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No pain, still gain (of function): the relation between sensory profiles and the presence or absence of self-reported pain in a large multicenter…

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

The pathophysiology of pain in neuropathy is complex and may be linked to sensory phenotypes. Quantitative sensory testing, a standardized method to evaluate sensory profiles in response to defined stimuli, assesses functional integrity of small and large nerve fiber afferents and central somatosensory pathways. It has revealed detailed insights into mechanisms of neuropathy, yet, it remains unclear if pain directly affects sensory profiles. The main objective of this study was to investigate sensory profiles in patients with various neuropathic conditions, including polyneuropathy, mononeuropathy, and lesions to the central nervous system, in relation to self-reported presence or absence of pain and pain sensitivity using the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire.A total of 443 patients (332 painful and 111 painless) and 112 healthy participants were investigated. Overall, loss of sensation was equally prevalent in patients with and without spontaneous pain. Pain thresholds were equally lowered in both patient groups, demonstrating that hyperalgesia and allodynia is just as present in patients not reporting any pain. Remarkably, this was similar for dynamic mechanical allodynia. Hypoalgesia was more pronounced in painful polyneuropathy whereas hyperalgesia was more frequent in painful mononeuropathy (compared to painless conditions). Self-reported pain sensitivity was significantly higher in painful than in painless neuropathic conditions.Our results reveal the presence of hyperalgesia and allodynia in patients with central and peripheral lesions of the somatosensory system not reporting spontaneous pain. This shows that symptoms and signs of hypersensitivity may not necessarily coincide, and that painful and painless neuropathic conditions may mechanistically blend into one another.

PubMed

Use of plasma therapy shouldn’t be considered as standard of care for Covid-19, NIH disputes Trump endorsement – MEAWW

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

There isn't enough evidence to support the use of plasma therapy for treating hospitalized Covid-19 patients, a panel of experts from the National Institute of Health said. The statement comes days after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an emergency approval of the treatment, despite a lack of data on its safety and efficacy.

"There are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of Covid-19," the NIH panel said in a statement. This was because there was no data from experiments that are considered gold-standard for evaluating a treatment: well-controlled, adequately powered randomized clinical trials. Plasma is a yellow liquid portion of the blood that is rich in antibodies. The idea behind the treatment [convalescent plasma] is collecting plasma from survivors of the disease and administering it to the infected patients. It is a century-old practice that was used against the flu and measles in the past.

At a press conference on August 23, US President Donald Trump hailed the treatment, calling it safe and effective. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told reporters that convalescent plasma could cut Covid-19 deaths by 35%. That claim, however, was found to be inaccurate.

Writing an open letter to Hahn, Eric Topol, the editor-in-chief of Medscape and a professor of molecular medicine at The Scripps Research Institute said: "We cannot entrust the health of 330 million Americans to a person who is subservient to President Trumps whims, unprecedented promotion of unproven therapies, outrageous lies, and political motivations". He added: You have two choices to do the right thing. We cannot and will not rest until you make that choice. Following the backlash, the FDA Commissioner has walked back on his claim.

I have been criticized for remarks I made Sunday night about the benefits of convalescent plasma. The criticism is entirely justified. What I should have said better is that the data show a relative risk reduction not an absolute risk reduction.

Hahn's claim comes from an unpublished study, which compared patients who received plasma with a high concentration of antibodies with those who were given a lower amount. The authors found no difference in 7-day survival overall. But the findings showed some benefits for people hooked to a ventilator: 11% of participants who received the treatment with high antibody levels died within 7 days, compared with 14% who were given lower levels.

Although the data suggest that plasma with high antibody may benefit patients who are not connected to a ventilator for breathing support, there is still uncertainty about the efficacy and safety of the treatment, the experts said of the unpublished study.

The current data suggest that adverse reactions to the plasma therapy were "infrequent". But, they add, the data on long-term risks and whether it could weaken a patient's immune response to a second infection is not clear. "Convalescent plasma should not be considered standard of care for the treatment of patients with Covid-19," they noted."Prospective, well-controlled, adequately powered randomized trials are needed to determine whether convalescent plasma is effective and safe for the treatment of Covid-19," they wrote. "Members of the public and health care providers are encouraged to participate in these prospective clinical trials."

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Use of plasma therapy shouldn't be considered as standard of care for Covid-19, NIH disputes Trump endorsement - MEAWW

Special Scientist, Biobank Information Management Systems job with UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS | 223742 – Times Higher Education (THE)

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Title: Special Scientist (BIMS and EDC operation officer)Number of positions: One (1)Category: Contract for 2 years, with potential for renewalPlace of employment: University of Cyprus, Nicosia

The Molecular Medicine Research Center of the University of Cyprus has one opening for a Special Scientist, funded by the research program: Biobanking and the Cyprus Human Genome Project (CY-Biobank), which is co-funded by the European Commission, the Republic of Cyprus and the University of Cyprus.

Responsibilities

Requirements

Terms of employment

The position will be for full-time employment with a 2-year contract, and potential for renewal. The gross monthly salary will be commensurate to qualifications and previous experience and ranges between 1500 and 3000. There is no provision for a 13th salary.

Submission of applications:

The application material should be sent electronically as one single pdf file to: biobank@ucy.ac.cy at the latest until September 18, 2020.

For more information the candidates may contact the Coordinator of the project, Prof. C. Deltas, Tel.: 22-892882 or Email: Deltas@ucy.ac.cy

Originally posted here:

Special Scientist, Biobank Information Management Systems job with UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS | 223742 - Times Higher Education (THE)

Sep 4 Getting real with CBD- a veterinary surgeon’s perspective – Jill Lopez

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

It was about the third week into Bastions recovery from his TPLO surgery, and he was already having a rough time. Bastion was a gregarious yellow Labrador who had injured his stifle about 25 days earlier. Fortunately, his family elected to have the stifle surgically reconstructed. Initially, he was recovering well from surgery, but one day in particular, he returned to the hospital because hed had a brief setback. He was limping far more severely than would be normally expected at that stage of recovery. The osteotomy from his surgery had not yet completely healed, and he was still in the middle of his prescribed five weeks of strict exercise restriction. His family was trying their best, but Bastion wasnt having it. He was too active at home, and his humans were growing frustrated. Theyd received anti-anxiety medications but werent giving them. Instead, his family had decided to give him CBD oil at home. When I asked why, the client responded, I found CBD oil at the local farmers market, and I figured it would work just as well.

Like Bastion, an increasing number of pets are receiving cannabidiol (CBD) supplements. The popularity of CBD continues to rise, and many clients are incorporating it into the medication protocol for their pets, either as an adjunct or an alternative treatment option. Perhaps the initial interest in the benefits of CBD can be traced back to 1998, or possibly earlier, when scientists at the National Institutes of Health discovered that CBD could protect cells from oxidative stress. These findings fueled interest in the human medical field and, in large part, that appeal has beentransmuted into veterinary medicine. The regard for this molecule has risen to such levels that in many homes, CBD is being used as the sole treatment option for a variety of medical conditions. Veterinarians are becoming more fluent in the fascinating pharmacology regarding the use of this phytocannabinoid. A recent survey indicated that most veterinarians (61.5%) felt comfortable discussing the use of CBD with their colleagues, but only 45.5% felt comfortable discussing this topic with clients.1Furthermore, veterinarians and clients in states with legalized recreational marijuana were more likely to talk about the use of CBD products to treat canine ailments than those in other states.2Lastly, CBD was most frequently discussed as a potential treatment for pain management, anxiety, and seizures.1At first glance, the use of CBD has tangential or limited relevance in the world of veterinary surgery. However, as one takes a closer look at the putativeand provenbenefits, it is clear that we are just scratching the surface of its therapeutic benefits.

Pain

Whether you perform surgery within a specialty discipline (oncology, orthopedics, neurology, soft tissue surgery, mixed animal, oral/dental, etc.), or surgery is only a small part of your general practice, every veterinarian endeavors to manage pain aggressively. The first choice for pain relief among many clinicians are the medications that have been more extensively studied, including but not limited to anti-inflammatories, gabapentinoids, opioids, local anesthetics, and other analgesics (acetaminophen, amantadine, Cerenia, etc.). These medications or a combination thereof have been prescribed to treat pain from orthopedic surgery, soft tissue surgery, intestinal surgery, and surgical neuropathic conditions, to name just a few. In the most basic schema, pain is divided into four categories: nociceptive pain (a response to damaged tissue), neuropathic pain (a response to directly-damaged sensory or spinal nerves), centralized pain (the result of pain signals being improperly amplified), and inflammatory pain.1

Cannabinoids may have a role to play inmediatingall four of these types of pain states. When tissue is damaged, histamine, serotonin, TNF-alpha, IL-1-beta, IL-6 andIl -17 6, and interleukin 17 are released.2Cannabinoids bind to the CB1 receptors and attenuate the pain signal by slowing down the release of those neurotransmitters.3This process can take place locally or in the central nervous system.3Cannabinoids have also been shown to inhibit the release of GABA, a well-known neurotransmitter associated with pain.3Although there is a paucity of clinical research on the use of CBD to treat postoperative pain in the veterinary medical setting, there has been heartening research conducted in humans. Indeed, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that there is substantial evidence that cannabis is an effective treatment for chronic pain in adults.

Opioids have long been the go-to option or cornerstone of pain management, but the potential for the adverse events associated with the use of opioids in veterinary patients is universally accepted.38I have seen how distressing it can be for a family to see their pet experiencing any of the unpleasurable side effects of opioids, including urine retention, delayed bowel movements, whining, panting, disorientation, or other manifestations of dysphoria. Those are just some of the challenges that clinicians face when using opioids for chronic pain management. Considering the ongoing consequences of the opioid epidemic, there is a search for pain management solutions that are innovative, prone to less adverse events, and are more effective. As the scientific community begins to evaluate the evidence for use of CBD, it is clear that more research is needed.

Anecdotal reports of CBDs efficacy as a pain reliever are ubiquitous, but more practitioners are turning to scientific data for evidence of CBDs efficacy. A study in 2020 evaluating effects of CBD hemp extract on opioid use and quality-of-life indicators in chronic pain patients found that over half of chronic pain patients (53%) reduced or eliminated their opioids within eight weeks after adding CBD-rich hemp extract to their regimens.5Almost all CBD users (94%) reported quality-of-life improvements.5A recent study evaluating orally consumed cannabinoids for long-lasting relief of allodynia in a mouse model found that cannabinoids reduced hyperalgesia, and a similar effect was not found with morphine.4Mouse vocalizations were recorded throughout the experiment, and mice showed a large increase in ultrasonic, broadband clicks after sciatic nerve injury, which was reversed by THC, CBD, and morphine.4The study demonstrated that cannabinoids provide long-term relief of chronic pain states.4If research shows that use of cannabinoids in animalsspecifically, CBDcan help to decrease the use of opioids for pain management, that would help make more animals comfortable and potentially help to fight the tragic epidemic of human prescription opioid abuse. Further research is needed in a variety of species, specifically, both the canine and feline species.

Bone Healing

Both general veterinary practitioners and veterinary surgeons commonly diagnose and treat fractures. No large retrospective study of fracture incidence in dogs in North America has been published since 1994; however, the findings from that years study are still informative regarding the frequency of bone injuries. The study demonstrated that approximately 24% of all patients in the population studied over a 10-year period were affected by a disorder of the musculoskeletal system, with fractures contributing the largest proportion (over 29%) of all of the diagnoses of the appendicular skeletal system.7Although that research is dated, the conclusions from this study, at the very least, indicate that fractures are commonplace in the clinical veterinary setting.7Fracture repair has gradually become more straightforward due to improvements in technology. Because of these innovations, specialty surgeons and general practitioners who repair fractures have begun to see better surgical outcomes. So whether you primarily stabilize fractures with implants, or if external coaptation of fractures with the intention to refer (or perhaps as the primary means of fixation) is your treatment of choice, all veterinary practitioners aim to help fractured bones heal quickly. Despite these technological improvements, bone healing can be protracted or non-existent with some fractures. There are a variety of options at a veterinarians disposal to kick-start the healing process, but perhaps in the near future, CBD may be added to thatarmamentarium[AC3]. The effect of CBD in fracture healing has been investigated evaluating bone callus formation in femur fractures in a rat model.8The findings demonstrated enhanced biomechanical properties of healing fractures in those given CBD compared with a control group.8This effect was not found in those given only 9-THC. Moreover, the bone-forming (osteogenic) effects of CBD were weakened when test subjects were given equal amounts of CBD and 9-THC.6Another in vivo research study indicated that when CBD is incorporated into a surface that promotes bone growth (osteoconductive scaffold) it can stimulate stem cell migration and osteogenic differentiation.9Further studies are needed to better evaluate the role of CBD in healing and bone metabolism of companion animals so that these findings can be applied in the clinical setting.

