New therapy can treat rare and hereditary diseases – EurekAlert

Posted on by

image:

Researchers create mini-brains from skin cells in the lab. The mini-brains are used to test out medicines and gene therapy. The work has provided new knowledge and ideas for the treatment of patients with childhood dementia, Alzheimer's, ALS, Parkinson's and DOOR syndrome.

Credit: Julie Gloppe Solem, NTNU

A lot of research has been done over many decades on diseases that are widespread in large parts of the population, such as cancer and heart disease. As a result, treatment methods have improved enormously thanks to long-term research efforts on diseases that affect many people.

However, there are many diseases that affect just a handful people. These diseases often fly under the radar and are far less researched. They include quite a few rare, hereditary diseases, such as DOOR syndrome, which is especially found in Canada and the Middle East.

A team of scientists is now in the process of trying to change this.

For some hereditary, rare diseases, there is currently no cure. However, gene therapy is a possible solution, and we are now testing various strategies using gene therapy, says Magnar Bjrs, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology(NTNU's) Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine.

He has established a research team at NTNU and Oslo University Hospital that conducts basic research on rare, hereditary diseases with a long-term goal of finding new therapies.

One of the rare diseases for which there is currently no medication or treatment is called DOOR syndrome.

This is a congenital disorder that involves multiple abnormalities. DOOR is an acronym for the main features of the disorder: Deafness, Onychodystrophy (short or absent nails), Osteodystrophy (short fingers and toes) and developmental delay and intellectual disability (previously called mental Retardation).

DOOR syndrome is hereditary and is caused by the lack of a specific protein in the genes called OXR1 (OXidation Resistance gene 1).

Due to lack of this protein, the brain cells are unable to develop as they should. As a result, the brain cells either become dysfunctional or simply die, says Magnar Bjrs.

In order to investigate whether there is a way to prevent this from happening, the Bjrs team has carried out tests inside mini-brains that they grow in their lab.

The Bjrs team has been working on growing mini-organs such as mini-brains, mini-lungs and mini-eyes since 2018. The scientists use the mini-organs to test drugs and gene therapy.

In order to grow mini-brains for their research on DOOR syndrome, the research team needed cells from people who have this disease.

A number of cases have been registered in Canada and the Middle East, and the research being done in Norway is based on skin cells from people who have DOOR syndrome.

In the laboratory, we have transformed the skin cells into embryo cells. We have reversed the development in the skin cells so that they return to the foetal stage and become like the first cells that form in humans. We have then used these stem cells to create mini-brains, says Bjrs.

Using skin cells from people with DOOR syndrome, the scientists have recreated the disease in the mini-brains. They can then use these mini-brains to test out therapies for this disease.

The process of developing mini-brains takes several months and is painstaking and expensive.

The work has given the scientists insight into the reasons why patients develop disease and thus also ideas for treatment strategies. Gene therapy is one possible treatment where the brain cells can be made to start producing the missing protein.

A virus is actually used as a messenger that delivers the necessary production information to the brain cells.

As a follow-up to our published work, we are now testing virus-based gene therapy as a treatment for this disease," Bjrs said. "We create a harmless virus in the lab and then put a healthy OXR1 gene into the virus genome, and this gene has the ability to produce the protein that brain cells lack in people with DOOR syndrome."

The virus is then injected into the mini-brains.

The virus is absorbed into the brain and brain cells. The gene introduced into the brain cells via the virus can then begin to produce the missing protein," he said. "If this protein can be overproduced, it helps to stop and, at best, reverse the disease. In order to treat DOOR syndrome, patients will need to start gene therapy at a very early stage, probably as soon as the first symptoms of disease are noticed."

Gene therapy research has evolved greatly over the past 20 years.

In 2007, only one clinical trial of gene therapy took place. Today, there are thousands of clinical trials involving gene therapy,Bjrs said.

The research has not only provided new knowledge and ideas for the treatment of patients with DOOR syndrome, but also for other diseases.

What is particularly interesting about the OXR1 protein that patients with DOOR syndrome lack is that this gene therapy method also has an interesting potential for treating other diseases, says Bjrs.

The OXR1 protein reduces inflammation, which is a characteristic of most degenerative diseases of the brain, such as childhood dementia, Alzheimers, ALS and Parkinsons.

The researchers have used new, advanced technology. The mini-brains that they have grown are made from skin cells from DOOR syndrome patients and from healthy individuals.

The mini-brains have been used to study brain development and the scientists have created different parts of the brain that control different functions, such as memory, learning, motor skills, fluid balance, hormone balance and temperature control.

It has been shown for the first time in a human model that OXR1 promotes protein methylation during brain development in space and time. Protein methylation is one of several important chemical processes that control gene expression.

The study provides new insights into pathological traits associated with OXR1 deficiency in patients.

References: Genome Biology. A loss-of-function mutation in human Oxidation Resistance 1 disrupts the spatialtemporal regulation of histone arginine methylation in neurodevelopment

https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-023-03037-1

Experimental study

Cells

A loss-of-function mutation in human Oxidation Resistance 1 disrupts the spatialtemporal regulation of histone arginine methylation in neurodevelopment

29-Sep-2023

Continue reading here:

New therapy can treat rare and hereditary diseases - EurekAlert

Why these PhD scientists swapped research for secondary-school … – Nature.com

Posted on by

Joaqun Ramrez Ramrez (holding board) enjoys trying out different styles of teaching and seeing what works.Credit: Mara Paula Garca

Eleven years ago, James Carey swapped life as a postdoctoral researcher in molecular and cellular biology to become a science teacher. He settled into his current role at a small secondary school in Norwell, Massachusetts, in 2013. Some friends, he says, still wonder why he spent so long studying, only to take up a job that doesnt require that level of education. But for Carey, this was the right path. When he was an early-career scientist, he thought a non-academic career meant you were kind of a failure, he says. He now sees this as a very silly mentality.

I dont think that my journey would be nearly as fulfilling as it is if I had done it a different way, he says. I realize now that it doesnt matter how you get there, or where you end up. Its just what you do with what youve got when youre there. Im trying to make the most of everything that Ive learnt through science and through life, and bring that into the classroom.

Carey got his PhD at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2005, but his research wasnt leading him towards the shining academic career that hed dreamt of. He didnt publish as much as he wanted, and when his postdoc at University of Massachusetts (UMass) Chan Medical School in Worcester came to an end in 2011, he found it difficult to get an academic post, leaving him dejected.

With a second child on the way, he knew he needed more stability. When I sat back to reassess and re-evaluate what I liked about science, he says, I kept going back to how I really enjoyed mentoring young scientists, helping them learn the techniques, connect the dots, find their own story and put the pieces of that puzzle together.

Carey is not the only academic researcher to find happiness and career satisfaction as a science teacher at the secondary-school level. The work can be challenging, and the pay might be lower than in academia, but job stability and passing on a passion for science to the next generation more than make up for it. Here, those whove jumped from the university lecture hall to the school classroom share what inspired them, and highlight why others pursuing PhDs might also find their calling in secondary-school teaching (see Considering being a schoolteacher?). When he was a school student, it was my science teacher who lit that spark in me, says Carey. If I could do that for even just one kid, that would be worth it.

Teachers with PhDs give tips for making the transition.

Its not for people who want long holidays. Its really for people who have a vocation, says retired teacher Suzanne Kalka, who now works in science communication in Manchester, UK.

Get into the classroom as a temporary teacher to see if its right for you

You certainly get a feel for the type of audience that you would have by standing in for someone else, says Cindy Sparks, a teacher at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, Massachusetts. Would-be teachers should check that out first and make sure they can handle that.

Teaching can be rewarding, but its also challenging and wont be the right fit for everyone. Anne Gillies moved into teaching after her PhD, but ended up burnt out and now works in quality assurance for a biotechnology company in Seattle, Washington. I knew from the beginning that teaching was exhausting, she says. I really wanted to give every single student 110% of myself, but she found that having 150 teenagers in a day, I dont have 150 pieces of me to give.

Try to find joy, says Joaqun Ramrez Ramrez, who teaches at the Tecnolgico de Monterrey high school in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Let go, leave your past behind. Youre not failing at science. Youre just a scientist thats become an educator.

Even though we know our subjects inside out and upside down, knowing something and teaching it is completely different, says Kalka. The qualifications needed will vary depending on where you live many teaching jobs at secondary-school level require some sort of professional certification, such qualified teacher status in England and Wales, even if you already have a PhD in the subject you want to teach.

Many of the scientists-turned-teachers whom Nature spoke to cannot pinpoint a moment that made them switch paths. Instead, they experienced a growing discontentment with elements of their scientific work, and a realization that greater job satisfaction could be found elsewhere.

This was the case for Ben Still, who became a schoolteacher in 2014, five years after getting his PhD in neutrino physics at the University of Sheffield, UK. As a postdoc, Still worked on the T2K neutrino experiment in Japan, using machine learning to process data. He liked the international nature of the collaboration, but the administrative demands began to take their toll. I wasnt having as much time to focus on the physics analyses that I really enjoyed. I could see that the career path was going towards administration, politics, funding applications, he says.

James Carey (in red) prefers the worklife balance that teaching offers.Credit: Jennifer Greenberg

A series of writing and outreach projects reignited his passion, including a collaboration with artist Nelly Ben Hayoun that involved filling a railway arch at London Bridge station with silver balloons to evoke the interior of the Super-Kamiokande neutrino detector in Japan. I had this interest and passion in explaining the science more than I did in the administration and the politics to drive the science, he says.

At the end of his postdoc in 2014, he started work at a private school in north London. His first day on the job involved overseeing 30 11-year-olds. It was a baptism of fire, he says. He went on to earn his teaching qualification and has been a teacher ever since.

For Carey, whose father died when he was 14, teaching gave him the opportunity to be there for his own children as they grew up. Unfortunately, a life in academia isnt always conducive to that [if you spend] long hours working with live organisms, you cant necessarily say, Hold on, wait, lets not do this experiment yet, my kids got a soccer match.

Although working in a secondary school is demanding and often involves overtime, teaching roles still offer more flexibility than academic ones.

Balancing a career with family life was an issue for Cindy Sparks, who got her PhD in molecular cell biology in 1995 at the UMass Chan Medical School. She wanted to pursue research but knew it would require long hours in the laboratory. When, as a postdoc, she gave birth to twins in 1998, it became nearly impossible to navigate that track, she says.

Cindy Sparks switched to teaching after giving birth to twins made it nearly impossible to remain on the academic path.Credit: Sammie Doxsey

In 2007, when her children were in school, Sparks went back to research at UMass as a postdoc in molecular medicine, benefiting from a US National Institutes of Health re-entry grant, an award that encourages scientists to return to work after time off for family commitments. She taught lecture and lab courses on the side, and in secondary schools as a visiting scientist. I knew that I was good at that and, gradually, I became aware of how rewarding it was to inspire people and make a difference. Research was making a difference too, [but] it was taking too much of my life to do.

In 2012, Sparks moved to teaching full-time, and she has spent the past ten years as a biology and chemistry teacher at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, Massachusetts. Apart from loving what she does, she also appreciates the security of her role. I make good money. And Im in a union. So Im in a very secure job, she says, adding that many postdocs and pre-tenure faculty members at universities have comparatively less security and lower pay.

Some scientists who choose to teach after their PhDs are driven by the chance to open up science as a career path to secondary-school students who hadnt previously considered it. Suzanne Kalka started teaching physics at a state-run school in Manchester, UK, 32 years ago, after getting her PhD in cryogenic infrared spectroscopy. Her primary motivation, she says, was to inspire others to get into science.

I didnt come from a traditional research scientists background. My family was a lower socio-economic group: blue-collar workers, no experience of university, she says. She discovered in secondary school that science was her passion, but at university, she encountered very few people studying physical sciences who shared her background. I wanted to encourage girls and [members of] under-represented communities to take science courses, she says.

Although she could easily have got a job at a prestigious private school, it wasnt the demographic of students that I wanted to work with, she says. There were too many students getting left behind who werent aware that they could have a scientific career, particularly girls.

She wanted to reach those students as early as possible, when their enthusiasm for science is still high. Theyve got to get the idea when theyre 11 or 12 that there are viable careers for them, she says.

Christine Yu challenges her students with hands-on experiments and international science competitions.Credit: Christine Yu

Still was similarly motivated. As the first member of his family to go to university, he says he was lucky to have had the chance to study science in the way he did. Hopefully I can offer opportunities that I didnt have to students from similar schooling backgrounds to myself.

Now based at the private St Pauls School in London, Still spends much of his time focusing on educational outreach projects, such as a residential summer-school programme, that are also open to students from state-run schools. Being at an institution with well-resourced facilities, he wants to be able to share the benefits as far and wide as possible, he says. He hopes these projects will make an impact on students, in that they would be exposed to stuff that they may not have even realized existed.

Still also spent a couple of years at Imperial College London teaching a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) course, which aimed to get scientists with masters degrees and PhDs into teaching. Hes been able to pass on his own experience and inspire others to follow a similar path.

Hong Kong-based biology teacher Christine Yu also thinks that the best time to foster young peoples love of science is when they are in secondary school. After earning a PhD in biotechnology at the University of Hong Kong in 2007, she took up a postdoc that included some teaching responsibilities and found that the teaching was where she really shone.

