forebears and progeny. Psychologically speaking, sex brings us together in a way that makes 1 + 1 = 3, rendering us co-creators. And spiritually, sex serves as a rich metaphor for the union of earthly and higher orders.

How we see sex depends on our vantage point. Athletic and hedonistic perspectives offer relatively limited accounts of sex. If, on the other hand, we view sex as an opportunity to participate in something beyond ourselves, it may unexpectedly enrich our whole lives.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by Richard Gunderman. Read the original article here.

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What is sex really for? - Inverse

For only the second time ever in medical literature, a human has contracted a rare infection of Thelazia gulosa an ocular parasite that turns the eyes into a breeding ground for squiggling worms.

While this is only the second documented case in humans, given both known infections took place within two years of one another, scientists say we could be looking at a newly emerging zoonotic disease type in the US.

In a startling case report documenting the second infection, scientists from the CDC's parasitic diseases division tell the story of a 68-year-old patient from Nebraska who spent her winters in the warmer climate of California's Carmel Valley.

During these sojourns, she enjoyed trail running, which is what she was doing one day in early February 2018, when something unpleasant happened. As she rounded a corner on a steep trail, she ran directly into a swarm of small flies.

"She recalls swatting the flies from her face and spitting them out of her mouth," the researchers explain in their case report.

The strange episode didn't end there, though; in fact, it may have only just gotten started.

The following month, the woman noted irritation in her right eye, and the cause of the discomfort didn't take long to reveal itself.

While washing her eye with tap water, she flushed out a transparent, motile roundworm measuring about half an inch in length (about 1.25 cm).

It wasn't alone. Further inspection revealed another worm in her eye (which she was also able to extract), and the next day she visited an ophthalmologist, who fished out a third, and prescribed her an antibiotic ointment to treat any bacterial infections.

A couple of weeks later, she returned home to Nebraska, still feeling continued irritation and a "foreign body sensation" in both eyes. Another ophthalmologist examination diagnosed her with mild bilateral papillary conjunctivitis, but wasn't able to detect any additional nematodes.

T. gulosa female worm, revealing ovaries containing spirurid eggs and larvae at bottom-left. (Bradbury et al., Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2019)

Nonetheless, the patient found and removed a fourth worm from her eye shortly afterward, and luckily her conjunctivitis subsequently resolved.

That fourth worm was the last ever found in the woman's eyes, and for that she might consider herself lucky. At least, in the only previous human case of the same infection, 14 worms were discovered lurking in the 26-year-old patient's eyes.

Analysis of one of a nematode sample collected from the Nebraska patient confirmed her case was the second known instance of the parasitic T. gulosa infection (aka the cattle eyeworm), and revealed a literal litter of surprises besides.

"The worm was identified as an adult female T. gulosa," the authors write.

"Importantly, eggs containing developed larvae were observed in utero, indicating that humans are suitable hosts for the reproduction of T. gulosa."

Other kinds of Thelazia species have been known to infect humans before in the US, causing the disease Thelaziasis, although documented cases are rare.

If you do have these worms squiggling around in your eye, though, you don't want to delay in getting them out of there, the researchers warn.

"In long-term untreated infections, chronic irritation caused by the passage of adult worms over the cornea may result in keratitis, loss of visual acuity, or even blindness," the team explains.

"In reported cases where the infesting nematodes have been removed from the eye within one to two months of first observation, the associated conjunctivitis has resolved and no long term clinical effects have been observed."

In cases like these, it's relatively impossible to determine for sure just how a patient got infected, but in both the human cases, the probable cause is known.

Thelazia eyeworms are transmitted between animals by species of flies. Most commonly, in the case of T. gulosa, they are known to carry the infection to cattle.

As such, if you're in the vicinity of cattle (like the farm-visiting patient in the first case, who practised horse-riding) or have the misfortune of running face-first into a swarm of flies in a rural area (like the second patient), you just might stand a chance of contracting the parasite.