Additionally, cannabis has been shown to be a useful addition in treatment plans to improve bone health in laboratory studies. Studies have endeavored to better understand the role of CB2 receptors in maintaining bone health. CB2 receptors in bone cells have been linked to maintaining bone density and stimulating growth and may therefore have a part in reversing the effects of osteoporosis.10One study evaluating the role of CB2 receptors found that mice whose genes had been altered to remove the CB1 or CB2 receptors developed signs of bone weakness that were far more pronounced than those in the control group.12Another study in 2009 investigated the relationship between CB2 expression and bone disease in humans. It found that people with dysfunctional CB2 receptors have significantly weaker hand bones.11

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects many dogs, large and small. Most often, OA is the consequence of a developmental orthopedic disease that affects a single joint or a pair of joints and, less often, affects multiple joints. It is axiomatic that Mother Nature likes symmetry, thus developmental orthopedic diseases frequently affect both left and right joints. For example, hip dysplasia is reportedly bilateral in >60% of affected dogs,13and elbow dysplasia is bilateral in approximately 50% of affected dogs.14Osteoarthritis occurs secondary to a myriad of primary orthopedic conditions that affect a variety of joints including: the hip (most common causes of OA in the hip: hip dysplasia, Perthes disease); stifle (patellar luxation, cranial cruciate ligament disease, osteochondritis dissecans [OCD]); elbow (elbow dysplasia, elbow OCD, fragmentation of the medial coronoid process, incomplete ossification of the humeral condyle); shoulder (shoulder OCD, developmental shoulder subluxation); tarsus (OCD of the talus), and carpus (carpal laxity, carpal subluxation secondary to chondrodystrophy); andmetacarpophalangeal (MCP) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) jointdegenerative osteoarthritis (digital osteoarthritis).

Cannabinoids were found to treat pain secondary to inflammation in a variety of studies on humans. Some of the most compelling research has shown that cannabis can reduce the inflammation in the joint caused in human patients diagnosed with immune-mediated arthritis.15One study found that cannabinoids could simultaneously reduce the secretion of cytokines involved in inflammation from one type of TH immune cells, which were being under-produced, while also increasing their numbers to correct their scarcity.15Furthermore, in a study in 2003, researchers found that plant-based cannabinoids could suppress the expression of interleukin-1betaone of the most prominent markers for inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritisby as much as 50%.16And finally, in 2006, transdermal applications of CBD were shown to decrease biomarkers that can contribute to neurogenic inflammation in a sample of arthritic rats.17

A report published inThe Journal of PAINand written by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine revealed the results of a large, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study on the positive effects CBD had in the fight against osteoarthritis.18The study was designed with two main goals: The first portion of the research studied the effect CBD had on the inflammatory molecules and cells in mice.18The second portion of the study investigated whether CBD improved the quality of life in dogs diagnosed with osteoarthritis. In lab tests and in mouse models, CBD significantly decreased the production of natural chemicals that promote inflammation, and it increased the natural chemicals that fight inflammation.18Essentially, they saw a drop in proinflammatory cytokines and an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines.18For dogs with osteoarthritis, CBD significantly decreased pain and increased mobility in a dose-dependent fashion. Importantly, a lower dose of liposomal CBD was as effective as the highest dose of non-liposomal CBD, indicating that the effect of CBD was quicker andmore powerful when CBD was delivered encapsulated in liposomes than without.18Blood samples indicated no significant harmful side effects or adverse events over the 4-week analysis period.18Although this study is very promising, and it supports the safety and therapeutic potential of hemp-derived CBD for relieving arthritic pain in dogs, it is important to consult with your pets veterinarian before giving any supplement or medication.

In the veterinary population, use of cannabidiol and other alternative treatments has the potential to obviate the need for other medications and thus spare patients from adverse effects associated with their use. More likely, the use of cannabinoids could be additive or synergistic in a multimodal treatment strategy and could increase quality-of-life issues associated with painful arthritic conditions.

Intervertebral Disk Disease

As our patients age, discs in their spines undergo degenerative changes. Thus, degeneration of intervertebral discs is inevitable. This process of degeneration is multifactorial, and it involves hypoxia, inflammation, neoinnervation, accelerated catabolism, and reduction in water and glycosaminoglycan content.39The magnitude and severity of disc degeneration can vary widely between patients. The most common locations of clinically relevant disc disease are the cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and lumbosacral spine.40Although there are various manifestations of disc disease, broad classifications of Hansen Type I and Type II are typically used to describe the condition. In short, disc material may either extrude (acute herniations) or protrude (chronic herniations), both of which compress the spinal cord, which can ultimately cause pain, paresis, paralysis, and other neurological deficits.40Theprevalence of thoracolumbar disc disease in dogs has been estimated at 3.5%.40Depending on the neurologic examination, diagnosis, severity, prognosis, and other factors, surgery may be recommended to decompress the spinal cord. After surgical decompression,there is a hostof challenges that the patient, the family, and the surgeon may have to work through, including a potentially protracted recovery, recurrence of neurological signs, post-surgical pain, spinal instability, urinary disorders, (cystitis, urinary tract infection, urinary retention, micturition disorders), ascending myelomalacia, and others.41Could CBD play a part in helping to improve those affected by disc disease pre-, intra-, or post-operatively, and what types of spinal disorders could benefit from CBD? A study conducted on the use of CBD in mice with degenerative disc disease showed promise in mitigating the effect of disc damage and wear.19Instead of being ingested orally, CBD was injected at the site of the disc. Researchers investigatedthe effects of cannabidiol intradiscal injection using a combination of MRI and histological analyses.19A puncture was created in the disc, and then CBD was injected into the disc (30, 60 or 120 nmol) shortly after.19The effects of intradiscal injection of cannabidiol were analyzed within 2 days by MRI.17Fifteen days later, the group that received cannabidiol 120 nmol was resubmitted to MRI examination and then to histological analyses after the cannabidiol injection.19They found that cannabidiol significantly decreased the effects of disc injury induced by the needle puncture.19These results suggest that this compound could be useful in the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration, perhaps using a novel route of administration. Unfortunately, the exact mechanism for howCBD oil helped alleviate disc damage is still being investigated. The hope is that theneuroprotective properties of cannabidiol can also be found in the study of canine and feline disc disease to ultimately improve functional recovery.

Neuropathic Pain

Fortunately, more effort, research, and attention is being paid to treating pain in veterinary medicine.Nociceptive pain is caused by external pressure, cold, heat, or internal trauma, stimulated by the release of compounds like bradykinin, prostaglandins, or leukotrienes.20Humans may describe this pain as a sharp, aching, or throbbing sensation. In veterinary patients, nociceptive pain may be manifested by limping, sharp movements, lip smacking, panting, vocalization, or, in select cases, no obvious response. The function of nociceptive pain in humans, and presumably in pets, is to alert them that they are injured and hopefully prevent further injury.20

Neuropathic pain, caused by direct damage to sensory or spinal nerves, allows aberrant pain signals to be sent to the brain.21In veterinary patients, a common example of neuropathic pain that I diagnose commonly is sciatic or radial nerve hyperpathia, but lumbar or cervical foraminal radiculopathies can also be relatively frequent causes of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain syndromes are often secondary to intervertebral disc disease, static and dynamic nerve foramen impingement, vertebral instability, recent surgery, trauma, abnormal conformation, abnormal gait, and chronic joint pain.21A classic example of neuropathic pain in humans is diabetic neuropathy.

Unfortunately, there are some challenges to diagnosing and understanding neuropathic pain in the veterinary setting, particularly in the presence of an otherwise normal orthopedic exam. To be sure, neuropathic pain can be evoked by low- or high-intensity stimuli; it can be spontaneous and not stimulus-dependent; it is maladaptive (maintained in the absence of tissue trauma), and it responds poorly to opiates and anti-inflammatory drugs.21

CBD use has shown promise in the treatment of neuropathic pain. In a 2010 study, researchers looked at a sample of diabetic rats and administered daily doses of Cannabis sativa ranging from 25 to 100mg/kg[AC6]of body weight.22After fourteen days, the rats exhibited significant reductions in tingling, heat, and pain in the extremities associated with advanced diabetes.22Another study, from 2015, compared descriptions of spontaneous pain among sixteen patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a randomized, double-blinded setting.23The study subjects were administered four single-dosing sessions of placebo or cannabis. Significant reduction in pain intensity varied directly with the size of their dose.23

As we begin to understand neuropathic pain in animals more clearly, treatment strategies and pharmaceutical alternatives will more adequately address their pain, possibly including the use of CBD or CBD alternatives. Additional research will hopefully actualize the promise and potential that CBD may have in treating the veterinary population in neuropathic pain.

Anxiety

Exercise restriction is a critical component for successful surgical outcomes in many elective orthopedic surgeries. For example, post dynamic stifle stabilization surgery, I frequently recommend a minimum of five to eight weeks of strict monitoring and exercise restriction. This recommendation can be extremely challenging for families, because many of the animals are inclined to be active, are frequently powerful and athletic, and are young and unaccustomed to confinement. Implant failure or a poor surgical outcome overall can many times be ascribed to the challenges related to activity restriction. Difficulties with this process may lead to protracted recovery or even surgical treatment failure, necessitating a second surgical procedure.

Common pharmaceutical strategies employed to help with exercise restriction include the use of Trazodone and Acepromazine.24However, both of these medications can have variable effects depending on the individual, and in some cases, there are undesirable adverse effects (e.g. excessive sedation and paradoxical excitation with Acepromazine,serotonin syndrome with Trazodone, etc.).24

Could CBD or CBD derivatives enhance calmness and alleviate anxiety in animals? Based on CBDs proposed mechanism of action in mitigating anxiety, the answer may be encouraging. Higher levels of natural endocannabinoids in the human body are associated with an antidepressant effect.25Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the central nervous system and play a key part in maintaining our sense of well-being. They are particularly numerous in cells tasked with manufacturing serotonin where it is needed.25

Cannabidiol may also have an effect on the hippocampus, which is a region of the brain responsible for memory and mood. Glucocorticoids are secreted during stress, which may cause the hippocampus to atrophy.26That shrinking process plays a role in diminished memory and depressed mood.26Cannabinoids have shown an ability to counter this process through the phenomenon ofhippocampal neurogenesis(regrowth and development in nerve tissue), which can be activated by the expression of cannabinoid type-1 receptors.26Both natural endocannabinoids and plant-based cannabinoids have both been shown to accelerate this process.26

In another random-controlled trial performed on humans, subjects receiving a 600 mg CBD supplement also reported less subjective anxiety symptoms during public speaking than those whod taken a placebo.27CBD also shows activity specific to the limbic system in the brain. A study evaluating that effect on the limbic system found that CBD administration helped to reduce symptoms in people with social anxiety disorder.28Indeed, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine specifically referenced CBDs effects in a statement about anxiety disorders, there is evidence that cannabidiol is an effective treatment for the improvement of anxiety symptoms, as assessed by a public speaking test in individuals with social anxiety disorders.30

A 2019 study in mice simulated to have an anxiety disorder, (Fragile X Syndromea neurodevelopmental disorder that affects intellectual, social, and physical development due to a mutation of the FMR1 gene) were shown to have fewer anxiety-related behaviors across tests when given CBD.31Furthermore, CBD decreased the anxiety response of all mice tested while not affecting their cognitive performance.31

The potential for CBD to be efficacious in treating anxiety in other species will be important to study, but its use as an anxiolytic and sedative is growing in popularity despite the paucity of research specific to this indication. As previously mentioned, anxiety was one of the most common reasons for veterinarians to discuss CBD.1The most commonly used CBD formulations were oil/extract and edibles1for the putative benefits of relieving anxiety, among others.1As CBD research continues to gain steam, more attention will hopefully be directed towards how the full ensemble of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids seem to complement each other, working through multiple receptors at once, and often enhancing each others signals to the body (entourage effect).