Yu also initiated a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programme with a focus on biotechnology, for students aged 1315. In this hands-on programme, students modify bacterial genes, visit a university laboratory and speak to working scientists. Together with other schoolteachers and university science academics, she has helped to set up or take teams to science competitions involving research projects submitted by students from Hong Kong and neighbouring Chinese cities, with the opportunity to progress to international competitions.

Yu gets great satisfaction from her students success she speaks proudly about former pupils who are now doing PhDs at prestigious universities abroad. Im lucky, she says. I have a chance to channel them to take part in challenging competitions to widen their horizons and connect them with other STEM students globally.

Scientists who come to schoolteaching after years as postdocs often realize that this has given them a strong footing in their new career. For biologist Charlotte Wood, who made the move after 20 years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Nottingham, UK, the depth of her experience gave her confidence in the classroom. Although she admits to initial feelings of impostor syndrome when applying for teacher-training courses in her forties, once she started teaching, she found that her years as a working scientist allowed her to explain controversial topics to her students clearly.

Im completely confident in rigorous scientific research and the importance of integrity and honesty like when weve talked about the [alleged link between] MMR vaccine and autism, she says. I can pull up the original paper, and we can compare it to a new paper.

Years of experience as a bench scientist gives Charlotte Wood confidence when discussing controversial topics with students.Credit: Jessica Stringer

Undertaking a PhD prepares teachers for the classroom, with communication and presentation skills being transferable. It is also essential to have a can-do attitude in a tough classroom environment. Perseverance is very important during a PhD, says Yu, and this is a skill she wants to embody for her students. Most of the time we fail in the experiment, and then we think about how to solve the problem.

Joaqun Ramrez Ramrez likes to bring experimentation into the classroom. A chemistry and biology teacher at the Tecnolgico de Monterrey high school in Cuernavaca, Mexico, he might structure lessons in a systematic way, or adopt a more open-ended approach. I have this idea or hypothesis [that] I can try in the classroom, he says, and he can get immediate feedback from students test scores.

For Kalka, the best preparation for teaching was working flat out on her PhD. Doing a science PhD is hard work, physically, she says. And its like that teaching science in school. You are literally on your feet 12 hours or more a day in a science lab in a school, and you do everything mop the floors, clean up.

Although worklife balance and a desire to inspire are big factors for many teachers, others are drawn to education for a different reason to correct what they see as a systemic flaw. Our education system has killed the scientist inside me, says Pankaj Jain, director of educational charity Seed2Sapling in Bengaluru, India. The organization, which he co-founded after getting his PhD in molecular biophysics, focuses on promoting constructive learning letting students experiment and discover answers through play and exploration. The focus should be on nurturing childrens creativity and natural curiosity, he says, instead of just giving them all the answers.

At least in India, and Im sure most countries, he says, the focus of science or mathematics education is knowing all the concepts, but [with] hardly any exposure to how did they discover it?.

Jain and his team work with more than 2 dozen schools that serve around 10,000 students in total. Team members also provide input to committees at the state and national level that plan Indias curriculum. Jain recognizes that thats a drop in the ocean in a country of 1.4 billion people, but like many working in education, hes happy to make a positive difference, however small.

Read more:

Why these PhD scientists swapped research for secondary-school ... - Nature.com

Transforming diabetes care with precision medicine – UChicago Medicine

Posted on by

For a long time, most people thought about diabetes as just two categories: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, with a handful of cases falling into an other bucket.

Yet research over the past few decades shows this disease is complex and multifaceted. Among the hundreds of millions of diabetes patients worldwide, there are a myriad of genetic mutations, biomarkers, symptoms and potential complications that can all manifest at different life stages.

Precision medicine involves customizing interventions to the unique genetic and molecular makeup of individual patients rather than relying on symptoms or broad categories.

This approach, long associated with cancer treatment, is becoming increasingly critical for diabetes prevention and care.

Precise diagnosis and disease characterization affect not only treatment choices but life planning, other health considerations, and even family members well-being. It means providing the right diagnosis, best care and insights into outcomes for all people with diabetes.

We want to eliminate guesswork from diabetes care, said Louis Philipson, MD, PhD, the James C. Tyree Professor of Diabetes Research and Care of Medicine and Director of the Kovler Diabetes Center at UChicago Medicine. Precision diabetes medicine involves understanding as much of a patients biology as possible as soon as we can ideally before prescribing treatment, in the context of their personal history and community.

UChicago Medicine faculty members including Siri Greeley, MD, PhD, Rochelle Naylor, MD, PhD, and Philipson (serving on the steering committee) recently contributed to the Second International Consensus Report On Precision Medicine In Diabetes. A consortium of more than 200 diabetes experts outlined efforts to translate current and future precision medicine research into clinical practice.

The authors celebrated clear progress, such as advancements in diagnosing specific forms of monogenic diabetes through genomic insights that lead to personalized treatment choices.

The report also identified genetic risk classification as an implementable strategy for preventing type 1 diabetes. In gestational diabetes, scientists have identified specific maternal characteristics that can help predict treatment success, allowing for tailored treatment plans.

Despite these promising areas, the report calls for improved research methods and standardized precision medicine trials to bridge existing knowledge gaps.

The report also acknowledged concerns that precision medicine as a whole should not only be for wealthy countries or individuals.

These ideas need to be translatable into any country and any kind of health system, Philipson said. Some treatments are expensive, but by using simple clinical measures to personalize treatments, we can do a lot more with what we have.

He said patients and policymakers alike can get involved in making precision medicine approaches accessible through advocacy and research funding.

Precision medicine gives us a framework that helps us ask the right questions to learn what we still need to know, said Philipson. The next generation of physicians and scientists are primed to think about heterogeneity in diabetes.

Some genetic and molecular insights are already allowing physicians and researchers to integrate precision medicine into patients diabetes care plans.

One of the most amazing interventions we have is actually no intervention at all, said Philipson.

Glucokinase maturity-onset diabetes of the young (GCK-MODY also called MODY2) is a rare subset of the disease that generally develops before age 25. A key enzyme mutation lowers the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas.

Patients with the GCK-MODY mutation have slightly elevated blood sugar levels for their entire lives. But they remain stable and healthy without treatment.

Doctors are sometimes tempted to treat the numbers on a patients chart, said Philipson. Identifying this kind of diabetes has huge implications for physicians and patients. Blood sugar doesnt necessarily have to be normal to avoid the complications of diabetes without burdensome treatment.

Similarly, another type of MODY that involves a mutation in the HNF1A gene responds well to low, inexpensive doses of an old and well-established drug. Eligible patients can often rely on this drug as their only treatment instead of insulin or other drugs.

Its a huge win when genetic tests reveal that a patient with diabetes has mutations that are uniquely treatable, said Philipson.

In some cases, proactive testing of people with family histories of diabetes can allow for preventative precision treatment for patients at risk for type 1 diabetes. The drug teplizumab, created at the University of Chicago over 30 years ago, can delay the onset of type 1 diabetes in people with specific antibodies in their blood. But it must be administered early, before the disease progresses to actual diabetes.

Early detection can make all the difference when considering the best precision medicine approach. Generations of UChicago researchers have been committed to the genetic characterization of diabetes in hopes they may provide insight for precise treatment approaches.

For example, UChicago is one of the lead centers for a large, NIH-funded study called RADIANT designed to understand atypical diabetes. The study is already yielding interesting genetic findings and more, Philipson said.

On top of precise targeting for existing drugs, research is uncovering entirely new treatments. UChicago Medicine researcher Raghu Mirmira, MD, PhD, recently co-authored a study providing preliminary evidence in favor of a new type 1 diabetes treatmentthat can be taken as a pill. The medication protects pancreas cells rather than simply replacing missing insulin.

UChicago researchers, including Greeley, have partnered with colleagues from Indiana University to evaluate the drug in a study called TADPOL.

Patients also benefit from best practices for holistic care at the Kovler Diabetes Center. Treatments have been informed by personalized medicine since the center was founded in 2006.

It stinks to have diabetes; everyone can benefit from some attention in the mental health department. For many, it can be life-changing, said Philipson.

A team of health and wellness professionals led by Executive Director Peggy Hasenauer, MS, RN, and Tina Drossos, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry partner with diabetes care teams with no barriers preventing opportunities to help patients.

Diabetes educators, pharmacists and social workers are embedded within the endocrine clinic as key resources, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of insurance and medication options. These elements can play key roles in precision medicine-informed treatment plans.

Everyone, from our educators and researchers to our nurses and directors, has come together to make the Kovler Diabetes Centerthe unique place it is today, said Philipson.

Go here to see the original:

Transforming diabetes care with precision medicine - UChicago Medicine

New approach to pancreatic cancer treatment expands therapeutic … – Brunswicktimes Gazette

Posted on by

RICHMOND - Preclinical research published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer points to a promising new treatment option for people with pancreatic cancer. Researchers from VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) suggest that when used in a form that can be delivered directly into the tumor cell, polyinosinepolycytidylic acid (pIC) suppresses tumor growth, induces cancer cell death and enhances survival in animal models with the most common form of pancreatic cancer.

Researchers also concluded that when used alone or in combination with a standard-of-care medication such as gemcitabine, pIC a double-stranded RNA which acts as an immunostimulant is safe and non-toxic to normal pancreatic cells, indicating this approach may have translational potential to improve the survival of people with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

PDAC is one of the most difficult cancers to treat effectively, with a one-year survival rate of 24% and a five-year survival rate of just 9%. In the article, researchers co-led by Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., FNAI, the Thelma Newmeyer Corman Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Massey and director of the VIMM, showed the treatment combination significantly enhances the survival of immune-competent mice with PDAC tumors which capture the properties of human pancreatic cancer.

This research is the extension of pioneering work originally done by Fisher and colleagues to define ways of enhancing the anti-cancer activity of pIC. Previous clinical trials with pIC showed limited activation of the immune response and no detectable antitumor effects in melanoma or other cancers. However, when delivered into the tumor cells cytoplasm using polyethyleneimine (PEI), a synthetic, water-soluble polymer, pIC can successfully enter the cell and stimulate tumor cell death.

The current work, co-authored with Luni Emdad, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., associate professor in VCUs Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and a member of the VIMM, and others documents a profound response in animals with PDAC when pIC is effectively delivered into tumor cells using PEI.

Previous laboratory and preclinical studies have shown this method to also be effective in a number of other cancers, including breast, melanoma and liver cancer, said Fisher, who is also a professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics at VCU School of Medicine. In studying this phenomenon in mice with an intact immune system, we found that it worked exceptionally well in PDAC, extending life to an amazing degree just on its own, and enhanced even further in combination with gemcitabine. Nothing like this has been seen before when looking at the original pIC molecule without the use of PEI or other therapeutic modalities in PDAC.

The study also demonstrates the mechanism of pICs effectiveness, and the immune systems profound role in that pathway. The pIC activates Stat1, a gene expression stimulatory molecule, which in turn activates chemokines proteins that stimulate immune cell migration to heighten the immune systems response to the cancerous cells. The reaction converts tumor-associated M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages, turning the molecular machinery that was responsible for creating cancerous cells into a system that attacks the cancer.

Since the toxicity profiles of both gemcitabine and pIC are known, said Emdad, scientists can feel confident that the approach is safe to proceed to test its effectiveness in human studies.

PDAC is a devastating disease. Our survival data is so encouraging in these mice, we consider the potential impact of our treatment on humans will be significant, said Emdad.

In another promising takeaway from the study, pretreatment of mice with pIC prior to cancer development slowed eventual tumor growth by approximately 60%, suggesting that the molecule induced a protective, vaccine-like effect in the mice. This is an area the researchers identified as needing further study, to investigate possible cancer prevention implications.

Fisher said that though this studys positive results are demonstrated specifically in pancreatic cancer, the approach should work in multiple cancer types and could become a generalized therapy in combination with cancer-specific standards of care. Moreover, encouraging data in phase I studies using pIC-PEI (BO-112) as a single agent, or in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1, was found safe and manageable in patients with aggressive solid cancers other than PDAC.

The big picture is that this approach works, and its ready to go into the clinic to treat patients with pancreatic cancer, said Fisher. Translating discoveries that originate in the laboratory into effective therapies is a major challenge that, when accomplished, represents the ultimate achievement of basic medical research. For PDAC patients, we think there could be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Collaborators on this study include Praveen Bhoopathi, Ph.D., Amit Kumar, Ph.D., Anjan K. Pradhan, Ph.D., Santanu Maji, Ph.D., Padmanabhan Mannangatti, Ph.D., Jolene J. Windle, Ph.D., Mark A. Subler, Ph.D., Dongyu Zhang, M.D., Vignesh Vudatha, M.D., Jose G. Trevino, M.D., Esha Madan, Ph.D., Azeddine Atfi, Ph.D., Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Rajan Gogna, Ph.D., and Swadesh K. Das, Ph.D., from the VCU School of Medicine.

This research was supported by the Thelma Newmeyer Corman Endowment (PBF), developmental funds from the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (PB, LE, SKD, PBF), research support from the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics (PB, LE) and National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant to VCU Massey Cancer Center P30 CA16059.

About VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is working toward a future without cancer one discovery, one successful therapy and one life saved at a time. Recognized as an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Massey is among the top 4 percent of cancer centers in the country influencing a new standard of care through research, education and community engagement. Introducing a new generation of community-centered cancer centers, Massey is leading the nation in establishing a 21st-century model of equity for cancer research and care. Community informs and partners with Massey on its research to best address the cancer burden and disparities of those the cancer center serves, with a local focus and

a global impact. Massey conducts cancer research spanning basic, translational, clinical and population sciences; offers state-of-the-art cancer therapies and clinical trials, including a network that brings trials to communities statewide; provides oncology education, teaching and training; and promotes cancer prevention. At Massey, oncology experts collaborate in multidisciplinary teams to provide award-winning, comprehensive cancer care at multiple sites throughout Virginia. Visit Massey online at masseycancercenter.org or call 877-4-MASSEY for more information.

See the article here:

New approach to pancreatic cancer treatment expands therapeutic ... - Brunswicktimes Gazette

November: Antibiotic-resistant E. coli study | News and features – University of Bristol

Posted on by

Feeding dogs raw (uncooked) meat increases their risk of excreting E. coli that cannot be killed by a widely used antibiotic - ciprofloxacin - researchers at the University of Bristol have found from a study of 600 healthy pet dogs.

E. coli, which can cause food poisoning, is also the UKs most common cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections, which can be life-threatening. Ciprofloxacin belongs to a group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, which are used to treat a range of bacterial infections in humans and animals. The World Health Organisation classes these antibiotics among the highest-priority critically important antibiotics.

The study, published in One Health, looked for ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli carried in the intestines of 600 healthy pet dogs. The research team asked the dog owners to complete a survey that provided details about their dog, the dogs diet, environments the dog walked in and if the dog had been treated with antibiotics.

The microbiology data along with the survey data enabled statistical analysis, which showed that feeding uncooked meat to dogs was the only significant risk factor associated with excretion of these resistant bacteria in the dogs faeces. This work supports other published studies demonstrating associations between dogs being fed raw meat and excreting resistant E. coli.

In the UK, reduced ciprofloxacin use by GPs has led to a decrease in ciprofloxacin resistance in E. coli from human infections. There has also been an almost total cessation of the use of fluoroquinolones to treat farmed animals in the UK. However, fluoroquinolone use, and resistance remains at very high levels around the world.

Dr Jordan Sealey, Research Associate in the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM), who carried out the research, said: "Our aim was not to focus on raw dog food, but to investigate what might make a dog more likely to excrete resistant E. coli in its faeces. Our study found a very strong association between excreting ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli and feeding dogs a raw food diet."

Matthew Avison, Professor of Molecular Bacteriology in CMM, who led the study, explained: "Raw meat - whether intended for human consumption after cooking or sold as raw dog food - is likely to be contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E. coli. Cooking kills the bacteria and good hand hygiene reduces the immediate risk of these bacteria being swallowed and getting into a persons intestines.

"Choosing to feed a dog raw meat means a person almost certainly has to handle the raw meat, and our research is clear that raw feeding also means pet owners are likely to be interacting with a pet that is excreting resistant E. coli."

Dr Sealey added: "Individual measures to reduce the risk of resistant bacteria being excreted by dogs include changing to a non-raw food diet or sourcing good quality raw meat that can be cooked, and then cooking it. Most raw food sold for consumption by dogs is not of a quality that can be cooked, and can cause a serious health hazard to dogs if cooked.

"Choosing to feed a dog meat from animals raised on farms in the UK, or other countries with very low usage of critically important antibiotics in farming, may also decrease the risk of them eating resistant bacteria with their dinner."

Professor Avison concluded: "As part of our response to the emerging crisis of antibiotic resistance, further incentive should be given to companies joining the raw dog food industry to source meat from farms with appropriate antibiotic usage policies, and to test meat for resistant bacteria before selling. Stricter limits should be set on the numbers of bacteria allowed in meat that is sold to be eaten uncooked than in meat sold to be cooked prior to eating."

E. coli are found in the intestines of people and animals quite normally and can be passed between them, usually through poor domestic hygiene, e.g. after using the toilet or handling food contaminated with faecal material, including uncooked meat. When dogs excrete resistant bacteria into the environment and home, there is the potential for these bacteria to be passed on to their owners and other people.

Once a person swallows some E. coli, these bacteria can sit in their intestines for years before causing an infection. There are hundreds of thousands of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli in the UK every year, as well as thousands of bloodstream infections which frequently lead to life-threatening sepsis. When E. coli is resistant to important antibiotics like ciprofloxacin, infections are more difficult to treat, meaning patients are more likely to be hospitalised and die.

This study was funded by a grant from the United Kingdom Research and Innovations Antimicrobial Resistance Cross Council Initiative and from the Medical Research Foundation National PhD Training Programme in Antimicrobial Resistance Research.

This week is World AMR Awareness Week (18-24 November).

Paper

'One health transmission of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli and risk factors for their excretion by dogs living in urban and nearby rural settings' by Jordan E. Sealey, Ashley Hammond, Kristen K. Reyher, Matthew B. Avison in One Health

About Bristol AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance)Bristol AMR is a cross-faculty research network. AMR research at the University of Bristol focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to tackling AMR with research conducted across all of our 6 faculties, and in partnership with national, international and industry collaborators.

Go here to read the rest:

November: Antibiotic-resistant E. coli study | News and features - University of Bristol

USC probes star neuroscientist on research fraud allegations – Inside Higher Ed

Posted on by

The University of Southern California has opened an internal investigation of a leading neuroscientist, Berislav Zlokovic, over concerns from within his laboratory about allegedly fraudulent data being used to promote a major new drug for stroke treatment.

The complaints from four members of Professor Zlokovics lab included evidence of suspicious manipulations of images in journal articles, and unusual controls over entries in individual lab notebooks, as part of a purported culture of professional intimidation, Science magazine reported, citing a dossier compiled by outside scientists.

Professor Zlokovic, a professor of physiology and neuroscience at USC, is a well-recognized leader in work involving the blood-brain barrierthe ability of the body to let some compounds into the brain and block others, a topic with importance to multiple neurological conditions including Alzheimers and strokes. He has headed the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at USC for the past decade, leading its funding to grow more than 10 times, to nearly $40million.

Most Popular

The work raising concern involves an enzyme, known as activated protein C, or APC, that helps prevent blood clots. Professor Zlokovic created a company, ZZ Biotech, that has been developing a form of APC known as 3K3A-APC that was created by a colleague, John Griffin, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute.

The US National Institutes of Health funded the start last year of a $30million study to test the 3K3A-APC compound on 1,400 people shortly after they experience a stroke. The whistleblowing lab members and the dossier authors argued that the trial should be suspended given early signs that 3K3A-APC is not beneficial and possibly even harmful, and that the studys approval was based on manipulated data.

The team of authors who produced the 113-page dossier was led by Matthew Schrag, an assistant professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University, who began the investigation after detecting signs of possible image manipulation in Professor Zlokovics work.

USC issued a brief statement in which it said it forwards any such allegations to its own Office of Research Integrity for careful review. The university said it cannot comment beyond that because such reviews are confidential.

Professor Zlokovic did not respond directly to questions, though he agreed to Professor Griffin sending a written rebuttal that provided scientific explanations for their confidence in 3K3A-APC.

The scientific knowledge of the authors of that dossier gave no credence to the huge body of knowledge about APC and 3K3A-APC, Professor Griffin wrote.

Professor Griffin said he could not address the dossiers photographic evidence of what the authors and other experts described as strong indicators of image manipulation, or the allegation by the dossier authors of Professor Zlokovic sometimes ordering changes in lab notebooks to reflect desired test results. But he said he never perceived any professional intimidations in Zlokovics lab.

The dossier authors said they had concerns about images from 35 studies published by Professor Zlokovic and his team, which have accumulated more than 8,400 citations, far above the levels of similar work in the field, and which have gained citations by 49 patents held by 30 companies, universities and foundations, Science said. The magazine also said it heard from multiple experts who raised alarm about the seriousness of the case.

The case follows a series of similar instances of alleged research fraud by star academics, including Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who agreed earlier this year to resign as president of Stanford University after internal investigations found the neuroscientist did not correct known errors in his published research.

Originally posted here:

USC probes star neuroscientist on research fraud allegations - Inside Higher Ed

Molecular epidemiology and characteristics of respiratory syncytial … – Virology Journal

Posted on by

Falsey AR, Walsh EE. Respiratory syncytial virus infection in adults. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2000;13(3):37184.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Walker CLF, Rudan I, Liu L, Nair H, Theodoratou E, Bhutta ZA, OBrien KL, Campbell H, Black RE. Global burden of childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea. Lancet (London, England). 2013;381(9875):140516.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Hirve S, Crawford N, Palekar R, Zhang W. Clinical characteristics, predictors, and performance of case definition-Interim results from the WHO global respiratory syncytial virus surveillance pilot. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2020;14(6):64757.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Mazur NI, Higgins D, Nunes MC, Melero JA, Langedijk AC, Horsley N, Buchholz UJ, Openshaw PJ, McLellan JS, Englund JA, et al. The respiratory syncytial virus vaccine landscape: lessons from the graveyard and promising candidates. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018;18(10):e295311.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Wang X, Li Y, Deloria-Knoll M, Madhi SA, Cohen C, Ali A, Basnet S, Bassat Q, Brooks WA, Chittaganpitch M, et al. Global burden of acute lower respiratory infection associated with human metapneumovirus in children under 5 years in 2018: a systematic review and modelling study. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9(1):e3343.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Venkatesan P. First RSV vaccine approvals. Lancet Microbe. 2023;4(8):e577.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Tabatabai J, Prifert C, Pfeil J, Grulich-Henn J, Schnitzler P. Novel respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genotype ON1 predominates in Germany during winter season 201213. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(10):e109191.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

ICTV: The official website of the international committee on taxonomy of viruses (ICTV. 2022, Available online: https://talk.ictvonline.org/taxonomy/. Accessed 6 May 2022.

Mufson MA, Orvell C, Rafnar B, Norrby E. Two distinct subtypes of human respiratory syncytial virus. J Gen Virol. 1985;66(Pt 10):211124.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Zhao X, Wang C, Jiang H, Zhang H, Fang F, Chen M, Yuan Z, Teng Z, Liu J, Zhang X. Analysis of circulating respiratory syncytial virus A strains in Shanghai, China identified a new and increasingly prevalent lineage within the dominant ON1 genotype. Front Microbiol. 2022;13:966235.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Agoti CN, Otieno JR, Munywoki PK, Mwihuri AG, Cane PA, Nokes DJ, Kellam P, Cotten M. Local evolutionary patterns of human respiratory syncytial virus derived from whole-genome sequencing. J Virol. 2015;89(7):344454.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Peret TC, Hall CB, Hammond GW, Piedra PA, Storch GA, Sullender WM, Tsou C, Anderson LJ. Circulation patterns of group A and B human respiratory syncytial virus genotypes in 5 communities in North America. J Infect Dis. 2000;181(6):18916.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Peret TC, Hall CB, Schnabel KC, Golub JA, Anderson LJ. Circulation patterns of genetically distinct group A and B strains of human respiratory syncytial virus in a community. J Gen Virol. 1998;79(Pt 9):22219.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Pangesti KNA, Abd El Ghany M, Walsh MG, Kesson AM, Hill-Cawthorne GA. Molecular epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus. Rev Med Virol. 2018;28(2):e1968.

Article Google Scholar

Eshaghi A, Duvvuri VR, Lai R, Nadarajah JT, Li A, Patel SN, Low DE, Gubbay JB. Genetic variability of human respiratory syncytial virus A strains circulating in Ontario: a novel genotype with a 72 nucleotide G gene duplication. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(3):e32807.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Chen G, Lan M, Lin S, Zhang Y, Zhang D, Weng Y, Zheng K. Genome analysis of human respiratory syncytial virus in Fujian Province, Southeast China. Infect Genet Evol J Mol Epidemiol Evol Genet Infect Dis. 2022;103:105329.