How significant is the threat? From what we know so far, the incidence of these infections in humans remains extremely rare, although the temporal coincidence of these two cases could be significant.

In cattle, T. gulosa infections have been identified in several US states, as well as Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia, but testing for the parasite in these regions may not be considered a strict priority.

"The reasons for this species only now infecting humans remain obscure," the authors explain.

"Monitoring of thelaziasis in cattle does not occur, and therefore it cannot be determined if there is an increasing prevalence of T. gulosa infections among domestic cattle which is resulting in zoonotic spillover events into humans and other unusual hosts. Renewed surveillance studies on domestic and wild ruminants would assist in better elucidating the situation in those hosts and would indicate what regions of the United States further human infections might occur in."

The findings are reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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Woman Finds Parasitic Worms in Her Eyes After Running Through a Swarm of Flies - ScienceAlert

The numbers are appalling.

538 babies are born to Filipino teens each day.

2,000 10- to 14-year-olds got pregnant in 2017.

30% of Filipino teens had sex in 2017, 10% higher than in 2016.

There's been a 170% increase in the number of new HIV infections among young Filipinos since 2010.

All of this has led to disrupted education and employment, chronic financial difficulties, and serious health complications.

Who is to blame for this undeclared national emergency? Parents, guardians, church people, government officials, and other supposedly responsible grown-ups. We are all guilty in our failure to identify and tackle the crisis in its manifold aspects.

First of all, we refuse to recognize human nature at its most chaotic stage: adolescence. This is a turbulent period characterized by rebellion, insecurity, young love, and sexual awakening. This is biology. And biology always wins.

In this fragile biological phase, our teenagers are bombarded with peer pressure and pornography. With non-stop cajoling from friends and widespread online sexual content and enabled by freedom of physical mobility teenagers will have sex.

These factors have led to the present crisis: a crisis that adults have refused to deal with.

The solution is arming our teenagers with sufficient, accurate information about human reproduction, sexuality, and safe sex, as well as giving them anonymous access to safe sex commodities, like oral contraceptives and condoms, through qualified health workers. We have to harness the power of every possible resource in the soonest possible time to curb the problem.

But no, Filipino adults are still dilly-dallying, not realizing that each day of delay translates to hundreds of additional babies born to young, poor mothers. (READ: Kids having kids: When choice is not an option)

Filipino parents and religious sectors have been preaching abstinence for years. Unfortunately, this is not working. In 2016, 20% of teens were having sex. Then, it rose to 30% in 2017. Its almost 2020. You do the math. These kids are not receptive to biblical, moral preaching at this point. Fornication is not pleasing to the Lord, we tell them. Well, these kids will gladly go to hell to be with their Romeos and Juliets.

The immorality or morality of using artificial contraceptives will never be settled, and we should not allow this debate to further stall urgent intervention. As for the risks, yes, there are health risks involved in taking pills and using condoms, but there are more health risks in spiking rates of teenage pregnancy and unabated, unprotected sex.

Parents and guardians are either in denial or incapable of communication. My daughter would never do that. Then the girl comes home pregnant. Parents are always the last to know. On the other hand, talking to children about sex is never easy. It needs training and preparation. Hence, we need teachers and school counsellors to help parents in this respect. This can be done in parent-teacher meetings. (READ: [DASH of SAS] Teen pregnancy: Losses and missed opportunities)

The government should swiftly implement much-needed reforms. Aside from funding, legislative amendments are also necessary to allow teens to get safe sex products without parental consent. School curricula should be updated to give administrators and teachers the leeway to offer complete sex education.