Wound Healing

When it comes to wounds, all medical professionals are generally united in a common purpose: we want wounds to heal faster. Indeed, products that promote or accelerate wound healing have been of interest to veterinarians and physicians since the advent of wound treatment. Wound healing products and topical agents may target different phases of wound healing, including debridement, wound contraction, epithelialization, and granulation. Many products promote the formation of granulation tissue, while others are more effective after granulation tissue has formed (e.g. hyaluronic acid). For this reason, adapting the topical dressing specific to the stage and progress of wound healing is of utmost importance.

CBD has shown efficacy in the maturation phase of wound healing and some inflammatory skin conditions.33In a 2019 study of 20 patients with two most frequent skin disorderspsoriasis (5 patients), atopic dermatitis (5), and resulting outcome scars (10)the subjects were instructed to administer topical CBD-enriched ointment to lesioned skin areas twice daily for three months.33The results showed that topical treatment with CBD-enriched ointment significantly improved the skin parameters and the symptoms associated with the skin condition.33This study concluded that the topical administration of CBD ointment, without any THC, is a safe, effective, and non-invasive alternative for improving the quality of life in patients with some skin disorders, especially inflammatory ones.33Another study in 2019 investigated the potential effect of a Cannabis sativa L. ethanolic extract standardized in cannabidiol as anti-inflammatory agent in the skin.34The study found that the extract inhibited the release of mediators of inflammation involved in wound healing and inflammatory processes occurring in the skin.34The down-regulation of genes involved in wound healing and skin inflammation was at least in part due to the presence of cannabidiol.34The findings provided new insights into the potential effect of Cannabis extracts against inflammation-based skin diseases.

Bacterial infiltration can negatively influence wound healing. Another area in which topical cannabis treatments show a great deal of potential is in the treatment of bacteria-related skin disorders. One study from 1976 indicated that isolates of THC and CBD were effective in reducing samples of staphylococci and streptococci, two bacteria associated with acne.35Another study from 2008 found that the plant-based CBD, CBC, CBG, THC, and CBN were substantially potent against a variety of Staphylococcus aureus strains, which were resistant to the antibiotic methicillin (MRSA).36

However, a recent study perhaps underscores the importance of adjusting topical therapy according to the stage of healing. In 2020, theAustralian Veterinary Journalreported a study on horses with wounds that were created in a laboratory setting and then deliberately contaminated. Each wound was assigned to a treatment group that contained 1% cannabidiol in three different manuka honey formulations.37Treatments were applied topically daily for a total of 42 days. The results indicated that irrespective of the treatment, wounds did not retract as expected in the first seven days after wound creation.37There was no difference in wound area, daily healing rate, or days to complete healing between treatment groups.37This study highlights the importance for continued study on the correct time, concentration, and best practices when using CBD to accelerate wound healing.

Conclusion

Though the overall potential for cannabidiol to address specific surgical conditions is encouraging, strong double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies with large sample sizes are lacking. Based on the research thats available in animal models and among human patients, there are large pockets of convincing research that inspire hope and promise in the use of CBD in veterinary surgery and veterinary medicine writ large. To be sure, the concept of scientific integrative medicine should be considered along with other first-line treatments for veterinary patients. Evidence-based solutions should be prioritized when treating disease, but innovative or novel treatments may have to be considered in patients with neuropathic pain, disc disease, anxiety, or debilitating arthritis.New discoveries in the world of cannabis-based medicine may be just what the doctor ordered for an effervescentLabrador like Bastion.

References:

Kogan, L., Schoenfeld-Tacher, R., et al. (2018) US Veterinarians' Knowledge, Experience, and Perception Regarding the Use of Cannabidiol for Canine Medical Conditions.Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5:338.

Abd-Elsayed, A., Deer, T.R. (2019) Different Types of Pain. In: A. Abd-Elsayed (Ed.)Pain. Heidelberg: Springer.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99124-5_3

Manzanares, J., Julian, M.D., Carrascosa, A. (2006) Role of the Cannabinoid System in Pain Control and Therapeutic Implications for the Management of Acute and Chronic Pain Episodes.Current Neuropharmacology, 4(3), 239257.

Abraham, A.D., Leung, E.J., Brenden, A., Wong, B.A., Rivera, Z.M., Kruse, L.C., et al. (2020) Orally consumed cannabinoids provide long-lasting relief of allodynia in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain. 45(7):1105-1114. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0585-3. Epub 2019 Dec 7.

Capano, A., Weaver, R., Burkman, E. (2020) Evaluation of the effects of CBD hemp extract on opioid use and quality of life indicators in chronic pain patients: a prospective cohort study.Postgraduate Medical Journal.132(1):56-61. DOI:10.1080/00325481.2019.1685298. Epub 2019 Nov 12.

Abraham, A.D., Leung, E.J., Wong, B.A., Rivera, Z.M., Kruse, L.C., Clark, J.J., Land, B.B. (2020) Orally consumed cannabinoids provide long-lasting relief of allodynia in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain.Neuropsychopharmacology, 45:11051114.

Johnson, J., Austin, C., & Breur, G. (1994) Incidence of Canine Appendicular Musculoskeletal Disorders in 16 Veterinary Teaching Hospitals from 1980 through 1989.Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 07(02), 5669. DOI:10.1055/s-0038-1633097

Kogan, N.M., Melamed, E., Wasserman, E. (2015) Cannabidiol, a Major Non-Psychotropic Cannabis Constituent Enhances Fracture Healing and Stimulates Lysyl Hydroxylase Activity in Osteoblasts.Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 30(10):1905-13. DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.2513. Epub 2015 May 10.

Kamali, A., Oryan, A., Hosseini, S., Ghanian, M. H., Alizadeh, M., Baghaban Eslaminejad, M., & Baharvand, H. (2019) Cannabidiol-loaded microspheres incorporated into osteoconductive scaffold enhance mesenchymal stem cell recruitment and regeneration of critical-sized bone defects.Materials Science and Engineering, 101, 6475. DOI:10.1016/j.msec.2019.03.070

Bab, I., Zimmer, A. (2007) Cannabinoid Receptors and the Regulation of Bone Mass.British Journal of Pharmacology, 153:182-188. DOI:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707593

Idris, A.I. (2010) Cannabinoid Receptors as Target for Treatment of Osteoporosis: A Tale of Two Therapies.Current Neuropharmacology,8(3), 243253.DOI:10.2174/157015910792246173

Karsak, M., et al. (2009) The Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2 (CNR2) Gene Is Associated with Hand Bone Strength Phenotypes in an Ethnically Homogeneous Family Sample.Human Genetics, 5:629-36. DOI:10.1007/s00439-009-0708-8.

Loder, R.T. & Todhunter, R.J. (2017) The Demographics of Canine Hip Dysplasia in the United States and Canada.Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 115. DOI:10.1155/2017/5723476

ONeill, D.G., Brodbelt, D.C., Hodge, R., Church, D.B., Meeson, R.L. (2020) Epidemiology and clinical management of elbow joint disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK.Canine Medicine and Genetics, volume 7:1

Pross, S.H., et al. (1990) Differential Suppression of T-cell Subpopulations by THC (delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol).International Journal of Immunopharmacology, 12, no. 5: 539-44. DOI:10.1016/0192-0561(90)90118-7

Zurier, R.B., et al. (2003) Suppression of Human Monocyte Interleukin-1 Production by Ajulemic Acid, a Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoid.Biochemical Pharmacology, 4:649-55. DOI:10.1016/s0006-2952(02)01604-0.

Hammell, D.C., et al. (2015) Transdermal Cannabidiol Reduces Inflammation and Pain-related Behaviours in a Rat Model of Arthritis.European Journal of Pain, 6:936-48. DOI:10.1002/ejp.818

Verrico, C.D., Wesson, S., Konduri, V., Hofferek, C.J., Vazquez-Perez, J., et al. (2020) A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of daily cannabidiol for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis pain.Pain. DOI:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001896

Silveira, J.W., Issy, A.C., Castania, V.A., Salmon, C.E.G., Nogueira-Barbosa, M. H., et al. (2014) Protective Effects of Cannabidiol on Lesion-Induced Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.PLOS One, 9:12. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0113161

Yam, M., Loh, Y., Tan, C., Khadijah Adam, S., Abdul Manan, N., et al. (2018) General Pathways of Pain Sensation and the Major Neurotransmitters Involved in Pain Regulation.International Journal of Molecular Sciences,19(8), 2164.DOI:10.3390/ijms19082164

Costigan, M., Scholz, J., & Woolf, C. J. (2009) Neuropathic Pain: A Maladaptive Response of the Nervous System to Damage.Annual Review of Neuroscience, 32(1), 132. DOI:10.1146/annurev.neuro.051508.135531

Arora, A., Taliyan, R., Sharma, P.L. (2010) Ameliorative Potential of Cannabis Sativa Extract on Diabetes Induced Neuropathic Pain in Rats.International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 1.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216536386_Ameliorative_potential_of_cannabis_sativa_extract_

Wallace, M.S., et al. (2015) Efficacy of Inhaled Cannabis on Painful Diabetic Neuropathy.Pain, 16(7): 616-27. DOI:10.1016/j.jpain.2015.03.008.

Gruen, M. E., Roe, S. C., Griffith, E., Hamilton, A., & Sherman, B.L. (2014) Use of Trazodone to facilitate postsurgical confinement in dogs.Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 245(3), 296301. DOI:10.2460/javma.245.3.296

Serra, G. & Fratta, W. (2007) A possible role for the endocannabinoid system in the neurobiology of depression.Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 3(1), 25. DOI:10.1186/1745-0179-3-25

Kim, E. J., Pellman, B., & Kim, J.J. (2015) Stress effects on the hippocampus: a critical review.Learning & Memory, 22(9), 411416. DOI:10.1101/lm.037291.114

Demirakca, T., Sartorius, A., Ende, G., et al. (2010) Diminished gray matter in the hippocampus of cannabis users: Possible protective effects of cannabidiol.Drug and Alcohol Dependence. DOI:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.09.020

Bergamaschi, M.M., et al. (2011) Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Nave Social Phobia Patients.Neuropsychopharmacology, 36(6):1219-26 DOI:10.1038/npp.2011.6.

Crippa, J.A.S., et al. (2010) Neural Basis of Anxiolytic Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder: A Preliminary Report.Journal of Psychopharmacology, 25:1 DOI:10.1177/0269881110379283.

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Zieba, J., Sinclair, D., Sebree, T., Bonn-Miller, M. (2019) Cannabidiol (CBD) reduces anxiety-related behavior in mice via an FMRP1-independent mechanism.Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. DOI:10.1016/j.pbb.2019.05.002

Pamplona, F.A., da Silva, L.R., & Coan, A.C. (2018) Potential Clinical Benefits of CBD-Rich Cannabis Extracts Over Purified CBD in Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy: Observational Data Meta-analysis.Frontiers in Neurology, 9. DOI:10.3389/fneur.2018.00759

Palmieri, B., Laurino, C., Vadal, M. (2019) A therapeutic effect of CBD-enriched ointment in inflammatory skin diseases and cutaneous scars.La Clinica Terapeutica, Mar-Apr, 170(2):e93-e99. DOI: 10.7417/CT.2019.2116.