CAS Google Scholar

Duvvuri VR, Granados A, Rosenfeld P, Bahl J, Eshaghi A, Gubbay JB. Genetic diversity and evolutionary insights of respiratory syncytial virus A ON1 genotype: global and local transmission dynamics. Sci Rep. 2015;5:14268.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Fan R, Fan C, Zhang J, Wen B, Lei Y, Liu C, Chen L, Liu W, Wang C, Qu X. Respiratory syncytial virus subtype ON1/NA1/BA9 predominates in hospitalized children with lower respiratory tract infections. J Med Virol. 2017;89(2):21321.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Otieno JR, Kamau EM, Agoti CN, Lewa C, Otieno G, Bett A, Ngama M, Cane PA, Nokes DJ. Spread and evolution of respiratory syncytial virus a genotype ON1, coastal Kenya, 20102015. Emerg Infect Dis. 2017;23(2):26471.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Zheng Y, Liu L, Wang S, Li Z, Hou M, Li J, Yu XF, Zhang W, Hua S. Prevailing genotype distribution and characteristics of human respiratory syncytial virus in northeastern China. J Med Virol. 2017;89(2):22233.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Trento A, Casas I, Caldern A, Garcia-Garcia ML, Calvo C, Perez-Brea P, Melero JA. Ten years of global evolution of the human respiratory syncytial virus BA genotype with a 60-nucleotide duplication in the G protein gene. J Virol. 2010;84(15):750012.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Trento A, Galiano M, Videla C, Carballal G, Garca-Barreno B, Melero JA, Palomo C. Major changes in the G protein of human respiratory syncytial virus isolates introduced by a duplication of 60 nucleotides. J Gen Virol. 2003;84(Pt 11):311520.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Baek YH, Choi EH, Song MS, Pascua PN, Kwon HI, Park SJ, Lee JH, Woo SI, Ahn BH, Han HS, et al. Prevalence and genetic characterization of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in hospitalized children in Korea. Arch Virol. 2012;157(6):103950.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Dapat IC, Shobugawa Y, Sano Y, Saito R, Sasaki A, Suzuki Y, Kumaki A, Zaraket H, Dapat C, Oguma T, et al. New genotypes within respiratory syncytial virus group B genotype BA in Niigata, Japan. J Clin Microbiol. 2010;48(9):34237.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Chen X, Zhu Y, Wang W, Li C, An S, Lu G, Jin R, Xu B, Zhou Y, Chen A, et al. A multi-center study on molecular epidemiology of human respiratory syncytial virus from children with acute lower respiratory tract infections in the mainland of China between 2015 and 2019. Virol Sin. 2021;36(6):147583.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Luo HJ, Huang XB, Zhong HL, Ye CX, Tan X, Zhou K, Yuan L, Zhang SF, Zhu X, Lin CJ, et al. Epidemiological characteristics and phylogenic analysis of human respiratory syncytial virus in patients with respiratory infections during 20112016 in southern China. Int J Infect Dis IJID Off Publ Int Soc Infect Dis. 2020;90:517.

CAS Google Scholar

Song J, Zhang Y, Wang H, Shi J, Sun L, Zhang X, Yang Z, Guan W, Zhang H, Yu P, et al. Emergence of ON1 genotype of human respiratory syncytial virus subgroup A in China between 2011 and 2015. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):5501.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Zou L, Yi L, Wu J, Song Y, Huang G, Zhang X, Liang L, Ni H, Pybus OG, Ke C, et al. Evolution and transmission of respiratory syncytial group A (RSV-A) viruses in Guangdong, China 20082015. Front Microbiol. 2016;7:1263.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Zhang H, Zhu A, Gao GF, Li Z. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus infections in children aged <5 years in China, from 20142018. Vaccines. 2022;10(5):810.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Song J, Wang H, Shi J, Cui A, Huang Y, Sun L, Xiang X, Ma C, Yu P, Yang Z, et al. Emergence of BA9 genotype of human respiratory syncytial virus subgroup B in China from 2006 to 2014. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):16765.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Wang X, Wang D, Umar S, Qin S, Ling Q, Gray GC, Liu Y. Molecular typing of human adenoviruses among hospitalized patients with respiratory tract infections in a tertiary Hospital in Guangzhou, China between 2017 and 2019. BMC Infect Dis. 2021;21(1):748.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Tamura K, Stecher G, Kumar S. MEGA11: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis version 11. Mol Biol Evol. 2021;38(7):30227.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Steentoft C, Vakhrushev SY, Joshi HJ, Kong Y, Vester-Christensen MB, Schjoldager KT, Lavrsen K, Dabelsteen S, Pedersen NB, Marcos-Silva L, et al. Precision mapping of the human O-GalNAc glycoproteome through SimpleCell technology. EMBO J. 2013;32(10):147888.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Gupta R JE, Brunak S. Prediction of N-glycosylation sites in human proteins. NetNGlycServer. 2004. Available: http://www.cbsdtudk/services/NetNGlyc/. Accessed 27 Jan 2023.

Jia R, Lu L, Su L, Lin Z, Gao D, Lv H, Xu M, Liu P, Cao L, Xu J. Resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus infection during COVID-19 pandemic among children in Shanghai, China. Front Microbiol. 2022;13:938372.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Feng L, Li Z, Zhao S, Nair H, Lai S, Xu W, Li M, Wu J, Ren L, Liu W, et al. Viral etiologies of hospitalized acute lower respiratory infection patients in China, 20092013. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(6):e99419.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Huang XB, Yuan L, Ye CX, Zhu X, Lin CJ, Zhang DM, He KS, Niu RX, Cao KY, Xu L. Epidemiological characteristics of respiratory viruses in patients with acute respiratory infections during 20092018 in southern China. Int J Infect Dis IJID Off Publ Int Soc Infect Dis. 2020;98:2132.

CAS Google Scholar

Liu WK, Chen DH, Tan WP, Qiu SY, Xu D, Zhang L, Gu SJ, Zhou R, Liu Q. Paramyxoviruses respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, and human metapneumovirus infection in pediatric hospitalized patients and climate correlation in a subtropical region of southern China: a 7-year survey. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis Off Publ Eur Soc Clin Microbiol. 2019;38(12):235564.

Article CAS Google Scholar

Zhang Y, Qiao L, Yao J, Yu N, Mu X, Huang S, Hu B, Li W, Qiu F, Zeng F, et al. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of respiratory viruses in 4403 pediatric patients from multiple hospitals in Guangdong, China. BMC Pediatr. 2021;21(1):284.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Li W, Wang Y, Yu B, Tan Q, Zhou J, Hu J, Wu Y, Wang B, Li H. Disease severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection correlate to a novel set of five amino acid substitutions in the RSV attachment glycoprotein (G) in China. Virus Res. 2020;281:197937.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Liao X, Hu Z, Liu W, Lu Y, Chen D, Chen M, Qiu S, Zeng Z, Tian X, Cui H, et al. New epidemiological and clinical signatures of 18 pathogens from respiratory tract infections based on a 5-year study. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(9):e0138684.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Liu WK, Liu Q, Chen DH, Liang HX, Chen XK, Huang WB, Qin S, Yang ZF, Zhou R. Epidemiology and clinical presentation of the four human parainfluenza virus types. BMC Infect Dis. 2013;13:28.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Harada Y, Kinoshita F, Yoshida LM, le Minh N, Suzuki M, Morimoto K, Toku Y, Tomimasu K, Moriuchi H, Ariyoshi K. Does respiratory virus coinfection increases the clinical severity of acute respiratory infection among children infected with respiratory syncytial virus? Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2013;32(5):4415.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Mazur NI, Bont L, Cohen AL, Cohen C, von Gottberg A, Groome MJ, Hellferscee O, Klipstein-Grobusch K, Mekgoe O, Naby F, et al. Severity of respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infection with viral coinfection in HIV-uninfected children. Clin Infect Dis Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 2017;64(4):44350.

Google Scholar

Elhakim M, Hafiz Rasooly M, Fahim M, Sheikh Ali S, Haddad N, Cherkaoui I, Hjaija D, Nadeem S, Assiri A, Aljifri A, et al. Epidemiology of severe cases of influenza and other acute respiratory infections in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, July 2016 to June 2018. J Infect Public Health. 2020;13(3):4239.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Fullana Barcel MI, Asensio Rodriguez J, Artigues Serra F, Ferre Beltran A, Salva Dagosto P, Almodovar Garcia M, Lopez Bilbao MDC, Sanchis Corts P, Reina Prieto J, Riera Jaume M. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of community-acquired and nosocomial influenza cases and risk factors associated with complications: a four season analysis of all adult patients admitted in a tertiary hospital. Influenza Other Respir viruses. 2021;15(3):35260.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Tsukagoshi H, Yokoi H, Kobayashi M, Kushibuchi I, Okamoto-Nakagawa R, Yoshida A, Morita Y, Noda M, Yamamoto N, Sugai K, et al. Genetic analysis of attachment glycoprotein (G) gene in new genotype ON1 of human respiratory syncytial virus detected in Japan. Microbiol Immunol. 2013;57(9):6559.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Agoti CN, Otieno JR, Gitahi CW, Cane PA, Nokes DJ. Rapid spread and diversification of respiratory syncytial virus genotype ON1, Kenya. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014;20(6):9509.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Kim YJ, Kim DW, Lee WJ, Yun MR, Lee HY, Lee HS, Jung HD, Kim K. Rapid replacement of human respiratory syncytial virus A with the ON1 genotype having 72 nucleotide duplication in G gene. Infect Genet Evol J Mol Epidemiol Evol Genet Infect Dis. 2014;26:10312.

CAS Google Scholar

Zhang Y, Xu W, Shen K, Xie Z, Sun L, Lu Q, Liu C, Liang G, Beeler JA, Anderson LJ. Genetic variability of group A and B human respiratory syncytial viruses isolated from 3 provinces in China. Arch Virol. 2007;152(8):142534.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Chirkova T, Boyoglu-Barnum S, Gaston KA, Malik FM, Trau SP, Oomens AG, Anderson LJ. Respiratory syncytial virus G protein CX3C motif impairs human airway epithelial and immune cell responses. J Virol. 2013;87(24):1346679.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Read the rest here:

Molecular epidemiology and characteristics of respiratory syncytial ... - Virology Journal

UT Southwestern scientists among world’s most highly cited … – UT Southwestern

Posted on by

UTSouthwestern scientists are currently leading about 5,800 research projects with more than $643 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, the state of Texas, foundations, individuals, and corporations.

DALLAS Nov. 22, 2023 More than a dozen UTSouthwestern Medical Center scientists are included on the 2023 Highly Cited Researcherslist, which recognizes the top 1% of researchers from around the world who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their chosen field or fields of research.

Considered a whos who of influential researchers, the Highly Cited Researchers list is produced each year by the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, a British analytics company. It highlights scientists who have published multiple highly cited papers over the last decade and rank in the top 1% of citations for a field or fields. This years list includes 6,849 researchers from institutions in 67 countries who represent 0.1% of the world's population of scientists and social scientists.

At UTSouthwestern, this years Highly Cited Researchers work in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Cardiology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Surgery. The list includes leaders from UTSouthwesterns Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center,Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine,Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research,Peter ODonnell Jr. Brain Institute,Touchstone Diabetes Center, Harry S. Moss Heart Center,Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care,Childrens Medical Center Research Institute at UTSouthwestern, Center for Inflammation Research, and the Peter ODonnell Jr. School of Public Health.

The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at UTSouthwestern Medical Center whose significant and broad influence in their fields translates to impact in their research community and innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable, and more secure, saidDavid Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. Their contributions resonate far beyond their individual achievements, strengthening the foundation of excellence and innovation in research.

The Highly Cited Researchers listing comes atop other recent recognition for research at UTSouthwestern.

UTSouthwestern is ranked as the top-rated public institution and No. 3 among health care institutions globally byNatureIndex for publishing high-quality research. Its scientists are currently leading about 5,800 research projects with more than $643 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, the state of Texas, foundations, individuals, and corporations.UTSouthwestern is also ranked fourth in the nation and No. 1 in Texas by Heartland Forward for commercializing new biomedical technologies.

In addition, UTSouthwesterns William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital is on U.S. News & World Reports national Honor Roll of top hospitals, ranked No. 1 in Texas (tied) and, for the seventh year in a row, No. 1 in Dallas-Fort Worth the nations fourth-largest metro area.

About UTSouthwestern Medical Center

UTSouthwestern, one of the nations premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institutions faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 20 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,100 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UTSouthwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits a year.

View post:

UT Southwestern scientists among world's most highly cited ... - UT Southwestern

Researchers identify what’s behind that urge to scratch Harvard … – Harvard Gazette

Posted on by

Identifying the molecular spark plug that ignites itch

Researchers exposed the skin of mice toS. aureus. The animals developed intensifying itch over several days, and the repeated scratching caused worsening skin damage that spread beyond the original site of exposure.

Moreover, mice exposed to S. aureusbecame hypersensitive to innocuous stimuli that would not typically cause itch. The exposed mice were more likely than unexposed mice to develop abnormal itching in response to a light touch.

This hyperactive response, a condition called alloknesis, is common in patients with chronic conditions of the skin characterized by persistent itch. But it can also happen in people without any underlying conditions think of that scratchy feeling you might get from a wool sweater.

To determine how the bacterium triggered itch, the researchers tested multiple modified versions of the S. aureusmicrobe that were engineered to lack specific pieces of the bugs molecular makeup. The team focused on 10 enzymes known to be released by this microbe upon skin contact. One after another, the researchers eliminated nine suspects showing that a bacterial enzyme called protease V8 was single-handedly responsible for initiating itch in mice. Human skin samples from patients with atopic dermatitis also had moreS. aureusand higher V8 levels than healthy skin samples.

The analyses showed that V8 triggers itch by activating a protein called PAR1, which is found on skin neurons that originate in the spinal cord and carry various signals touch, heat, pain, itch from the skin to the brain. Normally, PAR1 lies dormant but upon contact with certain enzymes, including V8, it gets activated. The research showed that V8 snips one end of the PAR1 protein and awakens it. Experiments in mice showed that once activated, PAR1 initiates a signal that the brain eventually perceives as itch. When researchers repeated the experiments in lab dishes containing human neurons, they also responded to V8.

Researchers wanted to see whether an already approved anti-clotting drug that blocks PAR1 would stop itch. It did.