There should be gender-segregated sex education classes (with other subjects still gender-mixed) where teens can ask questions without being embarrassed. They need lessons where human anatomy, reproduction, and safe sex will be discussed direct to the point, not euphemistically or metaphorically. Teenagers need non-moralizing conversations on human desires and how to handle them. They also need to be aware of the consequences of their actions. (READ: [DASH of SAS] Schools as access points for condoms)

Many parents worry that teaching teenagers about contraceptives and safe sex will encourage them to have sex. There is no empirical data to support this. But assuming that it is true, the risks of knowing are less serious and deadly than the risks of not knowing. Ignorance will take a greater toll. (READ: Teenage pregnancies: Untangling cause and effect)

Priests and pastors should continue preaching abstinence and chastity, but they should stop demonizing the solutions proposed by people they dont agree with. They dont have the exclusive knowledge of right and wrong. Scientists and doctors are Gods instruments too, and they, too, have God-given wisdom to differentiate the moral from the immoral.

Again, how did we reach this crisis?

Through years of silence, denial, inaction, and a sin-fixated mentality.

Until we change our mindset and act decisively, we will continue to succumb to an unsustainable population explosion, perpetual poverty, and a contagion of diseases. Rappler.com

Marily Sasota Gayeta is currently an English lecturer at Salalah College of Technology in Oman. She finds delight in solitude, rock music, action movies and non-fiction books.

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[OPINION] We need to tackle the pregnancy crisis - Rappler

An active ingredient of the ginseng medicinal plant may suppressendometriosis by regulating cell death and blood vessel formation processes in the endometriumor lining of the uterus, a study in cells from patients suggests.

The study, Ginsenoside Rg3 attenuates endometriosis by inhibiting the viability of human ectopic endometrial stromal cells through the nuclear factor-kappaB signaling pathway was published in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction.

Although endometriosis has long been considered a disease of uncontrolled and aberrant growth of endometrium tissue outside of the uterus, the exact molecular mechanisms disrupted in this disorder remain unknown.

Research indicates that there is not just one single molecular culprit, but several signaling pathways that contribute to the disease mechanism of endometriosis, including ones involved in cell proliferation, cell adhesion and programmed death (apoptosis), blood vessel formation (angiogenesis), and immune function.

The protein complex NF-kappaB (NF-kB) is involved in such processes, and has been shown to favor the development and maintenance of endometriosis by preventing cell death and stimulating proliferation of various cell types, like endometrial and endometriosis-related cells, as well as inflammation.

Ginsenoside Rg3 is a main effective component extracted from ginseng, which is a Chinese medical herb, the scientists wrote.

In rats, the compound was seen to inhibit the development of new endometriosis lesions, reduce the volume of existing lesions, and halt the formation of new blood vessels. Nonetheless, the effects of Rg3 on endometriosis-related cells from people is still poorly understood.

Investigators at the Women Health Center of Shanxi and Childrens Hospital of Shanxi, in China, evaluated this compound on human endometrial cells in a lab dish.

Endometrial tissue samples were obtained from six women (ages 2840 years) with ovarian endometriosis and regular menstrual cycles. Using tissue from their endometrial lesions, scientists grew endometrial stromal cells, or connective tissue cells found in the endometrium, in the lab.

Cells were then treated with five distinct doses of Rg3 (0, 25, 50, 100, and 150 mg/mL) and the compounds effects were evaluated at 24, 48 and 72 hours post-treatment.

Ginsenoside Rg3 was found to stop the cells from spreading in a time- and dose-dependent manner, with higher doses being associated with lesser cell proliferation.

Scientists reported that after 48, 72h, 100 mg/mL and 150 mg/mL of concentration of Rg3 inhibited the viability of human ectopic endometrial cells, which was found to be statistically significant in comparison to untreated cells.

Rg3 also significantly lowered levels of the NF-B p65 subunit and the protein TNF- in diseased cells, suggesting the NF-B pathway plays a role in the mechanism of endometriosis. Of note, women with endometriosis are known to have very active NF-B and high serum levels TNF-, a potent NF-B inducer.

A significant decrease in the concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which stimulates new blood vessel formation, and a significant increase in the levels of caspase 3, a protein that regulates the apoptosis process, were also seen after Rg3 was used.