Sangiovanni, E., Fumagalli, M., Pacchetti, B., Piazza, S., et al. (2019) Cannabis sativa L. extract and cannabidiol inhibit in vitro mediators of skin inflammation and wound injury.Phytotherapy Research. DOI:10.1002/ptr.6400

Van Klingeren, B. & Ten Ham, M. (1976) Antibacterial Activity of 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol.Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 42(1-2): 9-12. DOI:10.1007/bf00399444.

Appendino, G., et al. (2008) Antibacterial Cannabinoids From Cannabis Sativa: A StructureActivity Study.Journal of Natural Products, 71(8):1427-430. DOI:10.1021/np8002673

McIver, V., Tsang, A., Symonds, N., Perkins, N., et al. (2020) Effects of topical treatment of cannabidiol extract in a unique manuka factor 5 manuka honey carrier on second intention wound healing on equine distal limb wounds: a preliminary study.Australian Veterinary Journal. DOI:10.1111/avj.12932

White, D.M., Mair, A.R., & Martinez-Taboada, F. (2017) Opioid-free anaesthesia in three dogs.Open Veterinary Journal, 7(2), 104. DOI:10.4314/ovj.v7i2.5

Hansen, T., Smolders, L.A., Tryfonidou, M.A., et al. (2017) The Myth of Fibroid Degeneration in the Canine Intervertebral Disc: A Histopathological Comparison of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration in Chondrodystrophic and Nonchondrodystrophic Dogs.Veterinary Pathology, 54 (6): 945-952.

Jeffery, N.D., Levine, J.M., Olby, N.J., et al. (2013)Intervertebral disk degeneration in dogs: consequences, diagnosis, treatment, and future directions. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 27 (6):1318-33.

Balducci, F., Canal, S., Contiero, B., et al. (2017)Prevalence and Risk Factors for Presumptive Ascending/Descending Myelomalacia in Dogs after Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disk Herniation. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine,31 (2):498-504.

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Sep 4 Getting real with CBD- a veterinary surgeon's perspective - Jill Lopez

What’s Happening Week of Sept. 6 | News | thealmanac.net – The Almanac

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Seafood dinner

Elks Lodge 2213 will host a seafood dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 11 at 2789 South Park Road, Bethel Park.

The event is eat-in or takeout. Menu items are: fish dinner with french fries, coleslaw, rolls and butter, $14.95; shrimp dinner with french fries, coleslaw, rolls and butter, $18.95, fish sandwich, $9.95; and clam chowder, $3.75.

Orders are in advance only by calling 412-831-0616.

Divorce workshop

A three-hour virtual divorce workshop will provide education and information on the legal, financial and emotional issues associated with divorce.

The workshop will be held via videoconference from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 12. Cost is $15 per person, and pre-registration is required by Sept. 9 to Donna at 724-493-9695.

Yoga in the Park

A Yoga in the Park program is scheduled for 9 to 10 a.m. Sept. 12 in the amphitheater at Peterswood Park, Peters Township.

No yoga experience is necessary. The certified instructor is Carrie Knight.

Items needed are a yoga mat and towel to protect the mat from the amphitheater stage floor. Wearing several layers of comfortable clothing is recommended, as is bringing water.

Social distancing and the use of masks are encouraged.

The fee is $12 for Peters Township Parks and Recreation members and $18 for nonmembers.

Online registration at http://www.peterstownship.com is preferred, but can also be done in person at the

Peters Township Community Recreation Center, 700 Meredith Drive. For more information, call 724-942-5000.

Barbecue dinner

Because of the continued limitations caused by the COVID pandemic, the Bethel Park Lions Club has decided to replace the scheduled fall fish fry with a drive-through barbecue event from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at Lions Park on Irishtown Road.

The meal will include 1/4 chicken, ribs, baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread and a drink for $14. A childrens meal of a hot dog, coleslaw, chips and a drink will be available for $5.

There will be no advance ticket sales. Food will be served until it runs out, so diners are advised to attend early.

For more information, call Nancy at 412-760-5871.

Farmers market extended

The Bethel Park Recreation Farmers Market is being extended for two weeks, until Oct. 13.

The market is held from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays in the VIP parking lot in South Park, off Corrigan Drive. For more information, visit http://www.bethelparkfarmersmarket.com/.

Recycling review

A program on recycling regulations and their changes over the years is scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m. Sept. 14 in the community room at the Peters Township Community Recreation Center.

Social distancing will be practiced. Masks mandatory to enter the building.

The fee is $5 for members and $8 for nonmembers. Group size is limited to 12 participants ages 18 and older.

Registration deadline is Sept. 11 at http://www.peterstownship.com. For more information, call 724-942-5000.

COVID-19 virtual town hall

Medical experts from St. Clair Hospital and Mayo Clinic are hosting a free virtual town hall on Zoom to answer the communitys questions on the COVID-19 pandemic from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30.

The event is being moderated by Dr. Maria Simbra and will feature St. Clair physicians Stephen Colodny, chief of infectious disease; John Sullivan, senior vice president and chief medical officer; and Ruth Christoforetti, family medicine and primary care. Also joining are Mayo Clinic physicians Stacey Rizza, executive medical director for international academic affairs and Andrew Badley, professor of medicine and molecular medicine.

The virtual town hall coincides with St. Clairs fourth anniversary as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. For more information, including how to participate in the town hall, visit stclair.org.

Fairview Fall Virtual 5K

In lieu of South Fayette Community Day and other large in-person events this year, South Fayette Township and Dollar Bank are partnering to present a new community event, the Fairview Fall Virtual 5K and Family Fun Run.

Adults and children are invited to run or walk during event week, Sept. 26 through Oct. 2, to raise money toward building an Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible playground in Fairview Park.

Registration is $25 per person or $60 per family. The fee includes free T-shirts and other items, raffles and race prizes.

Everyone is welcome to participate as individuals, households or larger fundraising groups. Participants can run anywhere, at any time, during race week, and tune into Facebook @SouthFayetteTownship during event week for live videos and drawings.

For details and registration, visit https://runsignup.com/southfayette. Additional virtual and at-home activities are listed at https://southfayettepa.com/recathome.

For questions about the event, contact Paula Willis, South Fayette Township parks and recreation director, at pwillis@sftwp.com or 412-221-8700, extension 217.

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What's Happening Week of Sept. 6 | News | thealmanac.net - The Almanac

Illumina Collaborates With 54gene in the Creation of a World-Class Genomics Facility in Nigeria – Business Wire

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced a collaboration with 54gene, a health technology company whose mission is to advance precision medicine capabilities in Africa through research, advanced molecular diagnostics and clinical programs. The partnership will support the establishment of a new genetics facility in Lagos, Nigeria, equipped with a suite of Illumina's cutting-edge sequencing and high-density microarray technology platforms, which will generate genetic information for health research and drug development.

Africa contains more genetic diversity than any other continent because the African genome is the oldest human genome. Yet it is estimated that fewer than 3% of the genomes analyzed come from Africans, making it a potentially rich source of new genetic information for health and drug discovery research, which 54gene intends to leverage as a global research resource while ensuring Africans benefit from cutting-edge medical innovations.

Paula Dowdy, SVP, General Manager EMEA, Illumina, said, Its incredibly important to ensure equitable access to genomic sequencing technology across the world so that genomes can be interpreted in the context of global diversity. Through partnerships such as this with 54gene, we aim to remove barriers of access to sequencing and expand the benefits of genomics to as many people as possible.

54gene Founder and CEO Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong said, The addition of Illuminas cutting-edge technology to our research and diagnostic capabilities is a critical step for 54gene in fulfilling our mission of equalizing access to precision medicine. This is part of our wider commitment to build capacity and infrastructure in Africa, which will allow us to significantly expand genomics research, while also improving health outcomes on the continent. Alongside our many partners in the African medical and scientific community, we want to make advanced molecular diagnostics more accessible to the region, while creating hundreds of skilled jobs in molecular biology and bioinformatics.

Through the partnership, African samples stored in 54genes de-identified biobank, will be genotyped, sequenced and analyzed without the need to send samples overseas, reflecting Illuminas commitment to enabling Africa to expand its genomic capabilities. Having local infrastructure will reduce costs and turnaround time for test results. Illumina will also deliver its renowned training to support the use of its sequencing and microarray equipment and ensure ongoing support for 54genes growing team of molecular scientists.

###

To learn more, visit the Illumina News Center.

About Illumina

Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as the global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit http://www.illumina.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

About 54gene

54gene is a health technology company advancing the state of healthcare through large-scale discovery and translational research, advanced molecular diagnostics, and inclusive clinical programs for the benefit of Africans and the global population. Founded in 2019, 54gene utilizes human genetic data derived from diverse African populations, to improve the development, availability, and efficacy of medical products and diagnostics that will prove beneficial to Africans and the wider global population.

Use of forward-looking statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on our expectations as of the date of this release and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are our ability to expand the adoption and use of genomics, especially in clinical settings, together with other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, or in information disclosed in public conference calls, the date and time of which are released beforehand. We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements, to review or confirm analysts expectations, or to provide interim reports or updates on the progress of the current quarter.

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Illumina Collaborates With 54gene in the Creation of a World-Class Genomics Facility in Nigeria - Business Wire

A unique molecule present in the venom of Honeybee can Kill Breast Cancer Cells, a study hints – News Landed

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

The honeybee is one such fascinating flying insect that plays a great role in developing the social environment and also giving us some natural nutritious food. Most people associate bees with honey or pollen. But another bee product bee venom remains unnoticed and has been researched over the years. The bee uses its pointy weapon to inject the venom, thereby creating unusual pain, but it could be more than just a nuisance. It has got several medicinal properties, which makes the researchers focus on this particular topic.

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom is effective in treating eczema and also able to inhibit tumor cells. Even before 1960, reports were stating that the venom could reduce the growth of tumors in plants. Recently, the scientists worked in the lab and showed that the bee venom could kill a Breast Cancer Cell in just 60 minutes, with the least harm to the normal body cell.

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Researchers used the venom of 312 honeybees and bumblebees from Australia, Ireland, and England to the different types of breast cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). It is the aggressive form of breast cancer with fewer treatment options and is more likely to recur after treatment. On analyzing the potential effect of the venom, they identified that the bumblebee venom, which doesnt contain melittin but has other anti-cancerous agents, had not had a significant effect on the breast cancer cell. But the honey bee venom is extremely potent in reducing the tumor growth within 60 minutes.

Read Also: FDA is going to fast-track coronavirus vaccine availability

It is mainly due to the component melittin, which makes half of the venom of the honeybees. They secrete this 26-membered polypeptide as a result of resisting their own pathogens in the system. The molecular underpinning of how it acts is still poorly understood. TNBC cell produces more amount of the EGFR molecule than that of the normal cell, which is encountered by the melittin substance. To prove that this specific component is responsible for such outstanding results, researchers had the strategy to block the melittin by use of an antibody. When they did, they saw the cancer cell survived and produced various signaling molecules. Hence, they declared that the melittin kills a cancer cell by interfering with some signaling pathways such as EGFR and HER2.

The most important outcome is that they do not harm much of the host cells. With this idea, they also created the synthetic melittin in favor of using it as a medicine and successfully proved. Also, they try to experiment with the substance in combination with the chemotherapy drug (docetaxel) in mice. It showed the potential ability of the combined drug to reduce the levels of a molecule used by the tumor cell to avert the immune response. This study was on the journal Nature PrecisionOncology.

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This groundbreaking research may be useful in treating other cancers too. The researchers cautioned that its use to the humans would take several years as it was just successful in the Petri-dishes. Lets hope that we will get some efficient anti-tumorous medicine soon.

