Childfree by Choice, Regretting Parenthood and the Taboo of Freedom – KQED

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

It is not exclusive to Saudi Arabia, of course, but patriarchy in Saudi Arabia is especially sharp. I made a vow to myself soon after we moved to Saudi Arabia that I would never allow myself to be in a situation I couldn't walk away from. I felt like I had been sentenced to prison in Saudi Arabia as a teenage girl. And part of that vow to myself was not to get married and not to have children.

Jill, you authored a May 11 essay titled "The Things We Don't Discuss," which asked the question, "Why does the very concept of parental regret engender such outrage?" Can you tell us about the vitriol and backlash that you faced?

Jill Filipovic: The one aspect of parenthood generally, but motherhood specifically, that seems to remain entirely taboo is maternal or paternal regret not in the sense of, "Oh, I hate my kids and wish they never existed," but just opening up about the ways in which mothers may look at a parallel un-lived life in which they didn't have kids, or had kids later, or had fewer kids and think maybe it looks nicer over there.

And it was an immediate avalanche of overwhelming outrage. You know, essentially people saying that if parents and mothers in particular do regret having children or regret some aspect of parenthood, they're essentially monsters who should keep their mouths shut.

And it was so striking that the conversation about a taboo resulted in this very strong and very angry social enforcement of that taboo. I had many, many women sending me private messages and emails saying, "I wish that there was a space for women to share the complicated feelings around parenthood."

There is this pressure to explain why you may not want children, but rarely are people asked to justify why they do want children.

Mona Eltahawy: This is Pride Month and I identify as queer. And this is kind of like when someone straight asked someone who's queer, how did you know you're queer? Well, how did you know you were straight? Because the assumption is always in one direction that the power goes in one direction and never in the other.

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Childfree by Choice, Regretting Parenthood and the Taboo of Freedom - KQED

Report: SpaceX Ignored FAA Warnings Before Massive Starship Explosion

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Despite last last minute warnings from the FAA, SpaceX went ahead and launched its first high-altitude Starship prototype in December.

Despite last-minute warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX went ahead and launched its first high-altitude Starship prototype in December, a launch that ended in a gigantic explosion, The Verge reports.

The prototype, dubbed SN8, violated the company’s launch license, as issued by the FAA, according to documents obtained by The Verge.

Explosion or not, SpaceX seems to have gotten away with it. In fact, the company recently signed a massive $2.9 billion contract to help NASA return astronauts to the Moon’s surface as soon as 2024.

The disregard of the FAA’s rules is yet more evidence that the Elon Musk-led company did little to appease regulators’ safety concerns over the launch of its massive spacecraft prototypes.

According to the documents, SpaceX complained that the FAA’s software was a “source of frustration” and that data was “overly conservative.”

“Although the report states that all SpaceX parties believed that such risk was sufficiently low to comply with regulatory criteria, SpaceX used analytical methods that appeared to be hastily developed to meet a launch window,” a letter by the FAA’s space division chief Wayne Monteith to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell read.

The documents also show that the shockwave of a possible explosion could be exacerbated by weather conditions including speed and thereby endanger nearby homes, according to The Verge.

SpaceX was reportedly warned that launching without clearance would violate the company’s launch license. The warning went ignored because SpaceX staff “assumed that the inspector did not have the latest information,” according to the documents.

“These actions show a concerning lack of operational control and process discipline that is inconsistent with a strong safety culture,” Monteith wrote in a letter to Shotwell, as quoted by The Verge.

According to the report, SpaceX agreed to reevaluate its safety procedures and agreed to heed the FAA’s requests to cancel future launches.

Fortunately, SN8’s demise didn’t end up damaging nearby homes. After a “hard landing,” the rocket went up in a massive fireball.

Musk later explained in a tweet that the “fuel header tank pressure was low during landing burn, causing touchdown velocity to be high,” but claimed SpaceX engineers “got all the data we needed.”

The FAA and SpaceX seem to have made up since the December explosion. In late April, the FAA approved three upcoming launches of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft. The first of those three, dubbed SN15, launched in mid-May — and became the first high-altitude prototype to survive the ordeal.

Musk’s fight with regulators however is far from over. In January, the FAA scrubbed the launch of SpaceX’s SN9 launch. A fuming Musk took to Twitter to vent his frustration, claiming that the FAA space division “humanity will never get to Mars.”

“Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities,” he added. “Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.”

More on SpaceX: Elon Musk Shares New Pic of Giant Starship Rocket Booster

The post Report: SpaceX Ignored FAA Warnings Before Massive Starship Explosion appeared first on Futurism.

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Report: SpaceX Ignored FAA Warnings Before Massive Starship Explosion

Help Name NASA’s Moon-Bound Manikin

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Crash Test Dummy

NASA is gearing up for its Artemis I mission, but the space agency overlooked one crucial detail — and it’s asking the public for help.

The upcoming mission, expected to launch in early November, is essentially a test run for the following crewed launches that will send actual humans to the Moon. So, to prepare, NASA is sending a yet-unnamed manikin around the Moon in an Orion spacecraft first — and just put out a call for help naming it.

Manny McManikinFace

NASA has seemingly learned the lessons of past open-ended naming contests like the one that brought us Boaty McBoatface — us members of the public will have to choose between eight pre-nominated names when voting opens on NASA’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts on Wednesday.

The choices are Ace, Campos, Delos, Duhart, Montgomery, Rigel, Shackleton, and Wargo. Each is inspired by an acronym or dedication. For example, Delos is the place where Artemis and Orion were born, according to Greek mythology, and “Ace” stands for “Artemis Crew Explorer.”

The unnamed manikin has already bene through quite a few tests. But before NASA launches it into space, it’ll be outfitted with sensors to detect radiation exposure while also measuring what impact the powerful vibrations and acceleration associated with space travel might have on a real human crew member.

More on the Artemis missions: NASA Has Assembled a Megarocket to Take Humans to the Moon

The post Help Name NASA’s Moon-Bound Manikin appeared first on Futurism.

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Help Name NASA’s Moon-Bound Manikin

Who Can Even Afford to Have a Child? – Jezebel

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Photo: Getty (Getty Images)

Recently, a handful of articles have revisited the decade-old anxiety that people who could procreate are declining to do so. The statistics are there, as they have been for some time: Before the pandemic, the number of births recorded in the United States had dropped to its lowest point for the fifth consecutive year. Now, some estimates predict an additional 300,000 fewer births in the immediate aftermath of covid-19. The baby bust, long predicted by researchers and feared by the sorts of people who wring their hands over the death of the family as a signal of American decline, is definitively here.

Bolstered by a rather vigorous online community of childfree women, the most recent interpretations of these statistics frame declining to have a kid as a sort of internal moral calculus based on a womans ideal lifestyle, a courageous choice that defies societys longstanding expectations around what a persons womb is for. Reporters refer to the rising population of people going child-free as a mass lifestyle choice bolstered by the budding understanding that self-fulfillment isnt a one-size-fits-all proposition: Basically, a decision not to become a parent as an advanced form of self-care.

Last month, the New York Times profiled a photographer working on a documentary project about women without children. She said she was trying to break the taboo of a woman saying the reason I dont have kids is because I dont want them. In a recent story in Today, a 32-year-old describes the years of honest observation and considerate introspection that helped her realize she didnt have to procreate to be a whole woman. And in HuffPost this week, a reporter interviews a number of people about their decision to go child-free, some of whom cited the stress of raising children and the opportunity to engage in meaningful work. But at least one of them, thank God, made the obvious connection between precarity and her particular choice: Who the heck has housing and money for three kids!? asked a 47-year-old psychologist. I think Americans need to get it through their heads how awful the safety net is here.

The acknowledgment that the generation of people who are currently of child-bearing age have the worst economic prospects of any in American history has been conveniently muted since at least 2013, when a Time magazine cover story pondered whether having it all means not having children. But theres something particularly ludicrous about framing a persons decision not to be a parent in this very momentone in which over 4 million women just left the workforce and 40 million recently experienced housing insecurityas a sign of mass self-actualization and broad feminist progress. If a person delivers their child in a hospital, it can cost them thousands of dollars even if they have insurance. In 2015, the USDA put the average yearly cost of raising a child at a little over $13,000, which seems fantastically low considering full-time child care programs around the same time were found to put parents out around $16,000. And none of that really begins to account for the less easily quantifiable variables a person might consider when it comes to raising a human being, among them stable housing, whether their elder family members have recently died in a pandemic, or an economic future thats certain at all.

The articles that interpret declining birth rates as a matter of a womans personal identity lean, to various degrees, on the personalities central to the online childfree movement, which like most groups on the internet naturally gravitate towards labels and vague aphorisms. One of them, mentioned in the HuffPost article, is Rich Auntie Supreme, a motivational Instagram account that describes the kind of life a child-free auntie can have. Rich means owning a summer home or the extra time to hone a craft, one post reads. Rich might mean a weekend ritual of sleeping in until 1 p.m. or luxury skincare items. Its meant to shatter preconceptions about women who decide not to have children, but it inadvertently presents the decision as another step towards total actualization, a mode of being that must be endlessly tended to with affirmations and Instagram quote cards. Its a tone thats replicated in stories that center a womans decision not to have kids as a spiritual calculus. But wouldnt it be equally useful to point out, particularly in the broader media, that there are specific, material reasons a person doesnt feel they can have a kid and also a complicated skincare routine?

Originally posted here:

Who Can Even Afford to Have a Child? - Jezebel

More Women Are Saying No To Motherhood. Will Society Ever Listen? – HuffPost

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Child-free women are having a bit of a moment in the media.

Why many women are intentionally opting out of parenthood, one recent Today Show headline said. Choosing child-free does not equate to a dislike for children, the subhed added lest we think these women are baby-disinterested jerks.

Last month, The New York Times ran a photo series by Zo Noble, a photographer in Berlin whos capturing the lives and stories of the consciously child-free.

People ask me Why not? one woman featured in the story said. Why dont we ask the other question: Why are you choosing to have a child? Thats the bigger question. Do you have the resources and emotional ability? Or is it just a shot in the dark because you feel youre supposed to? With our friends, we see that a lot of women have children because its next in their checklist. The world is overpopulated. We have a climate crisis. If someone says they dont want kids, it should be like, Cool move on.

Add sky-high rent and home prices, lingering college debt for many, and the total cost of raising a child ($233,610, in the U.S., and thats excluding the cost of college) to that list and its all too easy to see why a person might eschew parenthood.

Other articles and interviews have tapped into matters of quality of life. For instance, in a recent appearance on Howard Sterns show, Seth Rogan detailed all the things he and his wife have been able to pursue as a direct result of not having kids: writing books, taking up pottery, getting high in bed and watching movies all day.

We have so much fun, Rogen said. I dont know anyone who gets as much happiness out of their kids as we get out of our non-kids. (Even parents commenting on the interview admitted that, as much as they loved their kids, they could see where he was coming from.)

These why arent millennials popping out more kids? articles arent coming out of nowhere, obviously: People are have been opting into the childfree by choice lifestyle with gusto. According to a report from Pew Research Center, 37% of childless adults dont want kids and arent planning on having any in the future. In 2018, the number of babies born in the U.S. fell to the lowest level in 32 years, and that rate has been declining steadily ever since.

Even women who do want children end up having fewer. On average, women report wanting2.6 children but having only 1.73.

Indeed, instead of the pandemic leading to a baby bump, as many predicted would happen (couples are quarantining at home, what else do they have to do?), demographers and sociologists think were in the early stages of a baby bust. The inclination to have kids just isnt there like it was before.

Hearing how friends with kids are teetering on the edge and wished they had the energy to scream during remote schooling certainly didnt make parenting sound any more appealing.

I think there is more recognition today of the challenges of parenting, Caroline Sten Hartnett, an associate professor of demography and sociology at the University of South Carolina, told HuffPost.

People talk a lot about the fact that parenting is difficult, and in friend groups, women in particular talk about the challenges of managing the majority of child care responsibilities in addition to work responsibilities, she said. I think that type of discourse creates a context in which it seems very reasonable to say, I dont think that lifestyle is for me.