When TNF- was administered together with Rg3, the latter was able to neutralize TNF--induced changes, including cell death and blood vessel formation.

Our results indicate that Ginsenoside Rg3 suppresses endometriosis by reducing the viability of human ectopic [outside of the normal location] endometrial stromal cells involving the nuclear factor-kappaB signaling pathway, the researchers concluded.

NF-B signaling pathway may be a potential target in the process of the Rg3 treatment for endometriosis, they added.

With over three years of experience in the medical communications business, Catarina holds a BSc. in Biomedical Sciences and a MSc. in Neurosciences. Apart from writing, she has been involved in patient-oriented translational and clinical research.

Total Posts: 146

Margarida graduated with a BS in Health Sciences from the University of Lisbon and a MSc in Biotechnology from Instituto Superior Tcnico (IST-UL). She worked as a molecular biologist research associate at a Cambridge UK-based biotech company that discovers and develops therapeutic, fully human monoclonal antibodies.

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Endometriosis Suppressed in Patient Cells Treated with Active Component of Ginseng, Study Says - Endometriosis News Today

One of the key points that Barbara Jones-Hogu made in her 1973 manifesto for the influential group that went by the unforgettable name African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists Work (or AFRI-COBRA for short) was that black artists should ensure that their work was accessible to their audiences. She didnt just mean what artists drew, printed, painted or sculpted; she also meant artists ensuring that their work, or reproductions of it, were within easy reach of the people with whom it was intended to dialogue.

Jones-Hogu stressed the importance of modes of expression, that lend themselves to economical mass production techniques such as Poster Art so that everyone who wants one can have one. Jones-Hogu may well have been mindful of the strategies of audience engagement pioneered by the renowned American artist Charles White, whose work is becoming ever more celebrated, as two current exhibitions on the campus of the University of Texas at Austinat the Blanton Museum of Art and the Christian-Green Galleryattest.

Relatively speaking, Whites work has consistently achieved respectable prices at auction. How could they not? With his work widely reproduced in print, and featuring in so many published or exhibited histories of African American art, the chance to own a Charles White original is something many collectors are keen to do. Even so, this months auction at Christies New York of one of the artists lesser known works, Banner for Willie J., a 1976 oil painting, will be something of a milestone, because the work carries an estimate of between $1 million and $1.5 million.

No doubt the escalation in appreciation of Whites work, in part a consequence of his major exhibition that traveled from Chicago to New York to Los Angeles, has helped increase valuations of his originals, but we still might be tempted to think that such financial appraisals are overdue. Banner for Willie J. is a beautiful, hugely engaging work, instantly recognizable as coming from the artists mid-1970s period, and its a work that has wider stylistic similarities with Homage to Sterling Brown, produced a few years earlier. Both have a lyricism, a deep affection for the black male figure, and Whites characteristic attachment to depicting human anatomy. The price that Banner for Willie J. might realize could significantly exceed the handsome prices his work has already been achieving at auction in recent years.

Charles White, Banner for Willie J. (1976). Courtesy of Christies Images, Ltd.

Yet we shouldnt let the excitement over this high-profile work obscure one the most salient aspects of Whites practice: that he was steadfastly committed to making art accessible to all, a pursuit he achieved by mass-producing his images on book jackets, record sleeves, and other printed materials.

Born in Chicago in 1918, White, who died at the relatively young age of 61, was a highly accomplished draughtsman, painter, printmaker, and muralist. He dedicated his life to his art, which was characterized by his commitment to depicting African Americans as dignified, resilient survivors, and to this end, his drawings of black Americans resonated with hope, fortitude, humanity, and pride.

With a highly distinctive drawing style, Whites recent exhibitions have firmly, though belatedly, established him as one of the most respected and admired American artists of the 20th century. His drawings, though in some respects hugely accessible, were nuanced creations embodying many layers of meaning, history, and culture.One of Whites strategies was to produce folios of reproductions of his drawings, and he saw to it that at least six different folios were brought into existence over the course of a career cut short by illness. These folios attested to his determination to see his work brought within reach of those who could ill afford gallery prices and may well have been somewhat alienated from the world of art galleries and museums.