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A unique molecule present in the venom of Honeybee can Kill Breast Cancer Cells, a study hints - News Landed

Oncology Molecular Diagnostics Market | 2020 Global Industry Analysis By Size, Share, And Growth Factors With Forecast To 2026 – The Daily Chronicle

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

The global oncology molecular diagnostics market is expected to rise with an impressive CAGR and generate the highest revenue by 2026.Fortune Business Insights in its latest report published this information. The report is titled Oncology Molecular Diagnostics Market Size, Share and Global Trend By Product (Instruments, Reagents), By Cancer Type (Blood Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Skin Cancer, Cervical Cancer), By Technology (Polymerase Chain Reaction, Chips & Microarrays, Sequencing, Mass Spectroscopy, Transcription Mediated Amplification), By End User (Hospitals, Diagnostic Centers) and Geography Forecast till 2026. The report discusses research objectives, research scope, methodology, timeline and challenges during the entire forecast period. It also offers an exclusive insight into various details such as revenues, market share, strategies, growth rate, product & their pricing by region/country for all major companies.

For more information, Get sample pdf @ https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/oncology-molecular-diagnostics-market-101145

The report provides a 360-degree overview of the market, listing various factors restricting, propelling, and obstructing the market in the forecast duration. The report also provides additional information such as interesting insights, key industry developments, detailed segmentation of the market, list of prominent players operating in the market, and other oncology molecular diagnostics market trends. The report is available for sale on the company website.

List of companies cover in the research report are:

The increasing prevalence of numerous cancer is likely to back the growth of the global automated and advanced diagnostic market revenue. The rising shift towards precision medicine and increasing demand for preventive care is expected to boost the global oncology molecular diagnostics market growth. Further, increasing demand for automated and advanced diagnostic techniques for cancer is also expected to aid the global oncology molecular diagnostics market shares. According to the World Health Organization, the number of cancer cases in the world in 2018 is estimated to be 18.0 million, which is expected to further fuel the global oncology molecular diagnostics market.

View press release for more information @ https://www.medgadget.com/2020/06/oncology-molecular-diagnostics-market-2020-industry-analysis-by-size-growth-rate-share-covid-19-impact-new-developments-key-players-emerging-trends-regional-and-global-forecast-to-202.html

Regional Analysis for Oncology Molecular Diagnostics Market:

Major Table of Contents for Oncology Molecular Diagnostics Market:

Other Exclusive Reports:

Medical Marijuana Market

About Us:Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data.

Contact:Name: Ashwin AroraEmail: [emailprotected]Phone: US +1 424 253 0390 / UK +44 2071 939123 / APAC: +91 744 740 1245

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Oncology Molecular Diagnostics Market | 2020 Global Industry Analysis By Size, Share, And Growth Factors With Forecast To 2026 - The Daily Chronicle

Gene therapy research for HIV awarded $14.6 million NIH grant – USC News

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Paula Cannon. (USC Photo/Richard Carrasco)

An HIV research program led by scientists at USC and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle has received a five-year, $14.6million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The team is advancing a gene therapy approach to control the virus without the need for daily medicines.

The programs co-directors are Paula Cannon, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and Hans-Peter Kiem, MD, PhD, the Stephanus Family Endowed Chair for Cell and Gene Therapy at Fred Hutch. Other key partners are David Scadden, MD, a professor at Harvard University, and the biotechnology company Magenta Therapeutics.

The NIH award will support preclinical studies that combine gene editing against HIV with technologies for safer and more effective hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Such transplants, also known as bone marrow transplants, are currently used for severe blood cancers. They renew a patients immune system, which can be damaged by cancer therapies, by infusing healthy donor blood stem cells that can grow into any type of blood or immune cell.

The researchers goal is to build a therapy that prepares patients for a stem cell transplantation using their own cells with little to no toxicity, engineers their own stem cells to fight HIV and stimulates those cells to quickly produce new and engineered immune cells once theyre reintroduced into the patient.

This grant funds a team with an overarching goal of developing what our perfect HIV gene therapy would look like, Cannon said. All of these pieces could happen separately, but the fact that the NIH has funded us as a team means that the sum will be so much bigger than the parts.

Halting HIV without daily drugs

About 38million people worldwide are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is manageable with daily antiretroviral drugs, but the research team seeks a more durable solution.

Their strategy is inspired by the three cases where patients seem to have been cured of HIV. All had aggressive leukemia and received blood stem cell transplants from donors who also carried a mutation that confers immunity to HIV. The mutation was in the CCR5 gene, which encodes a receptor that HIV uses to infect immune cells and is present in about 1 percent of the population.

Timothy Ray Brown, famously nicknamed the Berlin patient, received such a transplant in 2007; he has been off antiretroviral drugs since then, and the virus remains undetectable in his system. In recent years, patients in London and Dusseldorf have shown similar results.

I think of the Berlin patient as proof of principle that replacing the immune system with one thats HIV-resistant by removing CCR5 is a possible way to treat somebody, Cannon said.

However, the rigors of the blood stem cell transplant process, combined with the difficulty in finding tissue-matched CCR5-negative donors, make it highly unlikely that this will provide more than a very rare treatment.

Three for one gene therapy

The research team will tackle these two major problems. First, to get around the lack of CCR5-negative donors, Cannon has already helped pioneer the use of gene editing to remove CCR5 from a patients own stem cells. This is now an investigational treatment for HIV in a clinical trial at City of Hope in Duarte, California.

She will now combine CCR5 disruption with additional genetic changes, so that the progeny of engineered stem cells will release antibodies and antibody-like molecules that block HIV.

Our engineered cells will be good neighbors, Cannon said. They secrete these protective molecules so that other cells, even if they arent engineered to be CCR5-negative, have some chance of being protected.

Meanwhile, Kiems group is providing a third approach by adapting an emerging cancer treatment called CAR T cell therapy. This re-engineers T cells of the immune system with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which are customized to recognize cancer cells.

In this project, Kiem and colleagues will create stem cells whose T cell descendants can instead hunt down HIV-infected cells.

A gentler blood stem cell transplant

The grant also supports two other components that relate to the blood stem cell transplant.

Magenta Therapeutics is developing less-toxic protocols for conditioningpreparing a patients bone marrow to receive a transplant. Traditionally, mild chemotherapy or radiotherapy is needed to make room for newly infused stem cells and to help them re-engraft.

The company is instead using antibody-drug conjugates to deliver this conditioning much more narrowly and to reduce the side effects that occur with systemic chemo or radiation.

Meanwhile, Scadden and his team are addressing another drawback of stem cell transplants and conditioning, the delay before infused stem cells generate new immune cells in sufficient numbers. In cancer patients, this delay leaves them highly susceptible to infection.

Scadden is approaching this using an injectable gel that biochemically resembles the bone marrow environment, to quickly repopulate the immune system with HIV-fighting cells.

With success, the teams research may free HIV patients from the need for daily medication and the expense and potential side effects that come with it. Their work may also improve other therapies based on blood stem cells, for conditions such as cancer, sickle cell disease and autoimmune disorders.

A home run would be that we completely cure people of HIV, Cannon said. What Id be fine with is the idea that somebody no longer needs to take anti-HIV drugs every day because their immune system is keeping the virus under control, so that it no longer causes health problems and, importantly, they cant transmit it to anybody else.

By Wayne Lewis

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Gene therapy research for HIV awarded $14.6 million NIH grant - USC News

What Is Antifa? Mostly a Myth – Progressive.org

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

As Im sitting in a doctors waiting room in Memphis, a television set hanging from the ceiling plays a Fox News program whose host warns of antifa heading to a town near me.

But what exactly is antifa? Im a news junkie, and I barely have a clue.

These menacing insinuations mirror the way the term antifa is used in right-wing media not with precision or even sincerity, but as an incantation or curse. And they are obsessed with it.

The word stands for anti-fascist, and it appears to have originated in Germany in the 1930s and then resurfaced again in the 1970s. With the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, small organizations with that name have cropped up in a few American cities. But, for the most part, labelling protesters as members of antifa or, as Trump likes to say, professional anarchists is often either a red herring or a false flag operation used to frighten gullible citizens.

In early June, for example, a fake Twitter account pretending to be from antifa called for violence. It turned out to be a scam orchestrated by white nationalists.

Antifa, as a code word used to rile up fear and paranoia, has been lobbed especially at Black Lives Matter activists. Trump and Attorney General William Barr have repeatedly said that demonstrators leading the protests for racial justice are antifa, even though independent analyses by National Public Radio and the The New York Times of federal arrests of protesters dont actually show anyone with these connections.

Trump and Fox News are tireless promoters of such scare tactics. On August 31, when the President was interviewed by Fox host Laura Ingraham, he suggested that Democratic nominee Joe Bidens campaign was being run by a secret cabal of people youve never heard about, people that are in the dark shadows. These menacing insinuations mirror the way the term antifa is used in right-wing media not with precision or even sincerity, but as an incantation or curse. And they are obsessed with it.

Indeed, Fox News might as well change its name to the Antifa Network, because over the past few years, according to a Lexis-Nexis search conducted in early August, its broadcast the word 520 times, versus just 24 for CBS, 37 for ABC, and 66 for MSNBC. In one July 2019 episode of Laura Ingrahams program alone, she or her guests said the word 59 times.

As the presidential election in November draws near, its clear that conservatives are using the myth of antifa to pander to their base. But is it working?

To some extent, yes. According to a Rasmussen poll in June, almost half of respondents say antifa should be considered a terrorist organization, even though most of them probably couldnt tell you what it is, stands for, or wants.

Victor Klemperer, a Jewish professor of French literature who survived the Nazi regime, wrote in his book The Language of the Third Reich that a foreign word impresses all the more the less it is understood.

Perhaps that explains the strange buoyancy of antifa in right-wing media outlets. But whatever the reason may be for its popularity, the purpose is clear.

Political language, as George Orwell wrote in 1946, is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

In much of the country, antifa is mostly wind. And its hot-air blowers are the kind of demagogues that history knows all too well.

This column was produced for the Progressive Media Project, which is run by The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.

September 3, 2020

11:22 AM

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What Is Antifa? Mostly a Myth - Progressive.org

Devin Nunes May Be Trump’s ‘Person’ Who Witnessed the Antifa Plane ‘Firsthand’ – The Daily Beast

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

President Donald Trumps latest outlandish conspiracy about a person he refuses to name having firsthand witnessed a commercial flight full of thugs and looters clad in black uniforms with gear may seem ripped directly from an unhinged relatives Facebook page. But before this bizarre theory was being pushed by the president, another GOP lawmaker was spouting a nearly identical story.

Speaking to pro-Trump outlet Breitbart News over the weekend, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA) brought up the protests outside the presidents RNC speech at the White House last week, which featured demonstrators heckling Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and other attendees as they exited onto the D.C. streets.

Were lucky, the other nightI was there at the White House the other night, Nunes fumed. We are damn lucky that no one was killed. That was really, really close to somebody being killed.

The congressman then went on to relay a story that matches closely the tale the president spun to Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday.

So, these people that descended on Washington, D.C., most of them were not local, Nunes declared. In fact, I flew in with a bunch of them where I got on a plane in Salt Lake City where I had to commute through and I saw maybe two dozen BLM people.

Nunes continued: The irony is they were all white people, they werent even Black, but somebody was paying for those people to go therethey were coordinated, paying for that, and then what they did was they were not protesting. This is not protesting when you block the exits of the White House.

Neither Nunes office nor the White House returned a request for comment. But the congressmans interview with Breitbart represents a type of missing puzzle piece to the mystery of just where Trump got the idea of an antifa plane packed with geared-up looters.

In his interview with Ingraham, the president seemed to add his own details to the story he may have heard bubble up in Trumpworld, suggesting the activists wore matching uniforms and were ready for battle.

We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city and on the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that, Trump exclaimed. They are on a plane.

Adding that the matter was under investigation right now, the president insisted that they came from a certain city and this person was coming to the Republican National Convention.

He went on to allege that there were a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage.

Reporters asked the president on Tuesday morning if he could expand on the plot of people gathering on a plane, prompting Trump to insist hed heard the rumor from a prominent person.