Even women who do want children end up having fewer. Women report wanting 2.6 children but having only 1.73, on average. The same survey found that financial concerns factored heavily into people having fewer kids: 64% said child care was too expensive, 43% said financial precarity forced them to wait to have kids, and about 40% cited a lack of paid family leave as a reason they had fewer children.

Education levels factor into this decision, too. According to Pew Research Centers social research on childlessness, 7% of women who lack a high school diploma are childless. This figure just about doubles to 13% for those who graduated from high school or have some college experience. Among women with a bachelors degree or more, about 20% are childless.

With higher education comes fewer births, said Beverly Yuen Thompson, an associate professor of sociology at Siena College. The peak for rates of being childfree was in 2006 but we see that the numbers also vary greatly by race, with white women having the highest rates of being childfree.

But has the internets robust conversation about the choice to be child-free had any impact offline? Do women feel less pressured to have kids when they visit with overly invested family and friends? Would Rogens wife, Lauren Miller, receive the same good for you! reaction if she said the same thing as her husband?

Child-free women we spoke to remain skeptical.

When it comes to perception of child-free women, weve got a long way to go. The expectation to bring kids into the world is still so strong that a 2016 study found that voluntarily child-free people inspired significantly greater moral outrage than those with two children.

Those who are child-free may be stigmatized but overall, theyre happier; a 2018 study that looked at 40 years of data on children and happiness in America found that married mothers were less happy than married women without kids.

Research also suggests that parents in the U.S. face the largest happiness gap compared to people without children, a disparity that is largely attributed to the countrys lack of family-friendly social policies like subsidized child care, paid vacation and sick leave.

The abysmal state of child care and paid leave is one of many reasons Helen Hsu, a 47-year-old psychologist who works at Stanford University, chose not to have kids with her husband.

Financially, raising kids almost felt like an impossibility, Hsu told HuffPost.

Who the heck has housing and money for three kids!? she said. I think Americans need to get it through their heads how awful the safety net is here: bad health care, unsafe schools and streets, no child care, minimal parental leaves or sick leaves, nor job security.

Everyone in Hsus family told her shed have a burning desire to procreate once she hit her 30s. That never happened, she said.

That might be at least in part due to her perspective on the subject as a working therapist: A big part of her job is helping to repair hurtful parenting and family dynamics.

She spends all day nurturing people at work; shes not eager to nurture even more in her downtime. On a societal level, shes starting to sense a growing acceptance of her child-free lifestyle.

Its happening at a snails pace, and with fits and starts, Hsu said. I think media coverage is slightly better because you have more women telling stories, but I still feel there is still a powerful baseline assumption that the pinnacle of most womens goals and fulfillment ought to be kids. Its a strong cultural value narrative in all patriarchies.

Klaus Vedfelt via Getty Images

Jameelah Woodard, 28, who lives just outside of Los Angeles, is childless by choice, too. As the oldest daughter in her family, growing up she helped out with everything around the house: the cooking, cleaning, diaper changes and general care of her younger siblings.

That kind of life would not make me happy, she said. Top that with having a traumatic childhood, and I did not want to unintentionally pass that trauma onto my children.

Even as a little kid, Woodard would talk openly about not wanting to be a mom, much to the chagrin of the women in her family. (Even now, Woodard said her mom regularly asks God to give her daughter children.)

I am almost 30 and I am still being told, When you meet the right man, you will have children, she said. I have been told more than once, from men that I have attempted to date, that if a man hasnt tried to get me pregnant, there has to be something wrong with me.

For Black women, the pressure to have kids is even greater.

After three decades of trying to avoid being railroaded into having kids, Woodard admits she was taken aback by all the recent articles about women happily declaring their child-free status. Maybe for white women, she thought when she read the accounts, but its a different story if youre Black.

I was actually shocked to see people agreeing with me, that they didnt want children, Woodard said. As a Black woman in America, its expected to have children. It seems like all elders are concerned about our womb room.

While it may be freeing and validating for a white women to talk about her choice to forgo parenting, Black women often struggle to do the same because of cultural expectations, said Kimya Nuru Dennis, a sociologist who has studied perceptions of African and Black people who choose not to become parents.

Most of these permanently child-free-by-choice news stories, research and social media platforms are based on European-white people, she said.

My research highlights how many African-Black people come from traditional and conservative cultures and family backgrounds that are not accepting of gendered freedom, including sexual freedom and reproductive freedom, Nuru Dennis explained. Its very pro-natalist.

Julia McQuillan, the Willa Cather professor of sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also isnt surprised that experiences of women of color are rarely factored into these why isnt anyone having kids? stories.

There is little public outcry when Hispanic or Black women decide not to have children, she said.

In fact I recall the outcry about Black women having children in the 1990s when they were not married, she said. Meanwhile, there was little consciousness of the dramatic increase in mass incarceration of Black men that made it very hard for Black women to marry the fathers of their children even if they really wanted to.

Say goodbye to childless spinster, say hello to the cool auntie.

The way we talk about child-free women is changing, albeit slowly. Even the semantic embrace of child-free over the far more diminishing child less counts as a win.

Social media has also created a larger community for women who are opting out of parenthood. For example, author and activist Rachel Cargle, who established the Loveland Foundation in 2018 to help give Black women and girls access to therapy and other mental health support, runs an Instagram account where child-free women can gather and validate each others decision.

The account, which has more than 75,000 followers, is named for Cargles preferred title for the child-free by choice.

I often use the phrase Rich Auntie Supreme to describe those of us who are indulgent in the lives of the children around us even though we choose not to have our own, she told the Today Show recently.

Through memes, quote cards and short essays by Cargle, the account offers a portrayal of a child-free existence thats joyous, Oprah-esque. (Oprah, the patron saint of child-free women at this point, makes appearances on the page.) The message is living my best life and buying whatever the hell I want but still very much active and invested in my community. Its a far cry from the tragic, depressing stereotype of child-free women from earlier generations: unfulfilled, selfish, sad spinsters.

To center the voice of Black child-free women in particular, Angela L. Harris created a podcast and private Facebook group where women can encourage one another, regardless of how their families feel about their choice. Harris, the assistant dean of students at Davidson College in North Carolina, calls her movement and group #NoBibsBurpsBottles.

Were trying to empower Black women to unapologetically live their best child-free life, she said. In general, were bombarded with images every day with what it means to be a woman. Nine times out of 10 the message is clear that womanhood equals motherhood. Womanhood is so much more than that.

Just because you dont want to have kids doesnt mean you dont want to have a family. I have a lovely family with my life partner and two dogs. We are happy and fulfilled with one another.

- Ashley Gomes, a 32-year-old, child-free bartender

Women we spoke to appreciate smartly branded takes on the lifestyle like Rich Auntie Supreme, but a few wondered if some people will see it as further proof of child-free womens selfishness.

Theyre committed to that understanding, Hsu said. I have always found it kind of funny and confusing that people accuse child-free women of being selfish. Like, its somehow in a social contract that our very lives are owed to child bearing? Why arent child-free and single bachelors vilified as selfish?

For what its worth, shes having a great time as an actual cool auntie, as she put it.

Personally I have never been besotted with infants or toddlers and I hate Disney, so the early childhood stuff was not interesting to me, Hsu said. Now that my nieces and nephews are older, cool auntie is who can take them to music concerts, afternoon tea at the Palace, and to weight lift.

When theyre together, Hsu and her teen nieces and nephews talk about everything: sexual orientation, first loves and first jobs, Asian American identity, college decisions. Theyll chat, shell help them with their college essays, then she sends them back to their parents houses and goes on her merry, child-free way.

Mengzhu Wang, a 32-year-old dentist who lives in Queensland, Australia, also takes issue with the lingering belief that child-free women are selfish.

Before the pandemic, Wang traveled to developing countries like Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste as part of volunteer programs to provide dental treatment. If she had children, she thinks she would be 100% focused on parenting, with little room for much else.

I couldnt have worked in such a remote setting providing medical care for people in pain, she said. What is more selfless: devoting myself to one person exclusively, or helping relieve the pain and suffering of hundreds of people (many of them vulnerable children who already exist) who would otherwise not be able to see anyone else?

More and more, there seems to be a budding understanding that self-fulfillment isnt a one-size-fits-all proposition: Careers that have a strong impact on the community and future generations are fulfilling. Unconventional looking families are fulfilling.

I cant stress this enough: Just because you dont want to have kids doesnt mean you dont want to have a family, said Ashley Gomes, a 32-year-old bartender whos child-free. I have a lovely family with my life partner and two dogs. We are happy and fulfilled with one another.

Gomes cant ever imagine giving birth to a baby, she could see herself fostering a teen some day in the future.

I would help a child if and when Im able to, she said. But right now, I want to take care of myself, my life partner and my dogs and the planet.

Ali Ha, a 43-year-old artist, spent her reproductive years trying to make her art career happen and stay afloat financially. It hasnt been easier to endure judgement from others, she said. Shes hopeful these conversations today will make it easier for younger women to make the right decisions for themselves rather than following any expected track.

They seem to prioritize individuality as a generation, I see them as bold and unapologetic, she said. I look forward to seeing them show us how child-free is done.

Of course, even in her 40s, Ha is still getting pushback on her choice. She jokes that she has a million stories of cousins still thinking she might have some time left. A well-meaning friend once told her, Janet Jackson just had a kid, theres still hope!

The older you get, the easier it is to brush those comments off.

Currently Im the only woman in my age group in my family who is child-free, she said. Luckily my parents told me they are OK with me knowing who I am. And I am OK with it too and thats what matters the most in the end. Whether youre child-free or have kids, ultimately youre the only one that has to live with your choices.

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More Women Are Saying No To Motherhood. Will Society Ever Listen? - HuffPost

Agawam High School teacher realizes dream of publishing books – Reminder Publications

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

AGAWAM After serving as an English teacher for 22 years, 18 of which were at Agawam High School, Kelly Hawkins decided it was time to carry out her dream of becoming an author.

In 2020, after the pandemic hit, Hawkins took a leave of absence as she was the sole caretaker for her parents. In the meantime, she began exploring other avenues, including some freelance work at the Hark Journal. Hark Journal, as described by Hawkins is, a free daily email subscription that provides ghost written posts using William Shakespeare.

This was right up my alley, said Hawkins.

In Dec. 2020, she received an opportunity to begin her first book called 50 Things to Know about Being a High School English Teacher A Guide from a Teacher. Hawkins designed this book to draw on her years of experience in the classroom, offering advice and suggestions on how to successfully manage the myriad roles educators are expected to play, and navigating the ups and downs of teaching.

Hawkins told Reminder Publishing that she had to have the book completed within a month. A major perk was that the book wasnt incredibly lengthy. In Jan. 2021, the book was published on paperback, hard cover, and Kindle.

Shortly after publication, the book earned #1 New Release in its category. Hawkins said, although this number one spot is constantly changing, seeing the banner was amazing.

Currently, the book has 29 five-star ratings on Amazon.

Hawkins completed an audiobook as well, which led to her narration. This version is now available on Audible.

Some of my biggest challenges have been the narration and setting up a website. Technology is not my strength, she emphasized.

Through watching videos and reading countless articles, Hawkins was able to teach herself all there was to know about this. She received some assistance from one of her former students a voice over artist along with help from a former colleague.

Ive learned that with time and interest, I can do it, she said.

Piling on to her successes, Hawkins released her second book, 50 Things to Know about Being Childfree by Choice, on May 25. The purpose of this story is to share Hawkins reasons, along with the other women she interviewed, for deciding not to have children.

Hawkins said, I hope it will serve as a resource for fellow childfree women to show them they are not alone. She wants to promote an understanding and acceptance of this non-traditional choice, while incorporating her own humor within. Hawkins hopes to encourage her readers to see this from a different perspective parenthood is not the desired path for everyone.

Nowadays, Hawkins believes this choice doesnt seem to be completely accepted, even though its much more common. My husband and I are very happy for making this choice, she stated.