Charles Whites Awaken from the Unknowing (1961) on the cover of Freedomwaysjournal, a quarterly review of the freedom movement. Collection of Eddie Chambers.

The first of these folios was issued in 1953 and contained reproductions of what were already widely regarded as classic works by White. Remarkably, the folio cost a mere $3, which even in todays money is somewhere in the region of just $30. The other folios, published over the next couple of decades, were similarly modestly priced. It is, however, Whites prolific work as an illustrator of record sleeves, book jackets, and so on that is perhaps the least remembered or appreciated aspect of his work, even though such reproductions were the means through which many African Americans came to know and love the artist. Poet Nikki Giovanni perfectly expressed the affection many people have for Whites images, in her poem named for the artist: Charles White and his art were introduced to me through magazines and booksthats why I love them.

No other artist lent more reproductions of their work to book jackets, magazine covers, and record sleeves than White. With their potency, articulation, and awesome visual beauty they are an absolute pleasure to behold. Given Whites particular appreciation of black culture in its many forms, including black American music, his evocative, poetic drawings were perfect for the sleeves of the jazz records they frequently came to adorn. Make no mistake, these were beautifully crafted images that not only functioned perfectly as distinct drawings (at a time when photography and graphic design were increasingly being deployed in the service of record sleeve illustration), but also managed to directly dialogue with the music of the records themselves.

White supplied drawings for a number of Vanguard label records, for the most part with 10-inch sleeves. Now, in 2019, seeing the record sleeves of these jazz and blues recordings we can appreciate just how wonderful a draughtsman White was, and just how committed he was to bringing his work to wider audiences. Though Whites work gained widespread appreciation from the 1940s onwards, he took time during his particularly productive mid-20th century years to undertake these record sleeve commissions.

Drawing by Charles White on the cover of Brother John Sellers, Jack of Diamonds (ca. 1954) record. Collection of Eddie Chambers.

Not infrequently, his successes as an artist were noted on the backs of the record sleeves he had illustrated, with words such as:

The drawing on the cover is one of a series commissioned by Vanguard Recording Society, Inc., from the distinguished American artist, Charles White, for use on its Jazz Showcase and classical releases. Aside from our belief that it takes a creative artist to capture the full human feeling of creative music, we hope by this means to bring to the public a knowledge of contemporary American art such as this, which has only to be seen to be loved. Charles White won the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1942, an Academy of Arts and Letters Award in 1952, and a National Prize of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His work is represented in the Whitney Museum, Library of Congress, and other famous collections.

Like Whites art itself, his record sleeve illustrations were every bit as committed to portraying African Americans as dignified and resilient, with his images resonating with hope, fortitude, humanity, and culture. And because what I refer to as Whites 10- and 12-inch messages came directly into peoples homes, individuals could appreciate the crosshatching, exquisite draughtsmanship, and perfect compositions of his drawings, without having to stand behind a gallery barrier, or be separated from a drawing or print by glazing. Within the Charles White exhibitions on the University of Texas at Austin campus, seeing a work such as Awaken from the Unknowing (a drawing of a young African American woman, studying, her copious papers spread across the table at which she reads) and, a short distance away, being able to see the same drawing, reproduced in miniature, on the cover of Freedomways journal is indeed a special experience in which a remarkable dialogue is created between the two images, one an original, the other a much smaller reproduction.

Would that more artists of the present time had such a singular, broad-based commitment to sharing their work with multiple audiences. It is perhaps extraordinary that such a dynamic aspect of Whites practice has received relatively little scholarship. Perhaps that will change.

Professor Eddie Chambers joined the department of art and art history at the University of Texas at Austin in 2010, teaching African Diaspora art history. He is the editor of the forthcomingRoutledge Companion to African American Art History.

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