I can probably refer you to the person and they could do it, Trump said. I would like to ask that person if it was OK. The person on the plane said there were about six people like that person or more less and what happened is the entire plane filled up with the looters, the anarchists, rioterspeople looking for trouble.

The person felt very uncomfortable on the plane, he added. It is a person you know. Ill see whether or not I can get that person to speak to you. This was a firsthand account of a plane going from Washington to wherever and Ill see if I can get that information for you. Maybe they will speak to you, maybe they wont.

Nunes has been extremely churlish with non-conservative media for years now, not only refusing to speak to many news outlets but also filing lawsuits over negative stories about him (he has also threatened to sue The Daily Beast). His lawsuits targeting Twitter over anonymous parody accounts, however, have repeatedly been dismissed by federal judges.

NBC News reported on Tuesday that the presidents story about a plane loaded with thugs flying in from out-of-town to cause damage was similar to a debunked viral Facebook rumor that warned of antifa activists being transported in groups to terrorize suburbs. The post claimed at least a dozen males got off the plane in Boise from Seattle, dressed head to toe in black, warning Idaho residents to be ready for attacks in downtown and residential areas.

Nunes wasnt the onlyor even the firstpro-Trump Republican lawmaker to claim that hordes of well-funded, violent left-wing agitators were shipped in specifically to attack the RNC. After he was accosted by protesters following Trumps speech, Sen. Paul speculated on Fox & Friends that the demonstrators were paid to be in Washington.

My feeling is there is interstate criminal traffic being paid for across state lines, huffed Paul, who also called for an FBI investigation. They flew here on a plane, they all got fresh new clothes, and they were paid to be here. It is a crime to do that and it needs to be traced.

Following Trumps Ingraham interview, which sparked immediate online mockery, the Trump campaign shared a clip of Pauls Fox appearance, seemingly as evidence to back the presidents story.

Continued here:

Devin Nunes May Be Trump's 'Person' Who Witnessed the Antifa Plane 'Firsthand' - The Daily Beast

Fact check: Antifa.com does redirect to Joebiden.com, but this is not proof of a link between the two – Reuters

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Social media posts imply Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden supports or is supported by anti-fascist group Antifa because the URL antifa.com redirects to joebiden.com. As of this fact checks publication, antifa.com does redirect users to joebiden.com, but this is not proof of a connection among the two.

Reuters Fact Check. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt

One viral post with over 67,000 shares is visible here . It reads, if you go to Antifa.com, it takes you directly to joe bidens webpage....whats that tell ya...try it yourself. Other popular examples can be seen here and here .

Several top officials from the Trump administration, including U.S. Attorney General William Barr, have blamed Antifa and other agitators for taking over the protests in U.S. cities. It is not clear how many, if any, of the protesters participating in demonstrations across the country are from Antifa, which experts say is not an organization but rather an amorphous movement (here).

Whois.net, a website that displays public information related to domain ownership (www.whois.net/), says that antifa.com is registered to NameCheap, Inc., a domain registration and web-hosting platform (www.namecheap.com/).

By using Internet Archives Wayback Machine (here: rb.gy/d2scrf), the earliest snapshot available where the page redirects to JoeBiden.com is August 8, 2020 (here: rb.gy/hsfyr5). The previous snapshot, from July 24, 2020 leads to a page titled We Are Antifa: Join Us & Take Action, and describes messages typically associated with the group (here: rb.gy/nwh30s). This site links to a YouTube channel (here) and a Twitter account that is now suspended (twitter.com/AntifaWebsite).

Mashable, a culture and tech news outlet, explained the ease with which any domain owner can forward visitors on to other websites: The owner of a domain name can redirect their domain name toanywebpage [] Its an easy process that just requires that you type in the URL you want your domain to redirect to in your registrars administration panel. (here)

Mashable explains, Could it still mean Joe Bidens campaign runs the domain? It could. But it could also mean that the Trump campaign or someone supportive of it did the same just to cause a little controversy. They add, It could also just be the work of a troll, a comedy group, or even someone just looking to add value to the domain when they look to sell it. Essentially, The point is the redirect on its own doesnt mean anything. (here)

While this could have been put in place by the Biden campaign, it would make little sense for them to have done so. Biden has condemned violence from the right and the left (here). Biden also said, following the shooting of Jacob Blake, that protesting police brutality is absolutely necessary, but burning down communities is not. (here)

Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is an amorphous movement whose adherents oppose people or groups they consider authoritarian or racist, often using aggressive tactics, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors extremists(here).Horizontalin natureand largelylacking official organization, it is unclear how Antifa is funded, if at all (here).

Its horizontal nature and lack of clear leadership makes it impossible to confirm the claims or officially contact Antifa as a group. One Facebook page called Antifa International (here) told Reuters in a statement it didnt believe the group is getting involved with the elections because Antifa doesnt support any politician. A Twitter account called Antifa Checker (twitter.com/AntifaChecker) that says it filters true from false information about Antifa online told Reuters it believed Antifa.com was registered by a troll at some point.

Partly false. While antifa.com does redirect to Joebiden.com, there is no evidence of a connection between the two.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media postshere.

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Fact check: Antifa.com does redirect to Joebiden.com, but this is not proof of a link between the two - Reuters

Right-wing extremists far greater threat than antifa, says former DHS senior official – Yahoo! Voices

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Elizabeth Neumann, former Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy at the Department of Homeland Security, tells Yahoo News Editor in Chief Daniel Klaidman and Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff that right-wing extremists pose a far greater threat to national security than antifa. According to Neumann, during her time in the Trump administration, she regularly received briefings on right-wing threats but says, "Nobody ever once told me: You know who we gotta watch out for? That antifa."

[RUMBLING]

DANIEL KLAIDMAN: You are an expert on this subject. It's what you did when you were at the Department of Homeland Security. What is the biggest domestic terror threat or threat of violence? Is it Antifa and groups like that, or is it right wing extremism?

ELIZABETH NEUMANN: [INAUDIBLE] right wing extremism. And that's global. That's-- our counterparts overseas started saying the same thing in 2017, 2018. They were coming to us in the counter-terrorism community at the US and saying, hey, you guys are the exporters of this. Can you get your hands around this so it stops being a problem in our countries? You know, it is-- three years of intelligence briefings and, you know, seeing a lot of interesting stuff, nobody ever once told me, you know who we got to watch out for? That Antifa. They are gonna cause some big problems.

Now, look, Antifa's been around for a while. They do cause damage to property. They are a threat that local law enforcement and state law enforcement do have to deal with. I don't want to suggest that we don't need to protect property. Of course, we do. Having the right to own property is a extremely American ideal. And it's wrong that they are doing that.

But when you're looking at what is a federal government job versus a state job and a local job, Antifa tends to be in that lower grade of threat because they're primary-- historically, the things that they've done have been violence against property people. Meanwhile, we have had more people killed by white supremacists in the last four or five years in this country than all of the other threats including radical Islamic jihad ideology combined. So if you're just looking at how many people have died, and you think that's the threat that we want to spend our resources on preventing, it is the right wing extremism. It is not Antifa.

[RUMBLING]

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Right-wing extremists far greater threat than antifa, says former DHS senior official - Yahoo! Voices

Rantz: Trump goes to war with organized Seattle Antifa and agitators – MyNorthwest.com

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Criminal Antifa and other agitators, including Desmond David-Pitts, tried to burn down the East Precinct. (Video surveillance)

The Trump administration is going to war with Antifa activists and other agitators wreaking havoc in Seattle. Theyre charging the criminals in federal court.

Weeks ago, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr said they would charge violent extremists, as city leaders in Seattle and elsewhere turn a blind eye. The administration wasnt kidding.

Under the Department of Justice, two suspects were just charged by the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington. Both suspects were involved in two separate riots last week in Seattle.

Desmond David-Pitts, a 19-year-old from Alaska, was arrested and federally charged with arson for setting fire to the East Precinct on Monday, Aug. 17. U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran says the arson was organized, [and] pre-planned.

Investigators were able to identify David-Pitts because of his decision to wear bright pink pants while committing the crime. No one has ever accused these criminal activists of being bright. After the arrest, he confessed to the arson.

Around the same time, criminal rioters used quick-dry cement to seal shut the door to the precinct. The intent was to trap the officers inside as the building burned.

David-Pitts now faces up to 20 years in prison.

Sami C. Horner, 19-years-old from Tacoma, participated in a Seattle riot on the night of Wednesday, Aug. 19. Hours after Mayor Jenny Durkan told MSNBC that Seattle does not have problems with lawless mobs, a lawless mob destroyed businesses on Capitol Hill.

Horner was caught smashing windows of a bank branch. When officers arrested him, they found a Molotov cocktail in his backpack. He also had a walkie-talkie.

The Molotov cocktail falls under the legal definition of an incendiary device. Now Horner finds himself charged federally with unlawful possession of a destructive device. He faces up to 10 years in jail.

Horner reportedly identifies as anti-fascist on Twitter, where he actively amplified violent Antifa groups responsible for much of the violence weve seen on the streets of Seattle and Portland.

President Trump has routinely offered federal law enforcement assistance to Democrat-run cities. Unfortunately, almost all pretend theres little to no violence (while now, suddenly, also stupidly saying the violence is happening in Trumps America).

If hes not able to send in law enforcement, his administration can prosecute to send a message. And they are.

If youre going to protest, thats one thing, U.S. Attorney Moran tells the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. But if you step outside the lines, the federal government, with federal charges and federal prosecutors, are going to be there to catch you.

David-Pitts and Horner are the most recent charges, but not the only ones.

Moran has previously charged Isaiah Thomas Willoughby with arson at the East Precinct and Margaret Aislinn Channon for arson after setting five Seattle Police vehicles on fire. Devinare Antwan Parker was charged with possessing a destructive device after bringing an improvised firearm to a protest, which he threatened to use against police.

Rantz: Activist mob caught destroying another Seattle business

Moran cautions these agitators against breaking the law because the likelihood that they will be apprehended is quite high.

Given the information available online, its not just been easier to track down the criminals, but its also been easier to collect data on Antifa and other kinds of agitator organization.

Were obviously very interested in sort of the intelligence side of it, Moran explained. Who are these people? Are they organized? How are they organized? Where they organized? So that, obviously, is if you can disrupt a criminal enterprise, thats a large part of the portfolio of the U. S. Attorneys office. At the same time, we dont want to just be blindsided and not react to charges that may be a one off.

And Moran isnt done.

There will be more cases to come. I can assure you of that, Jason.

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to thepodcast here. Follow@JasonRantzonTwitterandInstagramor like me onFacebook.

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Rantz: Trump goes to war with organized Seattle Antifa and agitators - MyNorthwest.com

Column: CNV-X Capstone Project the effects of Alzheimer’s and how TMS can help – Los Angeles Times

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

I recently attended a neuroscience summer camp called CNV-X (clinical Neuroscience Virtual Experience), which was taught by Stanford professors who are incredibly learned in the subject. During this experience, I was given the opportunity to work with five other members to create a capstone project. As the neurotechnology team, we decided to set up a clinical trial using TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), a new treatment for diseases that affects the brain. Our target population were the elderly most affected by Alzheimers.

About 5.8 million Americans are devastated by Alzheimers each year. It is also the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older, and the #1 leading cause for disability and poor health. Alzheimers causes severe memory loss, slurred speech, wandering, change in personality, and difficulty completing daily tasks.

Alzheimers is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to the decline of behavioral and cognitive thinking skills. The disease begins in the temporal lobe, located at the center of the brain, and then slowly expands to other parts. It first arises from amyloid and tau tangles (protein malfunctions) that are often caused by high blood pressure. The clumps bind to the receptors of the neuron and change the structure of the synapse, thus disrupting neurological communication. The clump deposits outside the neuron creating dense plaques. Eventually, this will cause tangles in the actual nerve cell, destroying the structure of the cytoskeleton, and collapsing the neurons transport system.