When looking to write her second book, Hawkins posted on her Facebook page that she was in search of other women who have made the same childfree choice.

She said, Childfree isnt something you ask, but I got feedback and a lot of former students came forward. Hawkins also belongs to some childfree groups on Facebook, which raised the book's ratings after its release.

Currently, Hawkins is working on her second Audible and hopes to have it completed by the end of summer. The second book is in paperback and on Kindle.

Aside from the excitement of being a twice published author within a few short months, additional opportunities have presented themselves.

Through another one of Hawkins former students, she landed a speaking engagement at Bay Path University. As a former alumni of Bay Path herself, Hawkins was invited to be guest speaker in April. She spoke with students who were pursuing a degree in teaching, and shared with them five of the 50 things within her book that all teachers should know.

Hawkins currently lives in Feeding Hills and has resigned from Agawam High School. She said, I did enjoy my years there, but its nice to step away. However, she still tutors on the side.

Hawkins has many goals for the future. I would like to write another 50 things to know a trilogy, she said. In addition, she would like to write fiction, mystery, crime/thriller, and of course, the biggest goal: a novel.

She said, I have received incredible support from people- my family and friends, and its amazing to me to see former students reaching out in support Its been a wild ride I hope it continues.

Hawkins books can be found on Amazon and Goodreads. The audio is separate, and can be found on Audible and the companies connected.

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Agawam High School teacher realizes dream of publishing books - Reminder Publications

Hackensack Meridian Health Trio of Experts Honored as ‘Champions of Humanistic Care’ – Newswise

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Newswise June 15, 2021, Nutley, NJ Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jerseys largest and most comprehensive health network, is pleased to announce that three of its team members were honored as Champions of Humanistic Care by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

The honorees are: Regina Foley, Ph.D., MBA, RN, the senior vice president of Integration and Transformation for the health network; Joshua Josephs, M.D., Ph.D., director of Health Systems Science, at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and a Faculty Hospitalist, Hackensack University Medical Center; and Christopher P. Duffy, MLIS, AHIP, the associate dean of the Health Sciences Library at the Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus of which the medical school is part.

The skill and commitment of these professionals is a testament to what we can do if we all work together, said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, the chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. All three went above and beyond to make positive change in the face of a global health crisis. We applaud them.

A pandemic really can show what the human spirit is capable of, said Bonita Stanton, M.D., the Schools founding dean. This group shows how someone can answer the call and change lives, no matter what their role may be.

Foley has successfully managed the COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the health network. The effort began in December 2020, and over the last four months has administered more than 500,000 shots.

Josephs is a key member of the faculty at the medical school. But as a clinician, he also spent significant amounts of time working on the front lines of the COVID-19 response in the Hackensack Meridian Health network.

Duffy is the librarian who helped a task force of Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine students perform real-time research early in the pandemic, which informed the clinical side of the health network with the latest information appearing on the Internet which impacted care for the better across Hackensack Meridian Health.

According to The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a non-profit organization that fosters the human connection in health care, the 2021 Champions of Humanistic Care includes more than 200 physicians, nurses, and healthcare team members who have been selected by their healthcare institutions for compassion and courage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Champions of Humanistic Care were recognized at the Gold Foundations virtual gala on June 10, 2021, alongside three esteemed National Humanism in Medicine Medal recipients:

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Hackensack MeridianHealthassumed its independent operation in July 2020. The schools vision is that each person in New Jersey, and in the United States, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, will enjoy the highest levels of wellness in an economically and behaviorally sustainable fashion. The Schools unique curriculum focuses on linking the basic science with clinical relevance, through an integrated curriculum in a team-oriented, collaborative environment. The school prides itself on outreach, through programs like the Human Dimension, which is active in communities across New Jersey.

ABOUTHACKENSACKMERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two childrens hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Childrens Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Childrens Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and over 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The networks notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Beckers Healthcares 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019 list.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine opened in 2018, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its third class of students in 2020 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit http://www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

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Hackensack Meridian Health Trio of Experts Honored as 'Champions of Humanistic Care' - Newswise

Craig Lindsley named to Medicinal Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society Hall of Fame – Vanderbilt University News

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Craig Lindsley, the William K. Warren, Jr. Chair in Medicine and University Professor of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Chemistry

Craig Lindsley, the William K. Warren, Jr. Chair in Medicine and director of Vanderbilt Universitys Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, will be inducted as a member of the 2021 class of theDivision of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame. MEDI is a subunit of theAmerican Chemical Society, the worlds largest scientific society and the premier home ofchemistryprofessionals.

Lindsley, the youngest inductee to the Hall of Fame, was selected because of his contributions to the field of medicinal chemistry.

This is a huge, career-defining honor and an amazing group of medicinal chemists and drug discovery scientists amongst whom to be included. This is a tremendous acknowledgement of the WCNDDs work and influence in the medicinal chemistry field, said Lindsley, also University Professor of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Chemistry. In all honesty, this honor belongs to all of my former and current colleagues from Lilly, Merck and the WCNDD. Medicinal chemistry is just one arm of successful drug discovery, and no one person can do this alone or take creditit is big team science.

Craig Lindsley is a great medicinal chemist whose impact has been recognized not only by his induction into the MEDI Hall of Fame but also by his recent appointment as editor in chief of theJournal of Medicinal Chemistry, the premier journal in the field, saidLawrence Marnett, dean of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. He brings great credit to the Basic Sciences and to Vanderbilt, but his greatest legacy may be the contributions he is making to improving the lives of individuals suffering from neurological diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Induction into the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame is an acknowledgement by leaders in our field that an individual scientist has had a sustained and substantial impact on research, teaching or service to the division, saidJacob Schwarz, chair of the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry executive committee. Dr. Lindsley is a rare example of someone who embodies all three of these achievements: from his early career work in the pharmaceutical industry, to his current role as educator and research mentor and finally as an ad hoc member of the MEDI executive committee. Dr. Lindsley has become well-known in our scientific community thanks to his tireless efforts both as author and editor, advancing the field of neuroscience drug discovery through research and training and by being an active social media presence highlighting exciting new developments.

Other 2021 MEDI Hall of Fame inductees areEdward Roberts, professor of molecular medicine and Scripps Research, andAnabella Villalobos, medicinal chemist and senior pharmaceutical executive at Biogen. Inductees are selected annually from nominations submitted by MEDI members and who have previously received theEdward E.Smissman Award, theDivision of Medicinal Chemistry award, an ACSGlaxoSmithKline Alfred Burger Awardor anE. B. Hershberg Award.

The 2021 Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at the ACS National Meeting in Atlanta on Aug. 22, 2021.

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Craig Lindsley named to Medicinal Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society Hall of Fame - Vanderbilt University News

Caris Life Sciences and Elevation Oncology Announce Joint Discovery and Development Collaboration Focused on Oncogenic Fusions and Driver Mutations -…

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Two precision medicine innovators to leverage genomic data from leading molecular diagnostics platform to identify actionable driver alterations, and jointly discover and develop therapeutics to target them

IRVING, Texas, and NEW YORK, June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences, a leading innovator in molecular science and artificial intelligence focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, and Elevation Oncology, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision medicines for patients with genomically defined cancers, announced today a strategic collaboration to jointly identify oncogenic fusions and mutations that are driver alterations. Together, Caris and Elevation Oncology will discover and develop therapeutics targeting these newly identified alterations.

Under the terms of the agreement, Caris and Elevation Oncology will jointly evaluate potential targets, some of which are not currently actionable by an existing therapeutic, identified on an ongoing basis by analyzing Caris' Whole Transcriptome Sequencing (WTS) and Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) data. The companies can then elect to initiate a novel drug discovery program for those targets, or pursue licensing or product acquisitions, while retaining exclusive access to all targets selected by the parties.

"Caris is dedicated to advancing precision oncology for patients. We are thrilled to build upon our strategic relationship with Elevation Oncology and deepen the connection between molecular diagnostics and clinical development," said David Spetzler, M.S., Ph.D., MBA, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Caris Life Sciences. "By pairing our unique insight into potential genomic driver alterations gained through Caris' market-leading molecular profiling capabilities with Elevation Oncology's strength in executing innovative clinical oncology programs in genomically-defined populations, we aim to further close the gap between target identification and clinical investigation for potential new therapeutics."

"Through this collaboration between Elevation Oncology and Caris, we hope to demonstrate how biopharmaceutical and molecular medicine companies can work hand in hand to realize visions that are shared across the precision oncology community," said Shawn M. Leland, PharmD, RPh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Elevation Oncology. "At Elevation Oncology, we believe every cancer patient deserves the opportunity to be matched with an actionable, purposely selected therapeutic that is precisely targeted to their tumor's unique genomic biomarkers. In Caris, we have found a collaborator who both shares this vision as a leader in genomic testing and who can provide real-world insights into emerging or underserved genomically-defined patient populations. Together, we believe we are pioneering a platform to accelerate the development of precision therapeutics and build toward a future where patients have the option of a matched therapy for every driver alteration no matter how rare."

Caris Molecular Intelligence, the company's proprietary, comprehensive tumor profiling approach assesses all 22,000 genes in both DNA and RNA, and proteins unique to an individual's cancer to reveal a molecular blueprint in order to guide more precise and individualized treatment decisions. Caris' CODEai is the most comprehensive data solution in the industry, with cancer treatment information and clinical outcomes data for over 244,000 patients covering over 1,000,000 data points per patient. The analysis of oncogenic fusions and mutations that are driver alterations for assessment under the collaboration will be conducted on both the historical dataset that has been compiled by Caris, and on an ongoing basis from the future tumor profiling data routinely generated from Caris' platforms over the term of the agreement.

Therapeutics selected by the parties, and subsequent companion diagnostics, will be developed on a cost-sharing basis with revenue being shared on any approved therapeutics.

About Caris Life SciencesCaris Life Sciences is a leading innovator in molecular science and artificial intelligence focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine through quality and innovation. The company's suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps physicians and cancer patients make more precise and personalized treatment decisions. MI Exome whole exome sequencing with 22,000 DNA genes, and MI Transcriptome whole transcriptome sequencing with 22,000 RNA genes along with cancer-related pathogens, bacteria, viruses and fungi analysis run on every patient provides the most comprehensive and clinically relevant DNA and RNA profiling available on the market.

Caris is also advancing precision medicine with Caris Artificial Intelligence, combining its market leading service offering, Caris Molecular Intelligence with its proprietary artificial intelligence analytics engine, DEAN, to analyze the whole exome, whole transcriptome and complete cancer proteome. This information, coupled with mature clinical outcomes on thousands of patients, provides unmatched molecular solutions for patients, physicians, payers and biopharmaceutical organizations.

Caris Pharmatech is changing the paradigm and streamlines the clinical trial process by connecting biopharma companies with research-ready oncology sites for clinical trials. With over 423 research sites within the Caris Pharmatech Just-In-Time (JIT) Oncology Network, biopharma companies can identify and enroll more patients, faster. Caris Pharmatech Just-In-Time Clinical Trial Solutions focus on rapid site activation and patient enrollment to streamline the drug development process. By implementing Caris' Just-In-Time Trial-Matching System, Caris will automatically match patients to clinical trials and sites can be activated and eligible to enroll patients within one week.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences has offices in Phoenix, Denver, New York, and Basel, Switzerland. Caris provides services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter (@CarisLS).

About Elevation OncologyElevation Oncology is founded on the belief that every patient living with cancer deserves to know what is driving the growth of their disease and have access to therapeutics that can stop it. We aim to make genomic tests actionable by selectively developing drugs to inhibit the specific alterations that have been identified as drivers of tumor growth. Together with our peers, we work towards a future in which each tumor's unique genomic test result can be matched with a purpose-built precision medicine to enable an individualized treatment plan for each patient. Our lead candidate, seribantumab, is intended to inhibit tumor growth driven by NRG1 fusions and is currently being evaluated in the Phase 2 CRESTONE study for patients with solid tumors of any origin that have an NRG1 gene fusion. Details on CRESTONE are available at http://www.NRG1fusion.com. For more information visit http://www.ElevationOncology.com.