Interestingly, various immune cells implicated in skin allergies and classically known to cause itch mast cells and basophils did not drive itch after bacterial exposure, the experiments showed. Nor did inflammatory chemicals called interleukins, or white cells, which are activated during allergic reactions and are also known to be elevated in skin diseases and even in certain neurologic disorders.

When we started the study, it was unclear whether the itch was a result of inflammation or not, Deng said. We show that these things can be decoupled, that you dont necessarily have to have inflammation for the microbe to cause itch, but that the itch exacerbates inflammation on the skin.

Because PAR1 the protein activated byS. aureus is involved in blood-clotting, researchers wanted to see whether an already approved anti-clotting drug that blocks PAR1 would stop itch. It did.

The itchy mice whose skin was exposed toS. aureusexperienced rapid improvement when treated with the drug. Their desire to scratch diminished dramatically, as did the skin damage caused by scratching.

Moreover, once treated with PAR1 blockers, the mice no longer experienced abnormal itch in response to innocuous stimuli.

The PAR1 blocker is already used in humans to prevent blood clots and could be repurposed as anti-itch medication. For example, the researchers noted, the active ingredient in the medicine could become the basis for anti-itch topical creams.

One immediate question that the researchers plan to explore in future work is whether other microbes besidesS. aureuscan trigger itch.

We know that many microbes, including fungi, viruses, and bacteria, are accompanied by itch but how they cause itch is not clear, Chiu said.

Beyond that, the findings raise a broader question: Why would a microbe cause itch? Evolutionarily speaking, whats in it for the bacterium?

One possibility, the researchers said, is that pathogens may hijack itch and other neural reflexes to their advantage. For example, previous research has shown that the TB bacterium directly activates vagal neurons to cause cough, which might enable it to spread more easily from one host to another.

Its a speculation at this point, but the itch-scratch cycle could benefit the microbes and enable their spread to distant body sites and to uninfected hosts, Deng said. Why do we itch and scratch? Does it help us, or does it help the microbe? Thats something that we could follow up on in the future.

Additional authors included Flavia Costa, Kimbria J. Blake, Samantha Choi, Arundhasa Chandrabalan, Muhammad Saad Yousuf, Stephanie Shiers, Daniel Dubreuil, Daniela Vega-Mendoza, Corinne Rolland, Celine Deraison, Tiphaine Voisin, Michelle D. Bagood, Lucia Wesemann, Abigail M. Frey, Joseph S. Palumbo, Brian J. Wainger, Richard L. Gallo, Juan-Manuel Leyva-Castillo, Nathalie Vergnolle, Theodore J. Price, Rithwik Ramachandran, and Alexander R. Horswill.

Disclosure: Chiu serves on the scientific advisory board of GSK Pharmaceuticals. Provisional patent application Serial No. 63/438,668, in which some co-authors are listed as inventors, was filed based on these findings.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01AI168005, R01AI153185, R01NS065926, R01NS102161, R01NS111929, R37AI052453, R01AR076082, U01AI152038, UM1AI151958, R01AI153185, R01JL160582, F32AI172080, T32AI049928, 1R21AG075419), Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI), Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Drako Family Fund, Jackson-Wijaya Research Fund, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (grants 376560 and 469411), and ANR-PARCURE (PRCE-CE18, 2020).

Originally posted here:

Researchers identify what's behind that urge to scratch Harvard ... - Harvard Gazette

Addressing disparities in research and beyond – ASBMB Today

Posted on by

When Stephen D. Williams did an elementary school project on the solar system, he became fascinated with learning about the different planets and their evolution. It was that introduction to science that really sparked that inquisitiveness inside of me, he said.

In high school, Williams learned how cool chemistry could be, including how he could mix different chemicals and what caused things to explode. That actually sparked my curiosity even further, he said.

STEPHEN D. WILLIAMS

In his undergraduate chemistry classes, Williams was introduced to the study of biochemistry. Understanding how the fields of biology and chemistry can be mixed and learning about biological and biochemical processes in the human body fueled his interest in biomedical science.

I wanted to understand: What is medicine, how is it controlling your body, and how is the body responding and having these different mechanistic types of effects? he said.

Williams was particularly interested in medical conditions that affected his family, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

While working on his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Meharry Medical College, Williams thesis research introduced him to the field of oncology. In Amos Sakwes lab, he studied the role of the protein annexin A6 in the ability of triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, cells to alter their metabolism to meet increased energy needs and in their response to targeted therapies that interfere with two growth receptors, epidermal growth factor receptor and androgen receptor. TNBC cells lack two steroid hormone receptors that are common in other breast cancers, estrogen and progesterone, making it harder to treat. It also tends to grow and spread more aggressively than other cancers. This work piqued Williams interest, and he continued to study cancer in his postdoctoral fellowship.

Williams is now a medical genetics postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He works in Benny Kaipparettus lab, where research focuses on breast cancer and breast cancer metabolism. More specifically, the researchers look at how the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, alter their energy metabolism and how the signaling pathways of the mitochondria and the nucleus affect each other.

Metabolic reprogramming, allows cancer cells to overcome energy limitations and adapt to changing environmental conditions as the disease progresses. Also, one mitochondrial cellular process significantly contributes to cancer metastasis. However, researchers do not yet understand the regulation of these processes. Therefore, the researchers in Kaipparettus lab want to look at the genetic and metabolic factors that lead to the incidence of breast cancer and what causes high mortality rates in certain cancer types.

Kaipparettus lab studies various classifications of breast cancer, and Williams has continued his focus on TNBC. Specifically, he seeks to understand the role of metabolic reprogramming in TNBC metastasis.

Additionally, TNBC disproportionally affects women of color, with higher mortality and incidence rates in Black and Hispanic women than in non-Hispanic White women. Therefore, Williams also wants to look at the genetic and metabolic factors leading to these racial disparities in TNBC patients of color.

Williams believes in and advocates for gender and racial equity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and math. Everyone has a place, and everyone deserves a voice, he said. Everyone should have equal access to the endless career opportunities in STEM, and everyone has an equal responsibility when it comes to promoting and pushing forward the need for minorities in biomedical research.

Over the years, Williams has served on several committees related to diversity issues, and he has participated in many outreach and extracurricular activities. Since October 2022, he has been a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biologys Maximizing Access Committee. So far, he has had a great experience with the MAC, he said, and loves working with renowned leaders in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

Williams is also an educator. Most recently, at Baylor, he teaches molecular and cellular biology to underrepresented postbaccalaureate students in the Human Genome Sequencing Center pregraduate education and training program. Williams advises his students: Be diligent and be resilient at what it is that you aim to do. Never stop, never give up.

He also emphasizes the importance of building networks and establishing relationships. You have to believe in yourself, he said, and you have to be committed to achieving those goals.

In April, his alma mater, Meharry Medical College, named Williams one of the 10 recipients of the 2023 10 Under 10 Awards for distinguished young alumni. This award recognizes Meharry alumni who have graduated within the last decade and had a significant impact on promoting health care and serving their community.

Im really pushing forward, Williams said of the award, on getting people that look like me, and that look like us from underrepresented populations, seats at these tables and letting them know that they deserve a spot and they deserve access in the same rooms Im in.

After his postdoc, Williams hopes to continue working in the oncology space but in a biotechnology or biopharmaceutical setting. He is interested in how basic science leads to drug development.

I want to look at how we take the knowledge thats applied and applicable at the bench and get it to the whole drug development and the whole process at the pharma level, he said. He also wants to look at how biopharma companies approach disparities-related research.

Williams recently started the Scientist Mentoring and Diversity Program as a biotechnology scholar. In this one-year career-mentoring program offered through the International Center for Professional Development, ethnically diverse graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are paired with professionals who work at biotechnology and consumer health care companies. The scholars learn about career opportunities in these industries, receive personalized career mentoring and guidance and attend a major industry conference. Williams said he believes the program will help him accomplish his goals and stay at the forefront of oncology care.

These articles highlight ASBMB members from diverse backgrounds as a way to inspire up-and-coming scientists to pursue careers in the molecular life sciences. Eligible candidates include Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, new or established faculty and researchers in government and industry. To nominate a colleague for this feature, contact us at asbmbtoday@asbmb.org.

See more here:

Addressing disparities in research and beyond - ASBMB Today

U.S. In Vitro Diagnostics Market Poised to Surge USD 93.58 Bn by … – BioSpace

Posted on by

The U.S. In Vitro Diagnostics Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth USD 58 billion in 2022 and is poised to reach USD 93.58 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 4.90% from 2023 to 2032 according to a new report by Nova One Advisor.

Download Sample Pages for Better Understanding @ https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/report/sample/7717

KeyInsights:

You can further customize the report@ https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/report/customization/7717

Medical instruments that perform diagnostic tests on bio-fluids including blood, urine, and tissues are known asin vitro diagnostics(IVD). The IVD tests are used to study pharmacological therapy and to identify and evaluate infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and a variety of medical ailments.

The rising prevalence of chronic and pathogenic diseases, the aging population, the increasing popularity of point-of-care testing, and personalized medicine are anticipated to increase the demand for IVD testing in the country. Moreover, with developments in genomics & proteomics, this industry is seeing new prospects as molecular diagnostics expands its reach and introduces a new variety of condition-specific indicators and tests.

Several ailments, such as genetic, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders, are becoming more common. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of death in the U.S., killing an estimated 659,000 people each year, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This has resulted in a significant public awareness about early diagnosis and a rise in routine diagnosis, both of which support the market's overall development.

The launch of new advanced IVD products is assisting the market's rapid expansion. Moreover, market players and research institutes are actively involved in the development of novel products to reduce the overall disease burden in the country. For instance, in May 2021, the University of California developed an ultrasensitive molecular test. This test is based on a chip technology that can detect the presence of influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 antigens. The test is under further study for conversion into a Point-of-Care (PoC) test.

The adoption of IVD testing at the point-of-care testing facilities is increasing rapidly. As several players are focusing on launching tests for home care facilities, there has been a shift in the industry dynamics. Moreover, in 2021, FDA also prioritized home-based molecular diagnostics tests. In March 2021, BATM Advanced Communications Limited announced the launch of its molecular diagnostics self-test kit for the detection of COVID-19.

The market is gaining strength as diagnostic laboratories increasingly employ fully automated tools. Automated instruments, as opposed to manual and semi-automated equipment, are more expandable, meet high level of performance, reduce technologists' hands-on time, eliminate batch testing, and provide faster results to physicians. Market participants are increasingly working on building automated instruments as a result of these benefits.

Furthermore, laboratory automation facilitates, expedites, and improves the efficiency and efficacy of diagnostic tests. From loading specimen tubes to providing findings for all major laboratory disciplines, a total lab automated system can handle all parts of the testing process. As more manufacturers enter the market with broader automation choices, the evolution of lab automation in the clinical diagnostics business is continuing to accelerate.

Since it is utilized to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for molecular diagnostics tools. Additionally, among hospitalized patients suffering from COVID-19, there was a surge in demand for test kits and consumables for measuring blood glucose levels, troponin levels, and a variety of other parameters. As a result, the usage of IVD devices increased during the pandemic and propelled the market growth.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Restraints

Opportunities

Challenges

Growing Awareness On Personalized Medicine Drive The US IVD Market

Growing patient awareness for personalized medicine is one of the key factors resulting in the increased use of molecular diagnostics and IVD technologies. Diagnostic tests, especially those that provide rapid or real-time results are an essential part of individualized treatment regimens for many chronic diseases and conditions. These tests enable physicians to make an informed clinical decision and reduce the likelihood of unnecessary adverse events. Some of the most widely used personalized treatment regimens include HbA1c tests (glycated hemoglobin) for monitoring diabetes; therapeutic drug monitoring tests to select drugs for resistant HIV strains; cholesterol (and other lipid) testing to monitor the effectiveness of lipid lowering therapy; and so on. Personalized medicine also involves pharmacogenomics testing. In a March 2012 survey conducted by the United Health Center for Health Reform & Modernization, more than 75% respondents agreed that genetic testing allowed physicians to offer personalized treatment. The survey also stated that the U.S. currently spends USD 5 billion on genetic tests, which could reach USD 25 billion by 2021. Hence, an increase in the uptake of personalized medicine approach is expected to drive the growth of the IVD technologies market in the U.S. in the coming years.

Procure Complete Report (250+ Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures)@ https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/report/checkout/7717

Product Insights

The reagent segment held the highest market share of 66.19% in 2022, owing to the increasing demand for genetic testing and the availability of advanced cancer diagnostic tests. The high demand for testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly increased the growth during the pandemic.

Increasing approval of COVID-19 tests for emergency use by regulatory authorities is anticipated to drive the market. For instance, in April 2020, the U.S. FDA approved the EUA for the VITROS Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Total reagent pack and calibrators of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics.

In 2022, the instruments accounted for 26.33% of the revenue share. Increasing technological advancements, such as the introduction of portable instruments like cobas 4800 developed by Roche Diagnostics and GeneXpert by Cepheid, and others are increasing market penetration of IVD instruments in the country.

Technology Insights

Molecular diagnostics held the largest share of 50.03% in 2022, attributed to the increasing adoption of point-of-care testing and rapid testing. The increasing product launches due to Emergency Use Authorization for various COVID-19 diagnostic tests have also contributed to the growth.