There are a few common stimulants of Alzheimers, first being hereditary. If someone had a first degree relative, say a parent or sibling, they are two to three times more likely to get the disease. Moreover, if you previously had a moderate concussion than you are two to three times as susceptible. Finally, if you ever had a severe concussion, then you are three times more prone to get Alzheimers when you are an elder.

My group decided to look into how TMS can become a common treatment for people affected by Alzheimers. TMS (Transcranial Magnetic stimulation) is a frequent and non intrusive treatment for brain diseases.

During Alzheimers, neurons slowly deteriorate and die, which will break the connections that are vital for a human to function properly. To solve that issue, TMS uses a short, electromagnetic coil to send a powerful outburst to help stimulate neurons in your brain. The stimulation helps the neurons continue to communicate smoothly. One session of TMS is a daily process lasting up to 60 minutes for four to six weeks. TMS is at a rather nascent stage, but is proven to be relatively successful. TMS is also cheaper in comparison to other treatments, especially compared to DBS(deep brain stimulations). Many insurance companies such as Aetna and Cigna are slowly working to absorb most of the cost. The side effects are also minute, there may be a small headache but that quickly dissipates. In contrast, deep brain stimulation is very invasive and going through surgery can produce many complications, of which the elderly are particularly vulnerable.

TMS commonly used for patients with PTSD, OCD, and depression. There are many existing studies to test the effects of TMS on Alzheimers disease. However, there are many shortcomings in those trials. For instance, they had a small sample size (<15). Also, they did not take into account that Alzheimers and depression overlap up to 50% of the time, therefore it is difficult to discern if it affected Alzheimers or other diseases. Finally, the unit of measurement was usually a test, nevertheless most patients would improve after the procedure because they practiced, not purely because of TMS.

My neurotechnology group sought to improve upon these studies and produce a more accurate clinical trial. We will first implement a larger sample size so we can control for confounding variables and also extend the duration to flesh out more data. We will create multiple cognitive tests with family members faces and also examine their ability to perform daily tasks (brushing teeth, combing hair, simple conversations etc.). Lastly, a questionnaire will be given a few weeks after the session to see their overall discomfort and emotional state. In the future, we hope to test for concomitant medication that will positively impact the patient and may decrease the length of each session.

If successful, TMS will be a key way to alleviate the torment of Alzheimers disease in an elderly person. Not only will it help the patient strive to become more self-reliant, but also give the community more contributing members. The positive impacts of TMS are endless.

Column: CNV-X Capstone Project the effects of Alzheimer's and how TMS can help - Los Angeles Times

The Breaking, Known News TMS Therapy for Depression Works – PsychCentral.com

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

The largest sample of individuals prospectively treated for a major depressive episodeTMS used among 5,000+ patients is now published in the peer-review literature.

Information is power. It is essential to know the most possible when clinicians make treatment decisions for our patients needs.

Over the past 15 years, there have been many studies about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy. It is clinically evident that TMS Therapy is effective, safe, and durable as a treatment for depression for individuals who have not responded to previous antidepressant medication trials. The early studies demonstrated a level of safety and effectiveness such that my practice began offering TMS Therapy over a decade ago.

At my practice, we provided this option for patients who had not improved adequately with psychotherapy and/or several medication trials. We have found TMS Therapy to be a very positive addition offering patients an alternative when struggling with depression. Now, there are even more options available as ketamine/esketamine, new medications, and augmentation strategies, including combining a non-antidepressant with an antidepressant. Knowing what any treatment looks like with large groups of real-world use over time helps understand how best to use a particular treatment.

We now have that knowledge with TMS Therapy in the largest dataset of treatment for depression ever reported. Clinical Outcomes in a Large Registry of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder Treated with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation will be published in the December 2020 issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders. Currently, the article is available online.

While most people want the bottom line, I think it best to give some background and end with the bottom line.

In 2008, NeuroStar was the first TMS Therapy system to obtain FDA clearance to treat depression. Since then, there have been advances in knowledge of neural targeting, stimulation parameters, and treatment schedule. In 2016, to further understand TMS Therapy use in the routine clinical setting, NeuroStar began a registry to accumulate HIPPA-compliant, confidential information about the treatments.

Study Details:

Study Objectives:

The clinician response and remission rates were 83 percent and 62 percent, respectively, for the group that completed a full treatment course using the FDA-cleared protocol. These results are in a group of patients likely not to have benefitted from multiple medications before treatment with TMS Therapy or a group often diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This data is a profound result, especially since it includes several thousand patients treated at over 100 facilities. This is a robust antidepressant effect significantly greater than results in earlier studies in this patient population.

These strong findings suggest using TMS Therapy in a treatment-resistant population is important, but unfortunately, it is likely underutilized. Access to TMS Therapy is often limited by insurance company medical policies that require multiple ineffective treatment attempts with medications before allowing access to TMS Therapy. TMS Therapy was developed and tested in a TRD population. However, with this new evidence that it is effective in a less treatment-resistant population, and with its well-established safety profile that includes the lack of medication side effects, TMS Therapy should be considered an appropriate treatment option despite the severity of depression.

The registry study results are exciting, representing the largest study we have about any treatment for depression. The study data provides treating clinicians with exceptional information about TMS Therapy as an effective treatment for the broad spectrum of depression.

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The Breaking, Known News TMS Therapy for Depression Works - PsychCentral.com

Logistics Matters podcast: Philip Evers of the University of Maryland on what’s ahead for the US Postal Service | S1 E21 | 2020-08-28 – DC Velocity

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

For links and show notes, mouse over the player and click the.

What changes are coming to the United States Postal Service, and how will they affect shippers? How will the hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast affect logistics in that region and beyond? And the pandemic has accelerated interest in transportation management systems.

Pull up a chair and join us as the editors of DC Velocity discuss these stories, as well as news and supply chain trends, on this week's Logistics Matters podcast. Hi, I'm Dave Maloney. I'm the editorial director at DC Velocity. Welcome.

Logistics Matters is sponsored by DCV-TV. Five channels of streaming video are yours for the viewing on DCV-TV. Major improvements have recently been made to the DCV-TV platform to enhance the viewing experience, provide greater search capabilities, and to expand the capacity of the video library well beyond the 3,000-plus videos already in the archive. Be sure to check it all out at DCVTV.com.

As usual, our DC Velocity senior editors Ben Ames and Victoria Kickham will be along to provide their insight into the top stories of this week. But to begin, what is the future of the United States Postal Service? Can we count on it for timely parcel shipments? For the answer to that question, here is Ben and today's guest.

Thanks, Dave. Joining us today is Dr. Phil Evers, who's an associate professor of supply chain management at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, where he teaches courses in purchasing, transportation, and inventory management.

Thanks for being here today. Phil.

Thank you for having me, Ben.

We have a lot to talk about today, because there are lots of changes that the U.S. Postal Service, which just in May confirmed its latest Postmaster General, whose name is Louis DeJoy. And he comes to the agency from a background as a logistics executive with XPO Logistics, the enormous transportation and third-party logistics provider, and he has stated a goal of being at the agency to try to right the ship in terms of its financial operationswhich, the agency has been posting for many quarters, for several years now, some real steep financial losses. And it's been interesting to see some of the early changes that he's made to try to have the agency operate more profitably. And so, we would love to dig in a little bit to those, and see what some of the impacts might be from customers' point of view. Can you explain a little bit to us about what the mission of USPS is?

The mission of the U.S. Postal Service is essentially to provide services to bind the nation together. Think of this in terms of first-class mail. The obligation is to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to all areas. I think the big issue here is, how do you define "prompt, reliable, and efficient." That could be in the eye of the beholder.

Over time, the mission has changed. In 1970, the United States Postal Service was removed from its cabinet position within the federal government to an independent federal agency within the executive branch. By removing this, the intention was to ensure that there was a continuity of management. Prior to that time, some of you may be aware that postmasters at individual post offices were often political appointees. The 1970s changed that so there was more of a traditional business-management focus within the Postal Service.

Interesting. I didn't realize some of that history there.

As you say, the post office has been around for a long time, and it seems like some of the basic ground conditions have shifted under its feet. For example, with the advent of email, people are sending fewer postal letters. And with the advent of e-commerce, people are sending a lot more parcels through the network. So, can you explain a little bit why the USPS has been losing money for so long, and what sort of changes might be needed to fix that?

Sure. Recognize that federal agencies are typically not profit-driven. At bestat bestthey strive to be breakeven. And that's the case with the U.S. Postal Service. When they do generate a profit, they tend to face scrutiny. Are they charging too high of rates? Are they cutting corners? Are they not providing the appropriate level of service?

In 2006, Congress passed legislation requiring the U.S. Postal Service to prepay retiree and health benefits 75 years in advance. Ever since 2006, the U.S. Postal Service has had big deficits, roughlynot completelybut roughly equivalent to the size of these payments. Obviously, a change to the prefunding law would have a tremendous impact on the Postal Service financial status.

Interesting. Yeah. And I imagine that those conditions are very different from what some of the other agencies providing similar services, like a FedEx or a UPS, might face. It seems that they probably don't have to manage that same sort of prepaid burden there, on their books.

Most other state and federal agencies do not prepay their retiree benefits in advance. Certainly not 75 years in advance.

Right, right. It's a really important thing to keep in mind here. Are there other factors that come into play on how the agency performs? And how might those impact the service that people see?

Sure. So let's start with some facts. On the revenue side, the Postal Service is having two components. There's a non-competitive component and a competitive component.

The non-competitive space is essentially first-class mail. First-class mail volumes are down roughly 50% since their peak in the early 2000s. That's not coming back. And currently, rate increases on first-class mail are based on inflation. It's unclear to what extent cost changes based on volumes are considered in the rate increases. Moreover, mail categories are generally priced such that there are no cross-subsidies. For example, first-class mail is expected to pay its own way. Bulk mailwhat some people might call junk mailbut, bulk mail and pre-sorted mail are also expected to pay their own way as well. So it's not like first-class mail is subsidizing bulk shippers or vice versa.

On the other hand, there's also the competitive space, and that's the express-mail and package side. That business has been growing dramatically over time. But it is competitive and they doand the U.S. Postal Service does not have a monopoly in that area. As we know, there's UPS, FedEx. Amazon has stepped in as well. From the Postal Service perspective, there's no foreseeable reductions in sight. The number of packages that they handle continues to grow. Moreover, package shipments can be priced in accordance with market forces.

So, over time, there's been a dramatic shift in the Postal Service delivery composition, from the non-competitive first-class mail to the competitive package and express mail. On the cost side of the business, there are over 30,000 post offices in the U.S. Add to that all of the processing facilities, the vehicles, the equipment, plus approximately 600,000 employees, many of whom are organized, and all told you have an extremely large infrastructure with very high fixed costs. With this type of structure, pricing is a challenge.

There's the difference between rural deliveries and urban deliveries. Obviously, urban deliveries tend to be a lot less expensive. There's a lot more volume in a small space, a lot more density. Rural deliveries are much more expensive, especially in some parts of the U.S., which are extremely rural and very, very difficult to get to. Moreover, they are big cross-subsidies in terms of distance. It's a whole lot more expensive to send a letter or a package across the country than it is across a city. And not all of these things are taken into account in the pricing. The result of all this: Very difficult situation that the Postal Service finds itself in.

Yeah, it sounds like some real challenges. It'stheir hands certainly seemed tied by some of those differences in competitive pricing between parcels and letters and expensive rural delivery. And those soaring consumer expectations that we cover so oftenalso called the Amazon effect by many peopleabout wanting their service as fast as possible, for as little as possible in fees there. Do you have any ideas about what USPS can can do going forward, and what sort of changes that customers might see, both on the parcel side and the letter side?

Sure. So, let's look at this in terms of the Postal Service's strengths and weaknesses.