Caris Life Sciences Business Development Contact:Brian D. Lamon, Ph.D.Chief Business Officer+1 (609) 955-8883blamon@carisls.com

Caris Life Sciences Media Contact:Lindsey Bailys, GCI Health+1 (212) 798-9884Lindsey.Bailys@GCIHealth.com

Elevation Oncology Media Contact:David Rosen, Argot Partners+1 (716) 371-1125media@ElevationOncology.com

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Biological Dynamics to Participate in the Nephron Research Liquid Biopsy Innovation Symposium – Business Wire

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Biological Dynamics, Inc., a next-generation liquid biopsy company focused on detecting cancers at the earliest stages, will participate in the Nephron Research Liquid Biopsy Innovation Symposium.

CEO Raj Krishnan, Ph.D. and CFO Kevin Han, will be joined by Dr. Dave Hoon, Professor and Director, Translational Molecular Medicine and Genome Sequencing at Saint John's Cancer Institute to collaborate in a panel discussion, Novel Approaches for Early Cancer Detection, on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at 12:10 p.m. ET / 9:10 a.m. PT.

Biological Dynamics will discuss a transformative approach to cancer screening using a proprietary platform that enables the isolation and evaluation of non-DNA biomarkers, such as exosomes, exo-proteins, and surfaceomes. The company will also discuss how the access to these differentiated biomarkers from blood can empower cancer detection at the earliest stages.

About Biological Dynamics

Biological Dynamics, Inc. is a healthcare company committed to improving global health outcomes by detecting diseases at their earliest stages. The company's proprietary platform simplifies access to native-state biomarkers and nanoparticles, enabling differentiated multiomics applications. The company is applying its platform technology along with machine learning to detect cancers in blood. For more information, please visit http://www.biologicaldynamics.com and follow us at @BiodynSD on Twitter.

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Biological Dynamics to Participate in the Nephron Research Liquid Biopsy Innovation Symposium - Business Wire

Viewpoint Molecular Targeting(TM) Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Michael Schultz, Discusses the Promise of Image-Guided 212Pb Alpha-Particle…

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Presented data highlights the performance of Viewpoint's chelation technology

CORALVILLE, IA / ACCESSWIRE / June 15, 2021 /Viewpoint Molecular Targeting, Inc. ("Viewpoint" or the "Company"), a radiopharmaceutical company developing precision lead-212-based -particle oncology therapeutics and complementary diagnostic imaging agents, today announced that Michael K. Schultz PhD, Chief Science Officer of Viewpoint presented at The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting, held virtually June 11-15, 2021.

Dr. Schultz presented on Saturday, June 12, 2021, as part of the Continued Education (CE) session titled, "Imaging of Therapeutic Radionuclides for Dosimetry." As part of the session, Dr. Schultz discussed the 203Pb/212Pb image-guided radionuclide therapy paradigm and key innovations that are advancing the approach. Key data presented substantiates the potential of 203Pb imaging as a surrogate for 212Pb therapeutics and the performance of Viewpoint's chelation technology for delivering radiation specifically to tumors.

Viewpoint is currently advancing its new, proprietary class of personalized 212Pb-based alpha-particle radiopharmaceuticals to transform the treatment landscape of radiotherapies for cancer. Through its unique theranostic approach, the Company's technology provides the ability to diagnose the tumor and then treat it. This two-step, personalized medicine process helps to identify patients that are more likely to respond to the Company's therapy and potentially improve efficacy. At the same time, the use of imaging to personalize treatments has the potential to minimize potential toxicities associated with many other types of cancer treatments.

The Company's image-guided targeted alpha therapies (TAT) leverage specialized targeting peptides to deliver the diagnostic 203Pb and cancer-killing 212Pb directly to the tumor. Targets are carefully selected to ensure they are overexpressed on cancer cells and minimally expressed on normal healthy cells. When the peptide is radiolabled with the Company's diagnostic 203Pb, the patient can be imaged (i.e., SPECT/CT) to reveal cancer cells in the body. When the peptide is radiolabeled with 212Pb (alpha-particle emitting radiation) the target-peptide binding delivers powerful, yet locally deposited, cancer-killing alpha-particle radiation directly to cancer cells. This targeting mechanism allows for maximized therapeutic effects while minimizing off-target toxicities.

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For more information about the Company's precision oncology therapeutics and complementary diagnostic imaging agents, visit viewpointmt.com.

About The 2021 SNMMI Annual Meeting

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting is recognized as the premier educational, scientific, research, and networking event in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. The four day event, taking place each June, provides physicians, technologists, pharmacists, laboratory professionals, and scientists with an in-depth view of the latest research and development in the field as well as providing insights into practical applications for the clinic. For more information, visit http://www.snmmi.org

About Viewpoint

Viewpoint Molecular Targeting is a radiopharmaceutical company developing precision oncology therapeutics and complementary diagnostic imaging agents. The Company's proprietary technology utilizes lead-212 to deliver powerful alpha radiation specifically to cancer cells via specialized targeting peptides. Viewpoint is also developing complementary imaging diagnostics that incorporate the same targeting peptides which provide the opportunity to personalize treatment and optimize patient outcomes. This "theranostic" approach enables the ability to see the specific tumor and then treat it to potentially improve efficacy and minimize toxicity associated with many other types of cancer treatments.

The Company's melanoma (VMT01) and neuroendocrine tumor (VMT--NET) programs are entering Phase 1 imaging studies, to be followed by Phase 1/2a therapy trials for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and neuroendocrine tumors at two leading academic institutions. The Company has also developed a proprietary lead-212 generator to secure isotope supply for clinical trial and commercial operations. For more information, please visit the Company's website viewpointmt.com.

Investor Inquiries:Jenene ThomasChief Executive OfficerJTC Team, LLCT: 833.475.8247viewpoint@jtcir.com

SOURCE: Viewpoint Molecular Targeting, Inc.

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Viewpoint Molecular Targeting(TM) Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Michael Schultz, Discusses the Promise of Image-Guided 212Pb Alpha-Particle...

AWS leader talks about technologies needed to take precision medicine to the next level – Healthcare IT News

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

One of the most significant challenges to the advancement of precision medicine has been the lack of an infrastructure to support translational bioinformatics, supporting organizations as they work to uncover unique datasets to find novel associations and signals.

By supporting greater interoperability and collaboration, data scientists, developers, clinicians and pharmaceutical partners have the opportunity to leverage machine learning to reduce the time it takes to move from insight to discovery, ultimately leading to the right patients receiving the right care, with the right therapeutic at the right time.

To get a better understanding of challenges surrounding precision medicine and its future, Healthcare IT News sat down with Taha Kass-Hout, director of machine learning at AWS.

Q: You've said that one of the most significant challenges to the advancement of precision medicine has been the lack of an infrastructure to support translational bioinformatics. Please explain this challenge in detail.

A: One of the challenges in developing and utilizing storage, analytics and interpretive methods is the sheer volume of biomedical data that needs to be transformed that often resides on multiple systems and in multiple formats. The future of healthcare is so vibrant and dynamic and there is an opportunity for cloud and big data to take on a larger role to help the industry address these areas.

For example, datasets used to perform tasks such as computational chemistry and molecular simulations that help de-risk, and advance molecules into development, contain millions of data points and require billions of calculations to produce an experimental output. In order to bring new therapeutics to market faster, scientists need to move targets through development faster and find more efficient ways to collaborate both inside and outside of their organizations.

Another challenge is that large volumes of data acquired by legacy research equipment, such as microscopes and spectrometers, is usually stored locally. This creates a barrier for securely archiving, processing and sharing with collaborating researchers globally. Improving access to data, securely and compliantly, while increasing usability is critical to maximizing the opportunities to leverage analytics and machine learning.

For instance, Dotmatics' cloud-based software provides simple, unified, real-time access to all research data in Dotmatics and third-party databases, coupled with integrated, scientifically aware informatics solutions for small molecule and biologics discovery that expedite laboratory workflows and capture experiments, entities, samples and test data so that in-house or multi-organizational research teams become more efficient.

Today we are seeing a rising wave of healthcare organizations moving to the cloud, which is enabling researchers to unite R&D data with information from across the value chain, while benefiting from compute and storage options that are more cost-effective than on-premises infrastructure.

For large datasets in the R&D phase, large-scale, cloud-based data transfer services can transfer hundreds of terabytes and millions of files at speeds up to 10 times faster than open-source tools. Storage gateways ensure experimental data is securely stored, archived and available to other permissioned collaborators. Uniting data in a data lake improves access and helps to eliminate silos.

Cloud-based hyperscale computing and machine learning enable organizations to collaborate across datasets, create and leverage global infrastructures to maintain data integrity, and more easily perform machine learning-based analyses to accelerate discoveries and de-risk candidates faster.

For example, six years agoModerna started building databases and information-based activities to support all of their programs. Today, they are fully cloud-based, and their scientists don't go to the lab to pipette their messenger RNA and proteins. They go to their web portal, the Drug Design Studio that runs on the cloud.

Through the portal, scientists can access public and private libraries that contain all the messenger RNA that exists and the thousands of proteins they can produce. Then, they only need to press a button and the sequence goes to a fully automated, central lab where data is collected at every step.

Over the years, data from the portal and lab has helped Moderna improve their sequence design and production processes and improve the way their scientists gather feedback. In terms of research, all of Moderna's algorithms rely on computational power from the cloud to further their science.

Q: You contend that by supporting greater interoperability and collaboration, data scientists, developers, clinicians and pharmaceutical partners have the opportunity to leverage machine learning to reduce the time it takes to move from insight to discovery. Please elaborate on machine learning's role here in precision medicine.

A: For the last decade, organizations have focused on digitizing healthcare. In the next decade, making sense of all this data will provide the biggest opportunity to transform care. However, this transformation will primarily depend on data flowing where it needs to, at the right time, and supporting this process in a way that is secure and protects patients' health data.

It comes down to interoperability. It may not be the most exciting topic, but it's by far one of the most important, and one the industry needs to prioritize. By focusing on interoperability of information and systems today, we can ensure that we end up in a better place in 10 years than where we are now. And so, everything around interoperability around security, around identity management, differential privacy is likely to be part of this future.

Machine learning models trained to support healthcare and life sciences organizations can help automatically normalize, index and structure data. This approach has the potential to bring data together in a way that creates a more complete view of a patient's medical history, making it easier for providers to understand relationships in the data and compare this to the rest of the population, drive increased operational efficiency, and have the ability to use data to support better patient health outcomes.

For example, AstraZeneca has been experimenting with machine learning across all stages of research and development, and most recently in pathology to speed up the review of tissue samples. Labeling the data is a time-consuming step, especially in this case, where it can take many thousands of tissue-sample images to train an accurate model.

AstraZeneca uses a machine learning-powered, human-in-the-loop data-labeling and annotation service to automate some of the most tedious portions of this work, resulting in at least 50% less time spent cataloging samples.

It also helps analysts spot trends and anomalies in the health data and derive actionable insights to improve the quality of patient care, make predictions for medical events such as stroke or congestive heart failure, modernize care infrastructure, increase operational efficiency and scale specialist expertise.

Numerate, a discovery-stage pharmaceutical, uses machine learning technologies to more quickly and cost-effectively identify novel molecules that are most likely to progress through the research pipeline and become good candidates for new drug development.

The company recently used its cloud-based platform to rapidly discover and optimize ryanodine receptor 2 (RYR2) modulators, which are being advanced as new drugs to treat life-threatening cardiovascular diseases.

Ryanodine 2 is a difficult protein to target, but the cloud made that process easier for the company. Traditional methods could not have attacked the problem, as the complexity of the biology makes the testing laborious and slow, independent of the industry's low 0.1% screening hit rate for much simpler biology.

In Numerate's case, using the cloud enabled the company to effectively decouple the trial-and-error process from the laboratory and discover and optimize candidate drugs five times faster than the industry average.