For instance, in March 2020, Abbott received EUA from the U.S. FDA for its molecular test, RealTime SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19. Moreover, in November 2021, Roche announced the launch of the cobas 5800 System for molecular testing in infectious diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases and respiratory infections.

Coagulation is expected to be the fastest-growing segment with a CAGR of 6.37% over the forecast period, driven by an increase in the adoption of IVD assays and a rise in the demand for point-of-care diagnostics.The rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, blood-related disorders, and autoimmune diseases is expected to boost the demand for coagulation testing.

Application Insights

In 2022, the infectious diseases segment held the highest revenue share of 70.1 %, and this is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the projection period. The increased testing rate for COVID-19 is one of the major factors for the dominance of this segment. Moreover, the introduction of new products and an increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases have increased segment share in the market.

Prominent market participants are collaborating to promote patient and healthcare provider access to high-quality, innovative laboratory services. For instance, in January 2020, Quest Diagnostics partnered with Memorial Hermann Health System to provide 21 hospital laboratories in Houston with better, cost-effective, high-quality, and creative diagnostic services.

The oncology segment is anticipated to experience the fastest CAGR of 4.6% over the forecast period.Increasing prevalence of cancer, increasing awareness about early diagnosis of cancer, and government initiatives are anticipated to increase the segment growth over the forecast period.

For instance, in February 2022, Cancer Moonshot was initiated by the U.S. government to enhance the screening rate for cancer for identifying the missed cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the next 25 years, the government aims to reduce the cancer death rate by 50% with early diagnosis and treatment.

End-use Insights

The hospitals segment dominated the U.S. in vitro diagnostics market in 2022 with a revenue share of 46.3 %, due to huge & extensive infrastructure, and an increase in hospitalization. In addition, an increase in hospital-acquired infections among hospitalized patients has increased the segment share.

As per the CDC, around 5% of hospitalized individuals are infected with MRSA and carry germs. As a result, the FDA approved the Cobas vivoDx MRSA screening test in December 2019, which can screen patients for bacterial colonization faster than traditional culture-based procedures. The FDA's measures to allow diagnostic tests with technological advances and improved accuracy are expected to maintain their dominance throughout the forecast period.

Home care segment is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 3.60% during the forecast period due to the rising geriatric population and increasing demand for home care IVD devices.A few of the home diagnostics tests are the Home Access Hepatitis C Test (Home Access Health Corp), ADEXUSDx HIV 1/2 Test, and Home Access Express HIV-1 Test (Home Access Health Corp).

Moreover, regulatory authorities rigorously evaluate the performance of diagnostic tests to meet standards of safety, performance, and quality. For instance, in July 2019, Mylan N.V. and Atomo Diagnostics received prequalification approval from WHO for Mylan HIV Self-Test.

Some of the prominent players in the U.S. in vitro diagnostics Market include:

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts the volume and revenue growth at the country level and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2032. For this study, Nova one advisor has segmented the U.S. in vitro diagnostics market.

By Product

By Technology

By Application

By End-use

Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research Report@ https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/report/checkout/7717

Unlocking Market Insights through Data Excellence

The "Precedence Statistics" flexible dashboard is a powerful tool that offers real-time news updates, economic and market forecasts, and customizable reports. It can be configured to support a wide range of analysis styles and strategic planning needs. This tool empowers users to stay informed and make data-driven decisions in various scenarios, making it a valuable asset for businesses and professionals looking to stay ahead in today's dynamic and data-driven world.

Access our Premium Real Time Data Intelligence Tool, Visit: http://www.precedencestatistics.com

You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to sales@novaoneadvisor.com| +1 9197 992 333

About US

Nova One Advisor is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Nova One Advisor has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings.

Connect with US

Web: https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/

Blog: https://www.precedenceresearch.com/

Blog: https://www.towardshealthcare.com

Blog: https://www.towardspackaging.com

Blog: https://www.visionresearchreports.com/

See the original post:

U.S. In Vitro Diagnostics Market Poised to Surge USD 93.58 Bn by ... - BioSpace

Efficacy and safety of second-line cabozantinib after immuno … – Nature.com

Posted on by

In this study, we analyzed the actual clinical situation of cabozantinib as a second-line treatment after IO combination therapy using large-scale retrospective data from JUOG. Although this study included a large cohort and the treatment strategies slightly differed at each facility, it is meaningful to investigate the actual situation of second-line treatment after IO combination treatment in Japan in recent years. The purpose of this study was to clarify the utility of second-line cabozantinib treatment after IO combination therapy. The ORR for second-line cabozantinib after IO combination therapy was 32%, PFS was 10.5months, and OS was NR (6-month OS rate was 84%, 12-month OS rate was 71%). The factors significantly associated with efficacy were first-line treatment discontinuation because of PD and liver metastasis. None of the AEs significantly exceeded those previously reported. Sequential treatment remains important for metastatic RCC treatment. Third-line treatment after cabozantinib administration was associated with PFS and OS of 3.9 and 7.9months, respectively, indicating that efficacy can be expected after cabozantinib treatment.

Based on the results of the phase 3 METEOR trial8, we are using cabozantinib in clinical practice. Compared with everolimus, cabozantinib provided clear benefits for the primary endpoint of PFS and secondary endpoint of OS. The AEs of this drug were also manageable. However, in METEOR trial, approximately 5% of patient received IO before cabozantinib. It is unlikely that this situation reflects the efficacy of cabozantinib after IO administration.

The recently reported phase 3 CONTACT-03 trial evaluated the efficacy of cabozantinib in patients previously treated with IO10. This trial compared the efficacy of cabozantinib alone and in combination with atezolizumab. First, it should be noted that the cabozantinib monotherapy group had median PFS of 10.8months, in line with the current study results. The results support the efficacy of cabozantinib as sequential treatment in the IO era. Median OS was NR. The results of this phase 3 trial failed to demonstrate the efficacy of add-on atezolizumab. The BREAKPOINT trial, a phase 2 study in 31 cases has been reported. Median PFS was 8.3months, OS was 13.8months and ORR was 37.9%. Grade 34 adverse events occurred in 47%. Although this study involved a relatively small number of cases, it is a very important result when considering the theme of this paper9.

The After-IO trial was conducted as a follow-up study of a phase 3 trial of patients treated with nivolumab11. Axitinib and other TKIs have produced high response rates. However, information on cabozantinib was lacking in this study because of the timing of its approval. A report from the Italian Meet Uro 7 group provided real-world results for cabozantinib after IO monotherapy12. According to this study, cabozantinib was linked to longer PFS than everolimus and other TKIs. In addition, cabozantinib is the most frequently selected drug in clinical practice. Thus, the results of the Italian study do not reflect the efficacy of cabozantinib in clinical practice after IO combination therapy, which is currently the mainstream strategy.

The reason for first-line treatment discontinuation was an independent predictor of PFS in patients treated with cabozantinib. In patients who discontinued first-line therapy because of AEs, median PFS was not reached in the IO-IO or IO-TKI group. We believe that cabozantinib administration in a state of relatively high drug sensitivity led to good results. The time from first-line treatment to cabozantinib administration was not a significant predictor of PFS. In this regard, some patients are expected to be highly sensitive to drug therapy in general. Conversely, second-line treatment is not effective in some patients with rapid tumor growth and a short period between first- and second-line treatment. We anticipate that the efficacy of cabozantinib will be limited in some patients with accelerated tumor growth after PD. Median PFS did not reach 10months in patients who discontinued first-line treatment because of PD, highlighting the need for new systemic drugs.

Analyses have been conducted by metastatic organ in patients with RCC. Metastasis to the liver, bone, and brain is associated with poor prognoses. Xue et al. also found that liver metastases carried the worst prognosis13. In our study, the efficacy of cabozantinib in patients with bone and brain metastases was relatively satisfactory. Cabozantinib has inhibitory effects on MET and AXL, and it is expected to be effective against bone metastasis14. The METEOR trial also recorded a high response rate in patients with bone metastasis8. Cabozantinib exhibited considerable intracranial activity and an acceptable safety profile in patients with RCC and brain metastases15. In this study, we were unable to examine the details of local treatment of the brain. In addition, few cases of brain metastasis have been investigated, and further analysis is required. A certain effect has been demonstrated, as indicated by the results of this study. It is suggested that efficacy can be expected even after IO combination treatment in these metastatic organs. Meanwhile, the efficacy in patients with liver metastasis was limited. Liver metastases from RCC are reported to carry a poorer prognosis than liver metastases from other cancer types treated with IO16. Several reports discussed poor prognosis associated with liver metastases. James et al. found that the presence of liver metastasis significantly reduced tumor-specific immunity in an antigen-specific, PD-1-dependent manner. This process was associated with the coordinated activation of regulatory T cells and modulation of intratumoral CD11b+ monocytes17. The presence of liver metastasis was correlated with fewer CD8+ T cells at the invasive margin in distant tumors18. We expect new systemic treatments in the future for patients with liver metastasis.

The evaluation of AEs is expected to differ between retrospective studies and clinical trials. In addition, this study was based on multi-institutional data, and there are disparities in the awareness of AEs among institutions. The rate of all-grade AEs was somewhat low compared with the findings for cabozantinib in clinical trials8. This finding should not be interpreted as a low incidence of AEs in the Japanese population but rather as a limitation of information collection. However, the incidence of grade 3 or higher AEs was 28%, in line with prior findings8. These data serve as an index for Japanese data after IO combination treatment. No grade 5 AEs were observed in this population. It is considered that cabozantinib can be used safely in this population after molecular targeted therapy. A report found that Japanese patients are relatively prone to liver dysfunction19, and the present data recorded Grade 3 or higher liver dysfunction in six patients, which should be noted.

Expectations for sequential therapy might be lower than that in the previous age of molecular targeted drugs, but in real-world practice, sequential systemic therapy is often used to treat metastatic RCC. When performing sequential treatment, it is desirable to avoid the situation in which subsequent therapeutic effects are not anticipated. Cabozantinib is a relatively effective TKI, and the effects of subsequent systemic treatment after cabozantinib were analyzed in this study. Although PFS and OS were not substantially extended, a certain effect can be expected in patients who started third-line treatment. Luigi et al. summarized systemic treatment after cabozantinib in 56 patients. Median OS after cabozantinib was 7.7months, while median TTF after cabozantinib was 2.8months. However, only three of the participants in this study used IO combination as first-line treatment20. There are no large-scale reports of the use of cabozantinib after IO combination followed by systemic treatment. Of course, some patients receive best supportive care after cabozantinib administration, suggesting that AE management is possible.

Several combination treatments have been reported as second-line treatments after IO combination in recent years. One study verified the effect of adding atezolizumab to cabozantinib10. Unfortunately, no benefit was observed. Another phase 2 single-arm trial examined combination therapy with cabozantinib and belzutifan, in which PFS was 13.8months21. Although a simple comparison cannot be made, the addition of belzutifan could be promising given the PFS of approximately 10months in our study and the aforementioned CONTACT03 trial10. The phase 3 LITESPARK011 trial comparing cabozantinib with the combination of lenvatinib and belzutifan is currently underway7. The result of this study should be watched closely. It is hoped that the approval of these promising treatments will lead to improved prognoses in patients who discontinued IO combination therapy because of PD and patients with liver metastases, who had poor prognoses in this study.

This research had some limitations. First, this was a retrospective study. Treatment selection was left to the discretion of each facility, leading to varied treatments. In addition, this research used information from facilities such as university hospitals and cancer centers, and there is a possibility that the protocols of these situations slightly deviate from those used in hospitals throughout Japan. At the time of enrollment in this study, no patients in whom lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab was discontinued and cabozantinib was administered were included. In actual clinical practice, this strategy is frequently employed. New research is expected to clarify this issue in the future. We were not able to verify the effects of cabozantinib at different starting doses in this study. This is an issue that should be verified in future research. Phase II CaboPoint trial is now on-going22. It is hoped that the results will become clearer once the results of this trial are published.

In this study, we analyzed the real-world data of cabozantinib in Japan after IO combination therapy using the JUOG database. A relatively high response rate was obtained even after IO combination therapy, and AE management was possible. The results of this relatively large-scale study clarified the usefulness of cabozantinib and identified factors associated with poor efficacy, namely first-line treatment discontinuation because of PD and liver metastasis.

Originally posted here:

Efficacy and safety of second-line cabozantinib after immuno ... - Nature.com

Censorship in Memphis: The Real Effects of Withholding Information – YR Media

Posted on by

Nashville In a world of rampant censorship, we must ask ourselves: How far do we have to go to protect our children? And after what point is overly sheltering hurting our kids?

This is a question being asked in Memphis, Tennessee at this very moment. Following the reverberating pain of the shooting of George Floyd, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa wrote the book, His Name is George Floyd. It discusses Floyds life and legacy and is essential reading for anti-racists. When Samuels and Olorunnipa arrived at the Whitehaven High School in Memphis last October to speak on their book, they were told to not share any excerpts or delve too deeply into the topic. Students were also not given a copy.

This was a condition required by a Tennessean law, which requires school books to be age-appropriate (which is, of course, a completely subjective and arbitrary requirement, but so is censorship). It is no coincidence that books called out for being not age-appropriate are ones discussing racism. Tennessee, which was one of the first states to restrict classroom conversations on racism, is clearly intent on asserting itself as a state lacking free speech.

Another interesting development is that Whitehaven is a majority Black school, with even the youngest students certainly old enough to fully remember the massive waves of protests in 2020. Why is the state and Memphis-Shelby County so intent on covering up issues of racism and claiming that racism is age-inappropriate for students who have grown up in a system built on racist ideals? The answer lies within the question itself. The state seems to believe that a lack of school education will produce students who do not know racism. This is untrue in two ways.

A system without civics education produces students who grow to be either ill-informed (sometimes, in Tennessee, in damaging ways) or are angry at the politicians. In the age of widespread information on the internet, the number of young people who dont know whats going on is much lower than it used to be. Its no easy feat to be an uninformed, socially active teen these days, especially in a place like Memphis. Unfortunately, disinformation is rampant and is the real enemy of the truth in communities with censorship.

When we think about censorship in the age of the internet, we sometimes believe that people will know nothing without these books and resources. But when we dont provide truthful resources and difficult conversations in the classroom, we fundamentally fail our children. We make it obscenely difficult for them to be able to pick out truth from lies, and accurate graphics from misleading statistics. And, though we have yet to see the consequences truly, we know that when children are incapable of picking out right from wrong on the internet, they go on to propagate misinformation unknowingly. According to TIME Magazine, fewer than 45% of teens say they can tell the difference between real and fake news. Still, a survey done by Common Sense Media said that a whopping 54% of teens get their news from social platforms like Instagram or TikTok.

By continuing the fight for censorship, we have doomed our children to an uphill battle for information.

The next time we ask ourselves how far is too far? We must carefully consider the effects of censorship on young people. These effects lie in a lack of media literacy, one of the cruelest things we can do to our children in the 21st century.

Emmie Wolf-Dubin (she/her) is a high school student in Nashville who covers anything from entertainment to politics. Follow her on Instagram: @redheadwd07.

Edited by Nykeya Woods.

Follow this link:

Censorship in Memphis: The Real Effects of Withholding Information - YR Media

Censorship and safety: How the Israel Hamas war is affecting schools – Euronews

Posted on by

Euronews was told that pro-Palestinian views were being suppressed inside schools, with some Jewish pupils in a "dark zone of depression".

Amy* is a teacher at a school in London.

Like many other schools in Britain, a majority of the pupils come from Muslim or Arab backgrounds.

Sympathies for Palestine run high in her classroom, amid the devastating war between Israel and Hamas.

Since the violence erupted on 7 October, younger students have often drawn the Palestinian flag on their hands, doodled it on their books or displayed Palestinian flag pins on their uniform in what she called child-like expressions of solidarity.

Theyre really deeply upset and worried about Palestine, she told Euronews.

Initially, Amy said the school let the pupils express their support for those in Gaza and the West Bank.

But it has since begun cracking down on these acts under the guise of violations against uniform policy, threatening to punish the kids if they refuse. Staff have also been told not to wear the Palestine pin.

There is a double standard, she claimed, pointing out that students were encouraged to support Ukraine when Russia invaded in February 2022 and that staff are still allowed to display symbols and signs of other political causes, like LGBT+ rights or the Black Lives Matter movement.

It's presented as impartially, but in reality is deeply ideological.

Under government rules, schools in the UK are legally bound to prohibit the promotion of partisan political views and should take steps to ensure the balanced presentation of opposing views on political issues when they are brought to the attention of pupils.

In advice issued to schools in October, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan wrote: "We know that young people may have a strong personal interest in these issues, which could lead to political activity.

"Schools and colleges should ensure that any political expression is conducted sensitively, meaning that it is not disruptive and does not create an atmosphere of intimidation or fear for their peers and staff."

Alongside alienating" pupils from the teachers, who often feel insulted when they are told to wash the flag off their hands, Amy claimed impartiality rules were "being used to silence the Palestinian crisis and prevent students from having an opinion about a genocide happening in Gaza.

Hamas deadly assault on southern Israel sparked the current conflict, killing 1,400 people and taking hundreds hostage.

While 2022 was the deadliest year on record for Palestinians, according to the UN, 2023 was already set to overtake that record even before Israel began relentlessly bombing Gaza.

Israeli retaliation has killed at least 11,500 people so far, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry.

Teacher Amy placed the school's policy towards the Israel-Hamas war against a broader depoliticisation of teachers and a shift towards focusing on behaviour, rather than provoking critical thinking.

We should be having different conservations about topics related to the conflict, like how criticism of Israel is not anti-semitic, the existence of Jewish peace activists in Israel and understanding war crimes. Theres not much space for the kids to think and be curious," she told Euronews.

Amy added that she felt "nervous about how much more repression the school community may face as the situation [in Israel and Gaza] develops."

Still, the teacher said many students were pushing back against the school's policies which were becoming a point of rebellion.

Things could get a bit lively. Kids are getting told off about things they weren't getting told off about before. They feel it's an injustice."

The bloodshed has sparked a number of issues for Britain's Jewish schools and pupils, too.

David Meyer, CEO of the Partnership for Jewish Schools, told Euronews that a significant challenge was nervousness and discomfort amongst Jewish pupils, especially those in non-Jewish schools.

"The enormity of the attack that took place in Israel, the shock of what happened there, immediately made anybody who's Jewish around the world feel insecure," he said. "That has then been coupled with a tsunami of antisemitism."

Hate crimes against Jewish people in London have risen by 1,350%, the Metropolitan police said in October. Islamophobic offences in the UK capital increased by 140%.

Both Jewish and Muslim communities have previously complained of feeling unprotected by the authorities.

Student wellbeing was also an issue said Meyer, with children exposed to absolutely horrendous footage of the Hamas "terrorist attack".

We are very worried about the impact on childrens mental health. Some are constantly thinking about the hostages, worrying about them. We are trying to help the children understand how to compartmentalise things in their lives so that they are not constantly in this dark zone of depression."

Some 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas and brought to Gaza when it attacked southern Israel in early October, according to Israeli authorities. A few have been freed, while the Palestinian militant group claims several others have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.The fate of the rest is unknown.

Amid a surge of what he called ignorance and misinformation around the conflict, Meyer said it was vital to educate students, especially on the dangers of social media.

For him, it was "vital to ensure children are given a proper informed and balanced education so that they understand actually what is going on."

He said the "history of Israel" and the "different narratives" and "perspectives" within that were "very, very complex".

"Being able to educate children around this and for them to understand the difference between having open and honest conversations, disagreements and a disparity of views, and a recognition of that is healthy.

One obstacle he cited is that schools in England are blocking lessons on the Middle East, such as the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In November, the Observer newspaperreported that fewer than 2% of GCSE history students in England studied a module on the Middle East in 2020, and experts estimate that only 27 schools in England currently teach it.

It claimed schools were concerned about "bad publicity" or afraid of being accused of bias.

"It's absolutely true that the students have [to be] taught different narratives to really try and interrogate those to find sensible solutions," Meyer added.

*The teacher's name has been changed as she was not authorised to talk directly to the media and was concerned about repercussions from her employer.

Read the rest here:

Censorship and safety: How the Israel Hamas war is affecting schools - Euronews

LeVar Burton Slams Book Censorship, Moms For Liberty At The National Book Awards: Writers And Others Who Champion Books Are Under Attack – Yahoo News

Posted on by

LeVar Burtoncontinues to speak out againstbook censorship. On Wednesday, Burton delivered his opening remarks at the 74th National Book Awards & Benefit Dinner in New York City. Burton specifically called out Moms for Liberty, the conservative organization thats attempting to censor books in schools.

Before we get going, are there any Moms for Liberty in the house? Moms for Liberty? No? Good. Then hands will not need to be thrown tonight, Burton told the audience,Peoplereported.

Moms for Liberty has been leading an effort to block schools from providing books about sexuality and gender in their libraries, according toPeople. The organization is also aiming to ban LGBTQ+ and race discussions from being included in school curriculums.

Burton hosted the event, recognizing outstanding people and works in the literature industry. Drew Barrymore was initially chosen as host of this years event. However, the actress was replaced when she faced public backlash after deciding to keep her talk show going during the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Burton has received numerous accolades for his contribution to literature. Among his many honors, the formerReading Rainbowhost was named the 2023 honorary chair of Banned Books Week. As he spoke out against the effort to ban certain books from schools, Burton said freedom feels especially fraught in this global political moment.

On the home front, we are fighting for control of truth and how we interpret truth in this country, Burton said. Books are being banned, words are being silenced, and writers and others who champion books are under attack.

Burton also paid tribute to his mother, an English teacher. The beloved TV personality said his mother taught him that if you can read in at least one language, you are, by her definition, free.

Giving credit to his sister Letitia as well, Burton said she was the one who taught him how to read. The Roots actor urged the audience to remember that books are under attack because theyre so powerful.

Stories are the tool that enable us to better understand ourselves and, yes, our history, he said. To live over the course of a few pages in the experiences of another and to create a world where we can all be free.

The 2023 National Book Awards ceremony also featured Oprah Winfrey, who appeared as a special guest and spoke out to support literacy. The event included virtual appearances from Julie Andrews, Matthew McConaughey, Samin Nosrat, Trevor Noah and Dua Lipa. The celebrities introduced the various literature categories that were recognized on the evening.

Read the original post:

LeVar Burton Slams Book Censorship, Moms For Liberty At The National Book Awards: Writers And Others Who Champion Books Are Under Attack - Yahoo News

Rightwing Philadelphia censorship fan who is also a registered sex … – Universal Hub

Posted on by

A man who now does "faith" outreach for the homophobic, book-banning Moms for Liberty in Philadelphia was once a familiar sight in Copley Square, where he'd try to convince passersby that Barack Obama was as evil as Hitler and Dick Cheney.

Phillip Fisher Jr. made the news this week when the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that he is not just an organizer for a group that wants to ban books from school shelves, he's also a registered sex offender - following his 2012 conviction involving a 14-year-old in Chicago.

Sonya Dunne recalls:

Oh my God, when Obama was in office this nut was all over Boston with Lyndon LaRouche. Pretty much a constant fixture outside CVS in Copley and the Charles River Plaza.

Fisher didn't stay long into the Obama administration doing street outreach in Boston for the LaRouche movement, though: In 2009, he was photographed in Chicago, outside a meeting about health care called by US Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., holding a poster with a large photo of Obama with a Hitler mustache drawn in.

After seeing that photo, Dunne added:

Yep thats him. He was always accompanied by that poster of Obama as Hitler.

At some point, though, Fisher and the LaRouchies grew disenchanted with each other.

In fact, he claims the LaRouchies concocted "a railroad job" that got him to plead guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor between the ages of 13 and 17 - in exchange for which 11 other charges were dropped - while he was trying to "break free" of the group, the Inquirer reports.

Read the original post:

Rightwing Philadelphia censorship fan who is also a registered sex ... - Universal Hub

Gawenda’s call for censorship of activists is alarming, incoherent … – Crikey

Posted on by

In Michael Gawendas attack last week on activist journalists and media employees for signing an open letter expressing solidarity with Palestine, its hard to know what offends him more the content of the letter, or the fact that the signatories refer to themselves as media workers rather than journalists. In the end, however, the much-awarded journalist, editor and founding director of the Centre for Advanced Journalism suggests theyre social-justice warriors, anti-racism warriors, anti-colonialist warriors rather than journalists. He wants them banned by their outlets from covering Middle Eastern issues, and he wants media outlets to ban staff from signing letters and petitions, or from being promoters of any cause.

Gawenda, however, has only been moved to this position by an open letter critical of Israel he also cites a similar 2021 open letter critical of coverage of Israel and Palestine, signed by journalists, including myself and otherCrikey staff members.

No other open letters seem to have drawn any comment from him. Not the open letter signed by some of Australias most prominent journalists a couple of months ago condemning the governments treatment of whistleblowers. Nor the one two years ago calling for the Chinese regime to release Australian journalist Cheng Lei. Nor one in 2019 in the wake of police raids on Annika Smethurst and the ABC. Nor one signed by an array of journalists against the Turnbull governments consideration of privatising the ASIC company database. Nor, for that matter, one that I and Lizzie OShea coordinated about Julian Assange in 2011, which was signed by several prominent broadcasters and journalists.

Are some open letters by journalists OK, then? Are open letters about the conduct of journalism itself OK? Or is any promotion of any cause, to use Gawendas words, unacceptable? What about the section of the offending MEAA Members for Palestine letter that deplores the killing of dozens of journalists in IDF attacks in Gaza? Is that bit OK, but the rest not?

For Gawenda, being a journalist implies an adherence to certain values and ethical principles. Like fairness, like factual accuracy, like making sure you are not and could not be seen to be pushing an agenda, being an activist for a cause. In contrast, he derides the 2021 open letter, which called for the media to no-longer prioritise the same discredited spokespeople and tired narratives and Gawendas phrasing now instead make space for the Palestinians who are the victims in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I assume that included making space for Hamas?

Its a strange, snide comment from the man The Age asked to review its Indigenous coverage over the decades and who rightly concluded: the absence of Indigenous voices skewed the telling of the stories about the lives of Aboriginal people, of what happened to them and their communities. That sounds a lot like something youd read in an open letter, from an activist. Should we make space for Indigenous voices, but not for Palestinian voices?