Machine learning also is helping power the entire clinical development process. Biopharma researchers use machine learning to design the most productive trial protocols, study locations, recruitmentand patient cohorts to enroll. Researchers not trained as programmers can use cloud-based machine learning services to build, train and deploy machine learning algorithms to help with pre-clinical studies, complex simulations and predictive workflow optimization.

Machine learning can also help accelerate the regulatory submission process, as the massive amounts of data generated during clinical trials can be captured and effectively shared to collaborate between investigators, contract research organizations (CROs) and sponsor organizations.

For example, the Intelligent Trial Planner (ITP) from Knowledgent, now part of Accenture, uses machine learning services to determine the feasibility of trial studies and forecast recruitment timelines. The ITP platform enables study design teams at pharma organizations to run prediction analysis in minutes, not weeks, allowing them to iterate faster and more frequently.

Powered by machine learning, real-time scenario planning helps to facilitate smarter trial planning by enabling researchers to determine the most optimal sites, countries and/or protocol combinations.

By eliminating poor performing sites, trial teams have the potential to reduce their trial cost by 20%. And by making data-driven decisions that are significantly more accurate, they can plan and execute clinical trials faster, leading to hundreds of thousands in cost savings for every month saved in a trial.

Additionally, purpose-built machine learning is supported by cost-effective cloud-based compute options. For example, high-performance computing (HPC) can quickly scale to accommodate large R&D datasets, orchestrating services and simplifying the use and management of HPC environments.

Data transformation tools can also help to simplify and accelerate data profiling, preparation and feature engineering, as well as enable reusable algorithms both for new model discovery and inference.

The healthcare and life sciences industry has come a long way in the last year. However, for progress and transformation to continue, interoperability needs to be prioritized.

Q: The ultimate goal of precision medicine is the right patients receiving the right care, with the right therapeutic, at the right time. What do healthcare provider organization CIOs and other health IT leaders need to be doing with machine learning and other technologies today to be moving toward this goal?

A: The first things IT leaders need to ask themselves is: 1) If they are not investing yet in machine learning, do they plan to this year? And 2) What are the largest blockers to machine learning in their teams?

Our philosophy is to make machine learning available to every data scientist and developer without the need to have a specific background in machine learning, and then have the ability to use machine learning at scale and with cost efficiencies.

Designing a personalized care pathway using therapeutics tuned for particular biomarkers relies on a combination of different data sources such as health records and genomics to deliver a more complete assessment of a patient's condition. By sequencing the genomes of entire populations, researchers can unlock answers to genetic diseases that historically haven't been possible in smaller studies and pave the way for a baseline understanding of wellness.

Population genomics can improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a range of illnesses, including cancer and genetic diseases, and produce the information doctors and researchers need to arrive at a more complete picture of how an individual's genes influence their health.

Advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities can use an individual or entire population's medical history to better understand relationships in data and in turn deliver more personalized and curated treatment.

Second, healthcare and life sciences organizations need to be open to experimenting, learning about and embracing both cloud and technology and many organizations across the industry are already doing this.

Leaders in precision medicine research such as UK Biobank, DNAnexus, Genomics England, Lifebit, Munich Lukemia Lab, Illumina, Fabric Genomics, CoFactor Genomics and Emedgene all leverage cloud and technology to speed genomic interpretation.

Third, supporting open collaboration and data sharing needs to be a business priority. The COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19) created last year by a coalition of research groups provided open access to the plenary of available global COVID-19 research and data.

This was one of the primary factors that enabled the discovery, clinical trial and delivery of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines in an unprecedented timeframe. Additionally, our Open Data Programmakes more than 40 openly available genomics datasets accessible, providing the research community with a single documented source of truth.

Commercial solutions that have leveraged machine learning to enable large-scale genomic sequencing include organizations such as Munich Leukemia Lab, who has been able to use the Field Programmable Gate Array-based compute instances to greatly speed up the process of whole genome sequencing.

As a result, what used to take 20 hours of compute time can now be achieved in only three hours. Another example is Illumina, which is using cloud solutions to offer its customers a lower-cost, high-performance genomic analysis platform, which can help them speed their time to insights as well as discoveries.

Twitter:@SiwickiHealthITEmail the writer:bsiwicki@himss.orgHealthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

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AWS leader talks about technologies needed to take precision medicine to the next level - Healthcare IT News

What makes us sneeze? Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

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Molecules, nerve cells in brain trigger sneezes; understanding may point to ways to quell spread of infectious viruses

What exactly triggers a sneeze? A team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified, in mice, specific cells and proteins that control the sneeze reflex. Better understanding of what causes us to sneeze specifically how neurons behave in response to allergens and viruses may point to treatments capable of slowing the spread of infectious respiratory diseases.

A tickle in the nose can help trigger a sneeze, expelling irritants and disease-causing pathogens. But the cellular pathways that control the sneeze reflex go far beyond the sinuses and have been poorly understood. Now, a team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified, in mice, specific cells and proteins that control the sneeze reflex.

Better understanding what causes us to sneeze specifically how neurons behave in response to allergens and viruses may point to treatments capable of slowing the spread of infectious respiratory diseases via sneezes, said Qin Liu, PhD, an associate professor of anesthesiology and the studys senior investigator.

The findings are published June 15 in the journal Cell.

We study the neural mechanism behind sneezing because so many people, including members of my own family, sneeze because of problems such as seasonal allergies and viral infections, said Liu, a researcher in the universitys Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders. Our goal is to understand how neurons behave in response to allergies and viral infections, including how they contribute to itchy eyes, sneezing and other symptoms. Our recent studies have uncovered links between nerve cells and other systems that could help in the development of treatments for sneezing and for fighting infectious respiratory diseases.

Sneezing is the most forceful and common way to spread infectious droplets from respiratory infections. Scientists first identified a sneeze-evoking region in the central nervous system more than 20 years ago, but little has been understood regarding how the sneeze reflex works at the cellular and molecular level.

In the new study, Liu and her team established a mouse model in an attempt to identify which nerve cells send signals that make mice sneeze. The researchers exposed the mice to aerosolized droplets containing either histamine or capsaicin, a pungent compound made from chili peppers. Both elicited sneezes from the mice, as they do in people.

By examining nerve cells that already were known to react to capsaicin, Lius team was able to identify a class of small neurons linked to sneezing that was caused by that substance. The researchers then looked for molecules called neuropeptides that could transmit sneeze signals to those nerve cells, and found that a molecule called neuromedin B (NMB) was required for sneezing.

Conversely, when they eliminated the NMD-sensitive neurons in the part of the nervous system that evoked sneezes in the mice, they blocked the sneeze reflex. Those neurons all make a protein called the neuromedin B receptor. In mice without that receptor, sneezing again was greatly reduced.

Interestingly, none of these sneeze-evoking neurons were housed in any of the known regions of the brainstem linked to breathing and respiration, Liu said. Although we found that sneeze-evoking cells are in a different region of the brain than the region that controls breathing, we also found that the cells in those two regions were directly connected via their axons, the wiring of nerve cells.

The researchers also found they could stimulate the sneeze reflex by exposing part of the mouse brain to the NMB peptide. Further, the animals began to sneeze even though they had not been exposed to any capsaicin, histamine or other allergens.

Because many viruses and other pathogens including the majority of human rhinoviruses and coronaviruses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are spread in part by aerosolized droplets, Liu said it may be possible to limit the spread of those pathogens by targeting NMB or its receptor to limit sneezing in those known to be infected.

A sneeze can create 20,000 virus-containing droplets that can stay in the air for up to 10 minutes, Liu explained. By contrast, a cough produces closer to 3,000 droplets, or about the same number produced by talking for a few minutes. To prevent future viral outbreaks and help treat pathological sneezing caused by allergens, it will be important to understand the pathways that cause sneezing in order to block them. By identifying neurons that mediate the sneeze reflex, as well as neuropeptides that activate these neurons, we have discovered targets that could lead to treatments for pathological sneezing or strategies for limiting the spread of infections.

Li F, et al. Sneezing reflex is mediated by a peptidergic pathway from nasal sensory neurons to brainstem respiratory neurons. Cell, published online June 15, 2021.

This work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, and the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Grant numbers R01 AI125743, R01 EY024702, K08 AR065577, R01 AR07116, and R01 AR77007. Additional funding was provided by the Pew Scholar Research Award, the American Skin Association and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Washington University School of Medicines 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, consistently ranking among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

What makes us sneeze? Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Rising Preference of Electrical Pulse as opposed to Drug-based Intervention will Boost Growth of Bioelectric Medicine Market: Fact.MR – BioSpace

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Increasing prevalence of cardiac diseases and neurological disorders is encouraging pharmaceutical players to discover bioelectric medicines

The global bioelectric medicine market is expected to exhibit a steady growth owing to the increasing demand for advanced electroceuticals. As per a study by Fact. MR, the bioelectric market is estimated to surpass a valuation of more than US$ 28.5 Bn through 2031.

A rising number of geriatric population is in need of bioelectric medicine. Aging population are often vulnerable to medical disorders such as depression, epilepsy, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and cardiac arrhythmias. These disorders usually demand advanced electroceutical treatment such as spinal cord stimulator, cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 610,000 people die of heart attack and around 370 people die of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the United States.

This has resulted in increased demand for improved bioelectric medicine for treating chronic illnesses. Major players such as GlaxoSmithKline plc have invested in the bioelectric medicine industry whereas, organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States have shown strong interest in the industry.

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Increasing investment in the development of advanced bioelectric medicine is bolstering the growth of electroceutical market. For instance, Medtronic in 2016, invested approximately US$ 2.224 mn in research and development activities to develop advanced products.

The company tapped in to capitalize the opportunity of people witnessing cluster headache and came up with FDA cleared product namely, gammaCore, and a non-invasive VNS therapy that helps in managing painful adult headaches.

There is high focus on research and development among key players. This will result in product launches, which is expected to aid the overall expansion of the market, said a Fact.MR analyst.

Key Takeaways

Key Drivers

Key Restrains

Competitive Landscape

The key players operating in the global bioelectric medicine market are Medtronic, Abbott, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cochlear Ltd., LivaNova PLC, Sonova, BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, NEVRO CORP., Second Sight, electroCore, Inc., BioElectronics Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Wright Medical Technology, Inc., and others. The key players in the market are adopting numerous strategies such as regional expansion, collaboration, new product development, and mergers & acquisition to acquire more income share in the sector.

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More Insights into Bioelectric Medicine Market

Fact.MR offers unbiased analysis of the bioelectric medicine market. In order to understand the global market potential, its growth, and scope, the market is segmented on the basis of product type (Implantable cardioverter defibrillators, cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, spinal cord stimulators, deep brain stimulators, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators, sacral nerve stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, and other bioelectric medicines), device type (implantable devices and non-implantable devices), application (arrhythmia, pain management, sensorineural hearing loss, Parkinsons disease, tremor, depression, treatment-resistant depression, epilepsy, urinary and faecal incontinence, and others), end user (hospitals, ambulatory surgical centres, speciality clinics, home care settings, and other), and region (North America, Latin America, Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Oceania, and Middle East & Africa).

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Drug Discovery Services Market - The expansion of drug discovery services can be attributed to an increase in research and development efforts and expenditures, as well as leading pharmaceutical companies' shift to outsourcing. The use of improved technology in the drug discovery process is also a major market growth factor. With stringent regulations in some regions on drug discovery services, high cost involved in the discovery of drug and development and usage of animals in testing are hampering the market growth.

Drug Delivery Systems Market - The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will bolster medication delivery system chances. In the field of medication delivery systems, several advances have been accomplished. The introduction of three-dimensional printing is the most significant of them (3D-printing). 3D printing is a one-of-a-kind medication delivery prototyping method. It can readily overcome the challenges of delivering strong medicines, peptides, and multi-drugs that are less water soluble.

Ocular Drug Delivery Technology Market - In the global ocular drug delivery technology market, North America is likely to maintain hegemony. According to projections, the ocular drug delivery technology market will account for more than half of the whole market. Furthermore, the introduction of new formulation types and lower R&D expenses are expected to boost growth possibilities. During the projected period, the North American market is expected to grow by 1.4x according to Fact.MR research study.

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Rising Preference of Electrical Pulse as opposed to Drug-based Intervention will Boost Growth of Bioelectric Medicine Market: Fact.MR - BioSpace

Phigenix, Inc. Announces Issuance of US Patent Covering Precision Medicine Diagnostic and Novel Therapeutic for Treating – GlobeNewswire

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

ATLANTA, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phigenix, Inc. Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Research Company, a molecular oncologist-led, biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing innovative and differentiated therapies to address significant unmet needs in diagnosing and precision treatment in oncology, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 11,033,628, which is directed to methods related to the use and administration of certain PAX2 inhibitors for treating drug-resistant breast cancer. Drug resistance of metastatic breast cancersto first-line chemotherapies, either single or a combination ofdrugs, occurs in 30-70% of cases.

U.S. Patent No. 11,033,628 also covers the use of a diagnostic test that assesses the expression status of PAX2 and Human Beta Defensin-1 (DEFB1) in addition to the current standard of care molecular markers to determine the best course of treatment of breast cancer. Additional issued claims pertain to methods of using anti-PAX2 compositions to treat particular resistant breast cancers. This newly issued patent is owned by Phigenix, Inc and is the latest U.S. patent issued in connection with Phigenix's PAX2 robust drug and diagnostics development program for cancer detection and treatment.

"We are extremely pleased with the addition of this new patent to our portfolio to extend our cutting-edge, next-generation medical innovations. This new issuance continues to expand the breadth and depth of our PAX2 intellectual property portfolio covering methods of use for certain PAX2 inhibitors and diagnostic tests for effective breast cancer disease treatment and management. The technology covered in this patent has the potential to revolutionize how physicians determine the most effective course of treatment for breast cancer patients. Ultimately, this new technology may make treatment more affordable and save thousands of lives, said Dr. Carlton D. Donald, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Phigenix, Inc.

About Phigenix, Inc.

Phigenix, Inc. is a molecular oncologist-led biopharmaceutical company committed to identifying, developing, and commercializing innovative therapies to address significant unmet needs in diagnostic and therapeutic oncology and cancer drug resistance. Phigenix possesses and is developing an impressive patent portfolio that covers compounds that suppress the expression or activity of the PAX2 cancer-causing protein, and subsequently increases DEFB1 levels, which is a component of the immune system and cancer suppressor. The technology includes diagnostic tests for precision medicine to be utilized for the determination of the best course of treatment of cancer and proprietary inhibitors of the PAX2 oncogene and the subsequent PAX2-mediated cancer cell survival and drug resistance. This portfolio includes the recently issued U.S. patent discussed above, as well as issued U.S. and foreign patents directed to methods and drugs for treating cancer by blocking the expression of PAX2 and the subsequent re-expression of DEFB1 to fight cancer. Phigenix is also developing RNA-based cancer vaccines that increase the expression of the tumor suppressor Human Beta Defensin-1 (DEFB1), a critical component of the innate immune system and regulator of the anti-tumor response. The targeted anti-PAX2 and DEFB1 therapies represent a novel and first-in-class approach to treating cancer.

Phigenix is focused on advancing cancer disease management by utilizing molecular signature-based diagnostic tests and precision medicine-driven novel therapeutics. Phigenix is based in Atlanta, GA. More information can be found by visiting the Phigenix website at http://www.phigenix.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this presentation contains "forward-looking information", including "future-oriented financial information" and "financial outlook", under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, the information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements and includes, but is not limited to, the (i) projected financial performance of the Company; (ii) completion of, and the use of proceeds from, the sale of the shares being offered hereunder; (iii) the expected development of the Company's business, projects, and joint ventures; (iv) execution of the Company's vision and growth strategy, including concerning future M&A activity and global growth; (v) sources and availability of third-party financing for the Company's projects; (vi) completion of the Company's projects that are currently underway, in development or otherwise under consideration; (vi) renewal of the Company's current customer, supplier and other material agreements; and (vii) future liquidity, working capital, and capital requirements. Forward-looking statements are provided to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand management's beliefs and opinions in respect of the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor in evaluating an investment.

These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Phigenix Contact Charles A. West, Ph.D.Head of Business DevelopmentCorporate Strategy/Investor Relations404-946-1811cawest@phigenix.com

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Phigenix, Inc. Announces Issuance of US Patent Covering Precision Medicine Diagnostic and Novel Therapeutic for Treating - GlobeNewswire

Is A Fully Vaccinated Person With No Antibodies Safe From Covid-19? – Outlook India

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Many people havent developed any antibodies despite taking both doses of either of the two vaccines Covishield and Covaxin.

There have been many reports in which vaccine beneficiaries have got their antibodies tested and didnt find the presence of any immunity against the virus.

Gyaneshwar Chaubey, a professor of genetics at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), who is researching antibody formation among vaccinated and naturally infected people, says that many of the elders didnt develop any antibodies even after two doses.

This is quite intriguing. After testing 2309 individuals we didnt find even a single naturally recovered individual who didnt develop Sars-Cov-2 specific antibodies but it is not true for all vaccinated people, Prof Chaubey said.

As antibody is associated with a persons ability to fight against Covid-19, people are worried about their safety.

Their concern seems genuine as there are a few reported cases of death due to breakthrough infections (post-vaccinated infection).

One of the most prominent faces in the country who lost the battle against Covid-19 was well-known cardiologist Dr KK Aggarwal who was fully vaccinated but hadnt developed any antibody.

Some government doctors working in Covid wards have shared anecdotal experiences with Outlook in which they confirmed that there are more cases in the country one like Dr Aggarwal.

We dont know whether the virus or its mutants are virulent enough to overpower the bodys immune system or there was no immunity in the body post-vaccination to fight against the disease, a doctor in a government Covid ward, said.

Now the question is, Since a significant number of people are not showing any antibody, are they safe from Covid-19?

Before answering this question, lets first understand how our immune system works against the virus.

How immune system works?

Immunologists say that when a person is naturally infected, his immune system produces two types of response, humoral and cellular.

Under humoral response, different types of antibodies are formed such as a general antibody, neutralizing antibody, anti-spike antibody to name a few. These antibodies fight against the virus.

At the same time, the cellular response also gets activated which is also known as a T-cell response.

T cells recognize the virus and help (T helper cells) B cells to produce antibodies. In another direction, some of them become CTL and offer an immunity by killing the virus-infected cells of our body. That is how viremia settles down, Prof RM Pitchappan, a well-known name in human immunogenetics and also a visiting professor at Madurai Kamaraj University said.

Prof Gobardhan Das from Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University says that along with providing protection, T-cells also memorize the antigen so that next time when the same antigen attacks the immune system, it can help develop antibodies faster.

These experts also say that while humoral immunity response disappears after a few months, cellular immunity remains for a longer duration. The research is going on in the West that how long this Cellular immunity sustains in the body. Some studies have hinted that it can sustain for a few years to the rest of the life as well.

Can a vaccinated person develop only T-Cells but not antibodies?

Now the next important question is, Is there a possibility that after vaccination the human body develops cellular-mediated response without developing any humoral response?

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has answered in affirmative on several occasions in its regular press conferences to dispel the fear among such vaccine beneficiaries.

In a recent government release, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, was quoted as saying, Some people seem to be thinking of getting an antibody test done post-vaccination. But that is not required to be done for the simple fact that antibodies alone do not indicate the immunity of a person.

This is so because of T-cells or memory cells; these undergo certain changes when we receive the vaccine, they become stronger and gain resistance power. And T-Cells are not detected by antibody tests as these are found in bone marrow, Dr Paul added.

Dr Paul hasnt quoted any research done anywhere to find out if a vaccinated person can develop a strong and resistant T-cell without developing any type of initial humoral response or antibodies.

Interestingly, during the Phase II clinical trial of both the vaccines, it was found that both Covishield and Coivaxin develop humoral as well as cellular immune responses.

There is no instance in which they develop only cellular response and not the humoral response.

Many health experts say that they are not aware of any study done to look at this particular aspect of the vaccine.

In the case of other viral diseases like HIV, this is true that the body develops a cell-mediated response, Prof Pitchappan said.

He added, However, I have no idea, whether anybody in ICMR, CSIR or various hospitals handling Covid patients have done any research to find out if vaccines develop cellular immune response without forming any kind of antibody,

Prof Pitchappan also clarifies that T-cells reside in lymph nodes and there are about 460 such lymph nodes in a human body.

Dr. D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, which recently conducted a study to show how a Single Dose of vaccine sufficient for those already infected with COVID-19, says, There is no research done to find out that a person can develop cellular-mediated response without having humoral response initially.

Since there is no evidence-based research, experts views vary.

I believe that the body may make T-cell without developing any antibody at the initial stage, Dr Reddy said.

Prof Chaubey says, To me, it looks like there are three broad categories of people. First, who develop antibodies; second, who didnt develop antibodies but do develop B and T cells and third who dont develop anything and this is possibly due to their genetic makeup.

Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS agrees with Dr Choubey and says, There are two possibilities. The higher possibility is that such people have neither developed any humoral response nor cellular response. The second probability is that they might have developed the cellular response without showing any sign of humoral response, i.e. antibody.

Since there are two contradictory hypotheses, the important question is how to protect such vaccinated beneficiaries from falling prey to Covid-19?

Protecting vaccinated people with no antibody

Immunologists and other health experts say that it is easy to test the cellular-mediated response of these categories of the vaccinated population by the government and take a corrective step.

Prof Gobardhan Das from Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, says that like antibody the government can also find out whether the person has developed any cellular immunity, B-Cell or T-Cell, response after vaccination.

Prof Das highlights another important aspect as he says, Another cause for concern is that we have no idea that even if there is a cellular immune response, it is quantitatively high to provide adequate protection.

Merely saying that they have developed cellular-mediated response doesnt serve any purpose. They are like a lame duck who is as vulnerable to infection as a nave person, Rahul Bhargava, Head of Hematology Dept, Fortis Gurgaon said.

Very few hospitals have facilities in their labs to test the presence of B-Cells or T-Cells and it is done mainly for research purposes.

There is no private lab in India that conducts tests to check the presence T-Cell and its neutralizing capabilities against Sars_Cov_2.

Big diagnostic labs say that it cost about Rs 20 lakh to have the whole set-up and then each test costs about Rs 6000. So even if an individual wants to get his cellular immunity tested, he cant get it done in India.

Besides, there is no clarity on regulation that if an individual can be allowed to get his cell-mediated response test done, so private labs havent started any such facility in India, Dr Bhargava said.

Health experts also say that a common man doesnt need to go for any T-cell test and the government should take care of these issues on the research level.

It adds on another test and burden to the public. I dont think it is required for a common man to go for it. Let the government take care of such people who have issues in developing antibodies. They should be given an additional booster dose, a prominent doctor in a government hospital said.

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Is A Fully Vaccinated Person With No Antibodies Safe From Covid-19? - Outlook India

Oxford spinout spies the hidden mechanics of DNA and disease with single-pair resolution method – FierceBiotech

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

A spinout from the University of Oxford has found a new way to depict and analyze DNA with super-fine resolution, allowing them to peer into what they describe as the dark matter of the human genome and the molecular basis of many diseases.

Nucleome Therapeutics is working on a method known as micro-capture-C, or MCC, to provide a three-dimensional view of the famously twisting double-helix structure, with the ability to zoom in on individual base pairs.

Previous methods of determining the large-scale 3D genome structure within cells have been unable to resolve it much below 500 to 1,000 base pairs, said co-founder James Davies, who helped develop the technology at Oxfords MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine alongside Danuta Jeziorska, who serves as Nucleomes CEO.

Nucleome plans to use its technique to identify the genes at play behind severe COVIDas well as find new drug targets for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosiswith additional reports in the near future. Its latest work on 3D genome mapping was published this week in Nature.

RELATED: Google, Oxford study projects benefits to coronavirus-tracing smartphone apps, even at low levels of adoption

The researchers equate the process with looking at a citys skyline, representing the full strand of DNA within a cell. While before they could only make out the shape of small buildings from a distance, now they can see how its built up from individual brickswith all 6 billion of them representing a single letter of the genetic code.