And what about the fact that Australian commercial media has almost completely ignored the dramatic escalation in Israeli colonists attacks on West Bank Palestinians this year, and especially since October 7? On Saturday reflecting the reality that Israeli terrorism intended to drive Palestinians out of their homeland has emerged as a major point of difference between the Biden administration and Israel President Biden said the US would impose sanctions on settlers involved in violence. Yet anyone reading the publications Gawenda used to write for and edit would be virtually clueless that there was even any increase in violence in the West Bank, let alone the US reaction.

Once you start touting fairness and accuracy as what separates you from the social-justice warriors, anti-racism warriors, anti-colonialist warriors, youre on dangerous ground. Is News Corp fair and accurate? Do the people who write for News Corp qualify as journalists when they follow the editorial line to propagandise against Labor, pursue vendettas against progressives, and generally punch downward? Thats not pushing an agenda or promoting a cause?

Or what about the publication Gawenda chose for his op-ed, theFinancial Review? That outlet is a vehicle for unashamed attacks on Australian workers and trade unions, and a propaganda outlet for Australian business to peddle the same snake-oil economic reform its been pushing for generations. Still, better a shill for big business than social-justice warriors, it seems.

The mainstream medias biases are never stated in an open letter or declared at the bottom of an article. They masquerade as fair and accurate, misleading their readers and audiences. At least those who put their name to an open letter have indicated, permanently, what their views are to audiences.

The issue that Gawenda doesnt grapple with is that, as surely he knows, journalism is about power, both in the way it is performed and in what it covers. Journalists in Australia are likely to work for either a public broadcaster or a handful of large media companies in our highly concentrated media market. Those companies wield significant power and are unafraid to use it in their own interests, including via their journalism. Journalism itself is a position of relative power journalists have access, they have influence, and their voices are amplified by the media.

What journalism covers is, or should be, all about power. If it is anything beyond flat reportage, it must interrogate power, it must seek to expose it, and it must be relentlessly sceptical of the claims of those with power. Journalistsmustbe activists in holding power to account, otherwise they are simply props for the status quo, in constant danger of misleading their audiences by failing to expose the agendas of those in power.

Its thus curious that Gawenda rails at anti-racism warriors, anti-colonialist warriors, and what he terms the crude jargon of anti-colonialism (why didnt you just say woke, Michael?). Is the fair and accurate stance of the journalist to be neutral about racism and colonialism? What about misogyny or homophobia? Climate denialism? Does the true journalist purport to float above them all with a position of perfect neutrality?

Thats impossible, of course. Individuals, the companies they work for and the institutions within which they operate are shaped by social, cultural and political systems. There were no more neutral journalists in some golden age of pre-internet 20th-century media than there are now. The Australian media and its journalist class were infested with misogyny, racism and homophobia, yet its members would have insisted they were adherents of a code of ethics and commitment to fairness.

Its easy to mock the often risible descent into identity politics and self-obsession that mark some progressive journalism now. But in a country like Australia of all places how can journalists not seriously scrutinise power in the context of racism and colonialism? Just months after the defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum, are we to not question the extent and nature of racism and the legacy of colonialism? Or is that promoting a cause?

For one of Australias most esteemed journalists and editors, as well as a former leader of a high-profile journalism institution, Michael Gawenda appears curiously unreflective about his profession and craft. The result is a piece equal parts get off my lawn and demand for censorship, along with the advocacy of a style of journalism more likely to prop up power than challenge it.

See the rest here:

Gawenda's call for censorship of activists is alarming, incoherent ... - Crikey

Where Are The Book Sanctuaries?: Book Censorship News … – Book Riot

Posted on by

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

Last October, I highlighted the movement happening in several communities and public libraries to declare themselves book sanctuaries. Book sanctuaries are institutions committed to upholding the First Amendment Rights of all citizens, wherein book bans and challenges must follow a specific procedure to be considered. They are places where books and the right to read them remain at the forefront of what an institution does, and well-funded, well-connected political groups do not get to wield their power in changing what is available.

The movement for book sanctuaries has only continued to grow since. States like Connecticut have developed grants for community libraries wishing to become such designees, and several libraries in the region have hopped on board.

Thanks to the work of Christina Perucci, a Reading Specialist and librarian who just completed her MLIS at San Jose State University, there is now a way to know what libraries or communities have worked toward the status of book sanctuary. Shes developed a database of all the book sanctuaries across the United States and Canada, which you can access here. It turns out that it is not only libraries or towns that are declaring their communities free from book bans and censorship. So, too, are other organizations and institutions, including a nonprofit, an acupuncture studio, and a cafe, among others.

As a librarian and a book nerd from way back, I am terrified at the increasing success of book banners and the anemic response from ALA. The idea that the way to improve our schools or our society is by limiting access to information is so appalling to me, explains Perucci, who began tracking book sanctuaries this summer. I appreciate the bravery of libraries and librarians who are formally declaring themselves book sanctuaries, especially those who are coming up with creative workarounds, like Brooklyn Public Library and the Digital Public Library of America, for those who may not have physical access to a sanctuary.

While book sanctuaries will not stop book bans only policy changes, adherence to current policy, and legislation will do that on any significant scale at this point they are a reminder of how vital access to information and to stories is for so many.

Note: this weeks news does not include stories that happened Wednesday evening or Thursday due to some personal time out of the office this week. Those will be included next week.

Read this article:

Where Are The Book Sanctuaries?: Book Censorship News ... - Book Riot

Fortnite players baffled by censorship of Eminem songs in-game – Dexerto

Posted on by

Brianna Reeves

Published: 2023-11-22T20:52:18 Updated: 2023-11-22T20:52:28

Fortnite players call out censorship of Eminem songs on the in-game radio, specifically for butchering the rappers lyrics.

Eminem will officially make his Fortnite debut on Wednesday, November 29, with a skin that sports three of the hip-hop artists iconic looks.

The rappers also set to head up Fortnite Big Bang, a live event marking the end of Season OG on Tuesday, December 2. In celebrating the upcoming crossover, it seems Epic has reinstated some Eminem tracks to the in-game Icon Radio catalog.

Article continues after ad

To the chagrin of players, though, Ems bars are heavily censored, some to a hilarious degree.

Article continues after ad

Fortnite-centric Twitter/X account iFireMonkey pointed out that Ems return to the in-game radio involves lots of censorship. The users shared a short clip wherein Eminems Godzilla song featuring Juice WRLD plays in the background.

Of course, some of the rappers more colorful language had to be nixed. Thus, a lyric like Motherf*****n finger comes out as finger, finger.

Fewer Ads|Dark Mode|Deals in Gaming, TV and Movies, and Tech

Article continues after ad

But the real problem arises with the prostate exam lyric that follows the aforementioned line. Apparently, the word prostate isnt allowed on Fortnite radio stations. So this bit of Godzilla in Fortnite sounds like, finger, finger exam (exam).

Article continues after ad

Suffice it to say, Fortnite players are getting a kick out of Fortnites need to censor Eminem songs. Yet, many mention in response to the above post that itd be nice if Epic gave players an option.

Article continues after ad

They gotta make censorship optional, reads one comment. NAH THEY BUTCHERED THE SONG (I understand its necessary for lil Timmy but please make censoring optional), someone else wrote.

Another person argued that only accounts for underage users should be restricted in this manner. Just like the cosmetics, music censoring should only be for underage accounts.

While the latter suggestion sounds promising, things could get tricky with respect to previously established game rating parameters. Fortnite players looking to get their Slim Shady fix in-game may want to look up the actual tracks on their own time.

Article continues after ad

Article continues after ad

Follow this link:

Fortnite players baffled by censorship of Eminem songs in-game - Dexerto

Qatar fails to deliver on World Cup promises – Index on Censorship

Posted on by

Its an opportunity to maybe shine a light on the issues and use our platforms to make change for the better.

These were the words of England midfielder Jordan Henderson during a press conference in the months preceding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. His comments were in response to questions about the host nations appalling human rights record, particularly in regard to LGBTQ+ people, women and labour migrants, and whether teams should be boycotting the competition in protest.

England manager Gareth Southgate echoed Hendersons suggestion. There would be more change if we go and these things are highlighted, he argued. Theres an opportunity to use our voices and our platform in a positive way.

This sentiment was commonly expressed in the build-up to the tournament, as teams justified their participation in what was widely regarded to be an ill-disguised sportswashing attempt. However, a year has gone by and such changes have yet to materialise, with those inside the state continuing to be denied basic rights and freedoms.

Qatari physician and activist Dr Nasser Mohamed tells Index on Censorship that for LGBTQ+ people inside the state the situation has not improved.

As we were approaching the lead up to the Qatar World Cup, I noticed that the coverage and the public message was so disconnected from the lived reality that I had, he revealed.

Mohamed publicly came out as gay in 2022, after his anonymous attempts to publicise the struggles of LGBTQ+ people in his home country received little traction, seeking asylum in the United States as a result. He described his initial reaction to Qatar being awarded the World Cup as one of anger and defeat. He accused the state of using the tournament to try and launder their international reputation, and attempting to gaslight the world into believing they arent abusers, despite taking everything from him.

As for the suggestions that the pressure of a global audience would force the state to improve their stance on LGBTQ+ rights, Nasser assured us that this has not been the case. In terms of things on the ground, I think they have not changed, if anything they are worse, he said. Arrests, torture, everything, its still happening.

The activist also condemned his home states use of celebrity endorsements to launder their image. You get people like David Beckham coming in and selling their influence to the authoritative regime, saying things like football has the power to change the world. Amazing! Do you think it will happen by your magical presence? he laughed. You cant just show up and magically infuse goodness into the world, there needs to be action.

Mohamed also criticised the role of the media when it came to reporting on such human rights violations, arguing that much of the coverage afforded to LGBTQ+ rights in the region framed the issue as a cultural argument between the Middle East and the West, which he said came at the detriment of actual LGBTQ+ people in the country.

You get all the thousands of spins on the same factual story. Muslim Dad beats his son or Homophobic Qatari is violently attacking his LGBT child. Then on the Arabic side, white Europeans and Americans are intruding to come and tell Middle Eastern parents how to raise their children, he explained.

Then people get really afraid because now they are worried about Islamophobia, racism, discrimination. In comparison, sometimes it feels like being in the closet and occasionally facing homophobia is a lesser evil.

The absence of change in Qatar is not down to a lack of effort on the part of persecuted groups. In the autumn 2022 issue of Index, when we looked at the free speech implications of hosting the tournament in Qatar, Qatari activist Abdullah Al-Malikioutlinedthe many ways the regime punishes and thereby silences human rights defenders. He wrote:

Tamim [bin Hamad Khalifa al-Thani]has planted fear and terror in the hearts and minds of the Qatari people. No one in our country can criticise the actions and words of the corrupt dictator, or those of his terrorist gang.

Mohamed spoke about his own recent experience. He suggested that external pressure has been placed on platforms and organisations to stifle any allegations of human rights violations in the state, a situation he is no stranger to. He described being ghosted by Meta, shadowbanned by X (formerly Twitter) and speaking to high-profile politicians at length only for those conversations to go nowhere.

Theres censorship definitely, he said. Its really hard because Qatars money is everywhere. Whenever my voice reached a certain level, I was dropped by the people I was talking to.

It seems that simply spreading the word is not helping to bring about changes in the region. I naively thought nothing was happening through lack of knowledge, Mohamed said, before pausing. Its not a lack of knowledge.

There are similar concerns over the continuing exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar. Despite promises from the state that conditions would improve following global outrage in the build-up to the World Cup,a report published last week by Amnesty Internationalstated that progress towards improving these rights has largely stalled since the tournament ended, while hundreds of thousands of workers who suffered abuses linked to the tournament have still not received justice.

Prior to the tournament, there was hope that the global pressure had successfully pushed Qatar into improving conditions for migrant labourers. Reforms were passed in 2021 in an attempt to reduce the power of sponsors over workers mobility and to raise the minimum wage, motions which were largely influenced by the criticisms levelled at the country following their successful World Cup bid. However, Amnesty Internationals Head of Economic Social Justice, Steve Cockburn, said on publication of the new report that Qatar had shown a continued failure to properly enforce or strengthen these pre-World Cup labour reforms, putting the legacy of the tournament in serious peril.

He said in a statement: From illegal recruitment fees to unpaid wages, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers lost their money, health and even their lives while FIFA and Qatar tried to deflect and deny responsibility. Today, a year on from the tournament too little has been done to right all these wrongs, but the workers who made the 2022 World Cup possible must not be forgotten.

Human Rights Watch stated earlier this year that the 2021 legislation was not in itself adequate to solve the issues faced by migrant workers, calling claims by Qatari authorities and FIFA that their labour protection systems were adequate to prevent abuse grossly inaccurate and misleading. An investigation by the organisation found that some issues being faced by migrant workers in the country in the aftermath of the World Cup include wage theft, being prohibited from transferring jobs, not receiving their entitled compensations and being unable to join a union.

Mohamed believes that the fight for human rights in Qatar should encompass all such groups who find themselves exploited, abused or persecuted, but that more targeted action is required: Workers rights, womens rights, you can support all of these causes and I think it can be powerful, and it can be a very helpful thing to do, but it needs intention.

Read more:

Qatar fails to deliver on World Cup promises - Index on Censorship