3D genome analysis is key to understanding the largely untapped dark matter of the genome, Jeziorska said. Better resolution of 3D genome maps improves the accuracy and confidence of linking disease-relevant genetic changes to genes.

This could include the coronavirus pandemic and may help provide a better understanding of why some people require intensive care while others may show no symptoms at all.

RELATED: Oxford, Prenetics to take their COVID-19 rapid testing tech to other infectious diseases

For example, at the moment we know that there is a genetic variant which doubles the risk of being severely affected by COVID-19, Davies said. However, we do not know how the genetic variant makes people more vulnerable to COVID-19.

By providing a more detailed view into DNAs larger structure, drugs aimed at these genetic targets may have a better chance of making it through clinical trials, he added.

In the Nature publication, the researchers report that MCC could spot the physical interactions between gene-regulating proteins and the DNA code itself at base-pair resolutioneven though one targeted string may be controlled by genes located tens of thousands to millions of base pairs further along the chainor maybe a mile away, by bricks in a wall on the other side of the city.

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Oxford spinout spies the hidden mechanics of DNA and disease with single-pair resolution method - FierceBiotech

Using ivermectin in treating of patients with mild COVID-19 | IJN – Dove Medical Press

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Introduction

Coronaviruses (CoV) include a large number of viruses causing diseases ranging from mild common cold to severe Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronaviruses are zoonotic viruses; SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans.1 The worldwide pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first discovered in Wuhan, China in 2019.24

Common manifestations of COVID-19 infection include respiratory symptoms, cough, fever, breathing difficulties and anosmia. Severe cases result in pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. WHO recommendations to prevent infection spread include frequent hand washing, covering nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing, and avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory symptoms such as coughing and sneezing.1

There is currently no specific drug therapy or vaccine available to treat COVID-19. Antimalarial drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, as well as antifilarial drugs such as ivermectin and antiviral drugs such as favipiravir, remdesivir, and umifenovir, have been studied. Many study groups around the world are looking into their potential effectiveness against COVID-19.5 Additionally, SARS-CoV and other viral infections are believed to be inhibited by a variety of medicinal plants and natural products such as ilimaquinone (marine sponge metabolite), which have been shown to act on the ACE-2 receptor as well as other viral protein targets.6,7 When compared with other cell-based therapies, which may experience challenges such as the cells sticking to the respiratory tract epithelia during administration, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their exosomes (MSCs-Exo) have shown promise in clinical trials as a therapeutic tool for severely affected COVID-19 patients.8

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved broad-spectrum anti-parasitic agent that in recent years has shown to have anti-viral activity against a broad range of viruses.9,10 The mechanism of action of this drug against COVID-19 is unclear, though researchers suggest it works in the same way as it does against other viruses.9 It is proved to inhibit integrase protein (IN) nuclear import and HIV-1 replication,11 as it inhibits interaction between the importin (IMP) /1 heterodimer responsible for IN nuclear import and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) integrase protein.11 Ivermectin is proved to limit infection caused by some Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) viruses such as West Nile viruses, influenza and dengue virus.12 It is reported that ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, and causes reduction about 5000-fold in SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA at 48 hours.13 In addition, the binding of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein to the human cell membrane may be hindered by ivermectin docking.14 Nanosuspension is a very fine dispersed drug particle in an aqueous vehicle for either topical and oral use or pulmonary and parenteral administration.15 Nanosuspensions have high chemical stability, high drug loading capacity and low toxicity. Intranasal administration needs localization of drug in the nasal cavity for a prolonged time for absorption.16 So, nanoparticles must be incorporated into mucoadhesive formulations that maintain the properties of nanosizing simultaneously with localization inside the nasal cavity.17

Because olfactory disturbances (anosmia/hyposmia) are frequently presenting manifestations of COVID-19,18 and many patients could still have these disturbances for variable times (days to months) after complete cure from SARS-CoV-2, which can significantly affect their psychological status, we studied the local use of ivermectin as a mucoadhesive nanosuspension intranasal spray (where a large viral load is found at the early stages of the infection) to explore its possible effect in curing mild COVID-19 patients, with special concern on assessment of the possible efficacy in curing the olfactory manifestations based on clinical, biochemical and molecular data of the included patients, as previous clinical trials regarding local nasal use of ivermectin in humans are limited.

This is a prospective clinical trial which included 114 patients diagnosed as mild COVID-19 who presented to the outpatients clinic, Qena University Hospital, Upper Egypt, during the period from February to March, 2021. Ethical approval from the Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine South Valley University was taken before starting the study (code: SVU 2021/1/120). Written informed consents were obtained from the included patients regarding the approval to use the drug and performing the required investigations and the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The patients with mild COVID-19 were divided randomly into two groups; group A included 57 patients with mild COVID-19 who received ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray twice daily plus the Egyptian protocol of treatment for COVID-19 and group B included 57 patients with mild COVID-19 who received the Egyptian protocol for COVID-19 only.

The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on history of exposure, the presence of respiratory manifestation and/or fever, radiological signs suggestive of COVID-19: ground glass opacity GGO, changes in total leucocytic count and lymphocytic count (normal or reduced).19 All cases were confirmed by real-time PCR test positive for SARS-CoV-2 using upper respiratory tract swabs.

Regarding illness severity, severe or critical COVID-19 was diagnosed by the presence of one or more of the following; (1) respiratory rate 30 cycles per minute or more, (2) resting room air oxygen saturation of 93% or less, (3) PaO2/FiO2 is 300 mmHg or less, (4) respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, shock, organ dysfunction syndrome and ICU admission. COVID-19 patients who did not meet these specifications yet had a positive COVID-19 nucleic acid test were considered to have a mild disease level.20,21 A mild case of COVID-19 is defined as symptomatic case with lymphopenia or leucopenia with no radiological signs for pneumonia, according to the Egyptian management Protocol for COVID-19.22

All patients with severe COVID-19 or patients indicated to receive systemic ivermectin according to the Egyptian management protocol for COVID-19 patients,22 were excluded from this study. Also chronic ENT disorders such as chronic sinusitis, nasal allergy, patients using nasal spray preparation, systemic or local use of steroids due to any cause, or allergic to ivermectin were excluded.

The Egyptian protocol for treatment of mild COVID-19 includes:

Demographic data were recorded for all patients including age, sex, BMI, comorbidities, and smoking, clinical manifestations including fever, cough, dyspnea, anosmia and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and/or abdominal pain. Full laboratory investigations were done in all patients and chest CT performed.

Follow-up of all included patients until complete recovery from COVID-19 and the recovery durations of all symptoms for all included patients were recorded in days. Follow up of routine laboratory tests was conducted 7 days after starting ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray. Group A patients were followed also for any side effects of the ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray.

Poloxamer 407 and Poloxamer 188 were obtained from Sigma Chemicals Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA). Sodium alginate was supplied by General Chemical and Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Sudbury, UK. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 15,000 (HPMC) was obtained from El-Gomhouria Co., Cairo, Egypt. Carbopol 974P (CP) was obtained from Lubrizol Co., Cleveland, OH, USA.

Ivermectin nanosuspension was developed using a nanoprecipitation method followed by ultrasonication as reported in the literature.23 A specified amount of ivermectin was dissolved in a small amount of acetone to form the solvent phase (120 mg/L). Poloxamer 407 and Poloxamer 188 as stabilizers were dissolved in distilled water at concentrations of 2 and 1% w/v, respectively to form antisolvent phase. The drug solution was then added dropwise to the aqueous stabilizer solution using a suitable syringe under continuous stirring on magnetic stirrer at 25C (3000 rpm for 30 min). The resultant homogenous suspension was immediately subjected to ultrasonication using a probe-type sonicator (Cole-Parmer, Vernon Hills, IL, USA) for 10 min at 5 spauses and amplitude pressure 50% for further control of particle aggregation. After sonication, the nanosuspension was placed on a magnetic stirrer for 2 h to ensure the complete evaporation of solvent.

For the preparation of the mucoadhesive nasal formulation of ivermectin nanosuspension, mucoadhesive polymer mixture (HPMC K15M (0.3% w/v), Carbopol 974P (0.1% w/v) and sodium alginate (0.2% w/v)) were added to the prepared nanosuspension with continuous stirring until an homogenous viscous dispersion was obtained. To this formulation other ingredients such as sodium benzoate (0.01%w/v) and glycerol (1.0%w/v) as preservatives were added and mixed well. Finally, the prepared formulation was filled into nasal spray containers. Concentration of ivermectin per puff was 70 g/mL.

The judging points regarding the efficacy of Ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray in improving patients with mild COVID-19 were as follows (Figure 1):

Figure 1 Flow chart of the study design.

Data entry and data analysis were done using SPSS version 26 (Statistical Package for Social Science). Data were presented as a number, percentage, the mean and standard deviation for parametric data, the median and inter-quartile range for non-parametric data. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to compare qualitative variables. MannWhitney test was used to compare between two quantitative variables and KruskalWallis test was used to compare between more than two quantitative variables for non-parametric data. Independent t-test was used to compare between two quantitative variables for parametric data. P-value was considered statistically significant when <0.05.

This prospective study included 114 patients with mild COVID-19; 82 males (71.9%) and 32 females (28.1%) with mean age 45.1 18.9. All patients showed no signs suggestive of moderate or severe COVID-19 on CT chest. Co-morbidities were present in 47 patients of all patients (41.2%) in the form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [1 case (0.9%)], cerebrovascular stroke [4 cases (3.5%)], diabetes mellitus [14 cases (12.3%)], hypertension [20 cases (17.5%)], bronchial asthma and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis [3 cases for each, (2.7%)]. Both groups were age and sex matched. Group A (ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray treated group) included 40 males (70.2%) and 17 females (29.8%) and group B included 42 males (73.7%) and 15 females (26.3%) with no significant difference (P = 0.7). The mean age (years) of group A is 44.8 19.2 versus 45.5 18.8 in group B, with no significant difference (P = 0.8). Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio before treatment was 3.1 1.3 in group A versus 3.1 1.2 in group B with P = 0.9. Also the median values of CRP, D-dimer, and serum ferritin were not significantly different between the two study groups (P = 0.9, 0.5, and 0.7 respectively). There were no significant differences regarding the history of contact cases which was found in 30 patients of group A (52.6%) versus 28 patients of group B (49.1%) with P = 0 0.7. As regards the frequency of different blood groups, there were no statistically significant differences between both groups, P = 0.9 (Table 1). There was no statistical significant difference between both groups regarding frequency of cough, dyspnea, anosmia, and GIT symptoms, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Comparison Between Demographic Data of Both Study Groups

In the ivermectin-treated group (group A) 54 patients (94.7%) achieved 2 consecutive negative PCR nasopharyngeal swabs in comparison to 43 patients (75.4%) in the control group, P = 0.004, as shown in Table 2. Patients who progressed to more severe disease were only 3 (5.3%) cases in the ivermectin-treated group and 14 (24.6%) cases in group B. No side effects were recorded in the ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray treated group.

Table 2 COVID-19 PCR Negative Conversion Achievement in Ivermectin and Control Group

The durations (days) of fever, cough, dyspnea, anosmia, and GIT manifestations were assessed in the improved patients in both groups. Ivermectin-treated group (group A) exhibited significantly shorter mean duration of fever, cough, dyspnea, and anosmia compared with group B: 5 1.7 days versus 13.6 2.7 days; 5 1.9 days versus 14 2.6; 4.4 2.7 days versus 10.1 3.4; 0.5 0.9 versus 1.6 3.2, respectively with P = 0.0001 for all (Table 3). As regards gastrointestinal symptoms duration there was no significant difference between both groups, P = 0.884, as shown in Table 3. In this study no patients in both groups showed persistent anosmia or gastrointestinal manifestation, even those who failed to achieve negative PCR.

Table 3 Comparison Between Both Groups as Regards Duration of Fever, Cough, Dyspnea, Anosmia, GIT Symptoms and Duration to PCR Negative Conversion

Mean duration taken for nasopharyngeal swab to be negative was significantly shorter in group A than in group B (8.3 2.8 days versus 12.9 4.3 days; P = 0.004) (Table 3).

All laboratory parameters [neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, CRP (mg/dl), D-dimer (ng/mL), and ferritin (ng/mL)] of both groups showed reduction towards normality references 7 days after diagnosis with more significant reduction in group A compared with group B. The median values and inter-quartile ranges in group A versus group B were [1.5 (0.53.5) versus 1.9 (0.64.2); 6 (396) versus 15 (2120); 250 (100900) versus 310 (10900); 199 (762020) versus 253 (752100) respectively] (Table 4).

Table 4 Comparison Between Both Groups as Regard Laboratory Parameters Changes 7 Days After Diagnosis

There is no definite drug therapy for COVID-19 up till now. Several drugs are under clinical trials for treatment of this serious disease, Ivermectin is one of these drugs.10,24 Ivermectin previously has been used in treatment of lymphatic filariasis, and Onchocerca volvulus.2 It is proved to have antiviral activity against a number of viruses in in vitro investigations3,2527 and is also found to limit viral infections such as influenza, West Nile viruses, and dengue fever. An in vitro study reported that ivermectin inhibits SARS-CoV-2, with a single addition to Vero/hSLAM cells 2-h post infection and reduces viral RNA ~5000- at 48 h.2,3,10,11,26,27 Recent studies that examined the efficacy of ivermectin have shown antiviral activity for many viral infections.28

Caly et al. found that a single dose of 5 M ivermectin can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro with 99.98% reduction of viral RNA in 48 h.10 The FDA-approved dose of ivermectin for other diseases is 150200 mcg/kg. But Caly et al. used a single large dose 30 times greater than the FDA-approved one.6 This study showed that mean age of mild COVID-19 patients is 45.1 18.9 years, which is in agreement with Ghweil et al., who reported that severe COVID-19 was more frequent in older age groups, while mild to moderate infection was more frequent in younger age groups;29 this is also reported by other investigators.3034

In this study the most common comorbidities were diabetes mellitus and hypertension which is similar to results reported by Ghweil et al.29 Astudy done by Marhl et al. reported that a higher risk for COVID-19 among diabetic patients may be due to associated dysregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), liver dysfunction, and chronic inflammation;35 Singh et al. reported the same results.36 In a randomized trial done by Shouman et al., ivermectin was used as a chemoprophylactic agent for contacts of COVID-19 patients and they found that ivermectin is a safe and effective chemoprophylactic agent in prevention of COVID-19.37

A randomized, double-blind trial was done in Dhaka, Bangladesh in which oral ivermectin alone (12mg once daily for 5 days) or in combination with doxycycline (12mg ivermectin single dose and 200mg doxycycline day-1 followed by 100mg 12-hourly for next 4 days) was compared with placebo among patients with COVID-19 infection. Negative PCR was earlier in the 5-day ivermectin treatment group versus the placebo.38 A recent study done in Florida, USA, reported that COVID-19 patients given ivermectin with other treatments (e.g., azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine) showed lower mortality rate than COVID-19 patients who did not receive ivermectin.39

Various studies have reported the nasal delivery of nanosuspensions. Saindane et al. incorporated a carvedilol-containing nanosuspension into in situ gel,40 and Alshweiat et al. prepared a loratadine-based nasal nanosuspension to improve bioavailability.12 SARS-CoV-2 invades the oropharynx and nasopharynx, from which it transmits even before any signs appear. The first symptoms (odynophagia, anosmia, dry cough, fever) and lung parenchyma colonization occur when the virus replicates in this region. The use of a nasal ivermectin spray to deposit the drug in the upper respiratory tract may be a useful method for exposing the SARS-CoV-2 virus (or the cells that contain the viral particles) to high ivermectin concentrations. As a result, early in the infection, the viral load is reduced, preventing extensive viral replication, transmission, and disease aggravation.41

No previous study has used ivermectin in a nanosuspension nasal spray. In this study we tried to decrease the viral load in the nose and nasopharynx in early COVID 19 patients by the direct action of an ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray. Administration of nanosuspension by nasal spray provides uniform distribution of the drug through the nasal mucosa. Mucoadhesive polymers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 15,000 (HPMC K15M), carbopol 974P and sodium alginate were used in a mixture to increase the residence time of formulation at site of action.12,13

In this study, COVID-19 patients treated with an ivermectin mucoadhesive nanosuspension nasal spray showed shorter duration of fever, dyspnea, cough, and anosmia but not GIT symptoms duration. Additionally, the findings of the current study revealed that patients with COVID-19 treated with ivermectin showed more significant reduction in measured hematological and biochemical parameters towards normal values with rapid viral clearance as evidenced by conversion of nasopharyngeal swab to negative. Further studies should be done to assess the ivermectin nanosuspension nasal spray in prophylaxis of close contacts to COVID-19 patients.

Local use of ivermectin mucoadhesive nanosuspension nasal spray is safe and effective in treatment of mild COVID-19 patients, with rapid viral clearance and recovery of respiratory manifestations (anosmia, cough, and dyspnea). The result of efficacy of ivermectin in reducing patients symptoms can promote the current protocols of COVID-19 treatment. Further studies should be done to assess the possible role of ivermectin mucoadhesive nanosuspension nasal spray as a prophylaxis against COVID-19 infection.

The current studys main limitation was the lack of a multi-dose design of ivermectin to assess the potential dose-effect relationship, which could be designed in future studies.

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

This research was partially funded by South Valley University, Faculty of Medicine, Qena 83523, Egypt.

No potential conflicts of interest between authors to be declare.

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7. Surti M, Patel M, Adnan M, et al. Ilimaquinone (marine sponge metabolite) as a novel inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 key target proteins in comparison with suggested COVID-19 drugs: designing, docking and molecular dynamics simulation study. RSC Adv. 2020;10(62):3770737720. doi:10.1039/D0RA06379G

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13. Alshweiat A, Ambrus R, Csoka I. Intranasal nanoparticulate systems as alternative route of drug delivery. Curr Med Chem. 2019;26(35):64596492. doi:10.2174/0929867326666190827151741

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16. Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Snchez-Duque JA, Hernndez-Botero S, et al. Preparacin y control dela enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) en Amrica Latina. Acta Medica Peruana. 2020;37(1):37. doi:10.35663/amp.2020.371.909

17. Gallego V, Nishiura H, Sah R, Rodriguez-Morales AJ. The COVID-19 outbreak and implications for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2020;2020:101604. doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101604

18. Abdelmaksoud AA, Ghweil AA, Hassan MH, et al. Olfactory disturbances as presenting manifestation among egyptian patients with COVID-19: possible role of zinc. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2021:18. doi:10.1007/s12011-020-02546-5

19. Wang YY, Jin YH, Ren XQ, et al. Updating the diagnostic criteria of COVID-19 suspected case and confirmed case is necessary. Mil Med Res. 2020;7(1):13. doi:10.1186/s40779-020-00245-9

20. Li L, Li R, Wu Z, et al. Therapeutic strategies for critically ill patients with COVID-19. Ann Intensive Care. 2020;10(1):45. doi:10.1186/s13613-020-00661-z

21. Zhang J, Wang X, Jia X, et al. Risk factors for disease severity, unimprovement, and mortality in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020;26(6):767772. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2020.04.012

22. Ministry of Health and Population. Egyptian national guidelines for COVID-19. 2020. Available online: https://hiph.alexu.edu.eg/images/egyptian_national_guidelines_covid-19.pdf. Accessed December 1, 2020.

23. Xia D, Quan P, Piao H, et al. Preparation of stable nitrendipine nanosuspensions using the precipitationultrasonication method for enhancement of dissolution and oral bioavailability. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2010;40(4):325334. doi:10.1016/j.ejps.2010.04.006

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26. Lundberg L, Pinkham C, Baer A, et al. Nuclear import and export inhibitors alter capsid protein distribution in mammalian cells and reduce venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replication. Antiviral Res. 2013;100(3):662672. doi:10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.10.004

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Cyberpunk 2077 developer says its hacked data is circulating online – The Verge

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

Hacked data stolen from CD Projekt is circulating online, the company says. The studio behind Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 says it can not confirm the exact contents of the data being circulated, but believes it relates to its games, contractors, and both current and former employees. It also warned that the data may have been manipulated or tampered with.

The disclosure comes four months after the studio first announced that it had fallen victim to a ransomware attack. It initially said hackers had managed to access certain data from the company. CD Projekt posted the ransom note it received in which the hackers claimed to have access to source code from its games including Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Gwent. The note also said the hacked data included details relating to its HR, accounting, and other internal operations.

The company said it would not give in to the hackers demands, and days later the attackers claimed to have sold the data online. However the nature of the sale, in which the hackers claimed to have found a buyer outside of a hacking forum auction, raised questions about whether they were able to find a buyer at all. Writing in a blog post, Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow said he thought it was likely that the hackers were just claiming to have found a buyer to save face after having failed to monetize the hack.

CD Projekt has previously admitted that hackers were able to encrypt some of its employee data on its network. But the company said its investigation had found no evidence that the data had been transferred out of the companys systems.

The hack followed the troubled launch of the studios latest blockbuster title, Cyberpunk 2077. Although it sold well and was initially well-received by critics, players quickly discovered that the game was riddled with bugs, and almost unplayable on older consoles. The situation was so bad that the game was pulled from the PlayStation Store. As of this writing, it is yet to return.

CD Projekt says its continuing to work with law enforcement and outside experts as it responds to the hack, and said it is committed and prepared to take action against anyone sharing the stolen data.

See the article here:

Cyberpunk 2077 developer says its hacked data is circulating online - The Verge

CD Projekt says Cyberpunk 2077 will return to Sonys PlayStation Store on June 21st – The Verge

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Danzig

CD Projekt says Cyberpunk 2077 will return to Sonys PlayStation Store on June 21st, slightly more than six months after being removed. As Polygon notes, the news came in a regulatory disclosure by Cyberpunk 2077s developer, CD Projekt Reds parent company, saying Sony had agreed to reinstate the game.

A CD Projekt Red spokesperson declined further comment about Cyberpunk 2077s return, including what potential bug fixes or other updates the new version offers. In a statement to Polygon, Sony confirmed the news but said that it still doesnt recommend playing the game on PlayStation 4. Users will continue to experience performance issues with the PS4 edition while CD Projekt Red continues to improve stability across all platforms. [Sony Interactive Entertainment] recommends playing the title on PS4 Pro or PS5 for the best experience, a spokesperson said.

CD Projekt executives have said they frequently updated Sony on fixes for Cyberpunk 2077s myriad bugs and performance issues since the game was pulled from the store on December 17th, 2020. The studio has released numerous patches for its console, PC, and Google Stadia editions; in late May, joint CEO Adam Kiciski told investors thered been visible progress on stabilizing the game. But Kiciski said Sony would have to make the final call.

Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December to strong sales but severe technical problems. The game struggled to run on last-generation Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, and players faced numerous (and frequently hilarious) bugs on every platform. Microsoft and Sony both offered refunds for the game, and Microsoft added a warning label for Xbox One owners on its Xbox store. Sony took the more drastic step of pulling Cyberpunk 2077 from its PlayStation Store entirely. Console owners could still buy physical discs, but CD Projekt has said that the digital versions absence may have slowed down sales on Xbox and PC as well as PlayStation.

CD Projekt Red spent nearly a decade designing Cyberpunk 2077, and it calls the game a long-term investment that it can sell for years to come. The studio has backed away from plans for a standalone multiplayer mode, saying it would focus on adding online features to all its games instead. But its promised downloadable content for Cyberpunk 2077s single-player campaign, plus a major upgrade for new consoles including the PlayStation 5 in the second half of this year.

Update June 15th, 2:00PM ET: Added comment from Sony via Polygon and response from CD Projekt Red.

Continued here:

CD Projekt says Cyberpunk 2077 will return to Sonys PlayStation Store on June 21st - The Verge

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