One of the strengths of the Postal Service is, it is a government agency without a profit motivation. So, that gives them a little bit more leeway in terms of what they do and how they do it. And another benefit of being a government agency is they avoid a lot of taxes. They don't pay property taxes on their buildings, they don't pay vehicle taxes on their fleetsthings like that. So they do avoid certain costs. Another strength of the Postal Service is that they gowell, practicallyevery address in in the U.S. six days per week. That's a tremendous strength that no other carrier is even close to doing. Nor do most carriers want to do that six days a week. They provide last-mile service for, not only their own shipments, but also for many shipments from Amazon, UPS, and even FedEx.

The weaknesses of the U.S. Postal Service, though, are many as well. First off, they're a government agency without a profit motivation, and they can be subject to political involvement. One proposal that's been made is to charge rates based on ZIP code, similar to the zone pricing that a UPS or a FedEx might charge.

Some of the possible changes: First off, you have a postal carrier that goes to every location every day of the week. Take advantage of those delivery routes. For example, you could set up meter readings so that, as the postal carrier drives by a home, they read the utility meters, whether it's electric or water. Another possible change is to cut back on daily deliveries. Again, we're talking here last-mile service. And as we all know, in all aspects of logistics, last-mile service tends to be by far the most expensive. One way of cutting back on daily deliveries might be to have fewer deliveries per week. Another possibility is perhaps maybe not to do daily delivery service at all. Recognize that through the mid-1800s, mail actually had to be picked up by customers at the post office. Now how many people would actually drive to their post office to get the mail every day? I'm not sure that that many would, but that may also indicate the true value of daily delivery. Now, of course, the big drawback of this approach is its impact on package deliveries. Another possible change is a charge for delivery service. My economist friends all tell me if you want to find out the true value of postal service, charge the recipients for delivery, and see how many people would actually sign up for that.

Now, certainly there are other possible changes, and there could be a lot of operational changes as well. I'm not sure that there is an answer here. Otherwise, I believe the U.S. Postal Service would already be doing it. Unfortunately, the timing, with the current pandemic, and of course, the upcoming election, it's an unfortunate time to be doing some of those changes.

Right? It sure is. Boy, that's a fascinating array of potential changes that we might see at an agency that so many of us are accustomed to interacting with nearly every day. Thank you so much for walking us through some of the possibilities there in the future. It's obviously going to be something that the entire country is keeping its eyes on going forward here. Appreciate so much your being with us today, Dr. Evers.

We've been talking today with Dr. Phil Evers from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Thank you for joining us.

Thank you for having me.

Thank you, Phil and Ben.

Now let's turn to some other supply chain news from the week. Victoria, you reported this week that the pandemic is accelerating interest in new logistics technologies. And one of the latest areas to gain some steam is transportation management systems, better known as TMS. What are users looking to gain from them?

Sure. Well, a study this week from Odyssey Logistics & Technology, they studied 350 shippers earlier this spring. And they found that companies are really looking to TMS solutions for a variety of reasonsparticularly to increase shipping transparency, to automate cost management, and to really, what theydo what they say is "close the customer communication gap."

So when it comes to shipping, maintaining communication with customers consumes a huge amount of time and can cause a lot of stress for pretty much everyone in the channel. So, automating that process really helps reduce that stress and anxiety. So they said that this has really been exacerbated during the pandemic, as we've seen with the volatile, you know, marketplace we're dealing with. So alleviating the stress is really helpful. So the communication aspectimprovement there is a big plus, and a big reason why they're seeing increased interest in these kinds of systems.

Can you share some of the statistics that came from the survey?

Absolutely. So, a couple of things stood out to me.

So first, the researchers found that nearly two-thirds of respondentsabout 65%said that particularly having cloud-based access to shipping operations is either critically important or very important, considering the effects of Covid-19 on logistics operations. So, that really shows that, you know, what's going on recently, you know, they really want access to that information.

Second, as the pandemic continues, they found that more than half of respondents said they're likely to reassess integrating a cloud-based TMS. So, you know, those that don't have it now are really, really looking at that, as I said, to sort of gain, gain that visibility, transparency, that kind of thing. So, to me, it's just further proof that technology, you know, continues to shape the business landscape, and logistics in particular.

Yeah, I think we will continue to see the growth of those cloud-based technologies. Thank you, Victoria.

Ben, Hurricane Laura is making its way through the middle of the country as we record our podcast, leaving, of course, lots of devastation in its wake, sadly. What effects is it having on supply chains?

That's right, Dave. Hurricane Laura was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall yesterday, which was early on Thursday, in Louisiana, some parts of Texas. And that made it even stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans back in 2005 as a Category 3.

So some of the impacts on supply chain have been happening for days, even before it arrived. The major container ports were closed, at Port Houston and New Orleans. Oil refineries were shut down.

But fortunately, we seem to have dodged the worst potential harm, since the storm swung slightly East at the last minute. So it missed the major refineries in Houston, which is the biggest concentration of chemical plants and oil, petroleum refineries in the country. And also that it passed much faster over land than Hurricane Harvey did three years ago. And our listeners may remember that Hurricane Harvey had caused much of its damage because it sort of stalled out over the coast and just generated enormous amounts of rain and flooding over a series of days.

Some of what you just talked about were anticipating the storm's arrival. Now that Laura has hit, do you see that those potential effects actually happened?

We have seen some effects actually happen for sure.

I mean, one example is that there was a rise in spot rates in the trucking market, as shippers had scurried to move their inventory out of the path of the storm. So that's going to have effects on the trucking market, as I said.

And another impact will probably be rising gasoline and diesel prices, because whenever those oil refineries shut down, that creates a shortage and that tends to drive prices up.

A third change, of course, is that there's an enormous amount of wreckage in terms of the impact on physical infrastructure, and that has left hundreds, or perhaps thousands of businesses without electrical power all on the coast.

So, a lot of these changes will certainly be felt for some weeks to come.

Thank you, Ben. Hopefully, help will come to those who need it. And of course, we encourage our listeners with logistics capabilities that can be applied to relief efforts and helping people to go to the American Logistics Aid Network at ALANaid.orgthat's A-L-A-N-A-I-D dot orgto see what they can do to help. And also go to DCVelocity.com to find out more on these and other stories.

Thanks, Ben and Victoria, for sharing highlights of our news this week.

Thank you, Dave.

You're welcome. Good to be here.

And again, our thanks to Professor Philip Evers of the University of Maryland for being with us today. We encourage your feedback on this topic and our other stories. You can email us at podcast@dcvelocity com.

And a reminder that Logistics Matters is sponsored by DCV-TV. Be sure to check out the latest videos on DCVTV.com, the largest and best source of videos for the supply chain industry, including DCV-TV Channel 4. This viewer-contributed channel includes hundreds of videos that DC Velocity readers and industry suppliers have uploaded directly to the channel. Stop by often to see the latest uploads. Go to DCVTV.com to view them.

We encourage you to subscribe to Logistics Matters on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for "Logistics Matters" to find us. Our new episodes are uploaded each Friday.

We'll be back again next week with another edition of Logistics Matters, when we will look at what the rest of the year will look like for the transportation industry. Be sure to join us. Until then, please stay safe and have a great week.

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Logistics Matters podcast: Philip Evers of the University of Maryland on what's ahead for the US Postal Service | S1 E21 | 2020-08-28 - DC Velocity

Fast Three: Would You WFH Permanently?, Treating Depression in Pottstown, and Racing Ducks for Cash – The Sanatoga Post

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

SANATOGA PA The Post doesnt play with the news, but we do experiment with it.

What youre reading is Fast Three, The Posts latest effort to keep readers informed and entertained. Our weekdays-only goal is to find three local newsworthy items daily between 11 a.m. and 1:55 p.m. (just shy of three hours), condense them into a fast read of three or fewer paragraphs each, and publish them by 2 p.m.

Let us know what you think. Drop an e-mail to thesanatogapost@gmail.com.

A significant number of western Montgomery County residents now work from home because they must. They want to keep earning paychecks but their usual offices or workplaces are closed, so theyve carved out space in a bedroom, or den, or garage to keep on task and the revenue rolling in. Given a chance, would they choose to make the arrangement permanent?, asked Fishbowl, a professionals networking app.

A total of 681 employees who live in Pennsylvania answered a survey Fishbowl conducted May 20-23, it reported in a Friday (Aug. 28, 2020) e-mail. Only 45.81 percent of them liked the idea, compared to 54.64 percent of 17,650 respondents across the country (above). The idea was most favored nationally, 68 percent, by those in technology. Least favored only 34 percent by teachers, aching to return to classrooms.

Working from home can be liberating for those looking to exercise more control over personal schedules. That independence occasionally brings problems, too, Fishbowls e-mail added. Forty-two percent of workers nationally responding to a separate survey admitted they drink while working from home. Fifty-five percent say theyre working more hours weekly than before the pandemic. And 62 percent of working parents say they are unable to juggle working from home and childcare.

Graphic (at top) provided by FishbowlPhoto (above) by Shane Adams, via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license

Success TMS the acronym stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation has opened its 33rd location nationally in Pottstown, the company said in an e-mail received Friday. It started in Florida during 2018; expanded to Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and during June (2020) opened its doors in the Porter Road Medical Arts complex at 1630 E. High St., Bdlg. 4.

According to the Mayo Clinic, TMS therapy is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression. TMS is typically used when other depression treatments havent been effective. The goal is to activate regions of the brain that have decreased activity in depression, it added.

By the way, Success TMS noted, October is designated as National Depression Awareness Month.

For almost 30 years, the Rotary Club of Pottstown annually has sold chances on thousands of plastic ducks to enthusiastic buyers who want to both help Pottstown area non-profits the primary goal of club members and snare a prize (cash and other treasures) for themselves. Most borough residents know the usual drill: Rotarians set the numbered ducks afloat (above) on Manatawny Creek. They gently float to a finish line, and their order of arrival is recorded. Lucky winners are then notified.

Sadly, the coronavirus represents anything but usual. Holding the customary public event wasnt possible, Rotarians agreed. So theyll conduct this years duck race virtually during their meeting Sept. 16 (Wednesday) from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Brookside Country Club, 850 N. Adams St., the Rotary Facebook page announced.

The race winner receives a $1,000 cash prize, and a total of 23 prizes will be awarded.

Photo provided by the Rotary Club of Pottstown

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Fast Three: Would You WFH Permanently?, Treating Depression in Pottstown, and Racing Ducks for Cash - The Sanatoga Post

INTERVIEW: Judy Reyes Talked With Us About the Importance of All Together Now – The Mary Sue

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Netflixs All Together Now is the kind of movie that would make you cry no matter what else was happening in the world. Pair that with 2020, and its the kind of movie that makes you just feel for Amber (Aulii Cravalho) and everything she goes through. Despite the world being, seemingly, against her, shes the kind of person who just wants to help others.

Its incredibly inspiring and a film that many of us need right now, and talking with Judy Reyes (who plays Donna), its clear she also knows how important a film like this is.

THE MARY SUE:Ill be honest: I cried a lot watching this film, and so I wanted to know what made you want to do this movie in the first place and play Donna?

JUDY REYES:I mean, it was a really sweet, honest film, you know? The character that Justina Machado played was the role that I auditioned for, and she and I are very close friends. Im constantly chasing Justinas tail. She gets roles, and then I get the other, and stuff like that, but it was still just a very moving film about pride and community and kids, and it felt so pertinent to whats going on today, and it was such a lovely role to play. I thought the role of that mother was such a powerful and strong antithesis to the Becky role, and I thought it was a great thing to do, so I said yeah.

TMS: I found this with a couple of movies that have been coming out recently, but so many fit in with whats happening in our world in a strange way, and with this movie, its just such a hopeful movie. Do you think thats a good thing for the film as a whole?

REYES: I think it is, and I think that, you know, young people elevate and inspire older people. When older folks are losing their hope or losing their bearings, young people are finding their strength and finding their hope now, so I think its really pertinent, you know? A sense of community, helping each other. This kid Amber is so hopeful and so strong and so energetic, and she helps her best friend, who is my kid who is autistic, and he helps her.

And this kid and her mom help each other, and shes lost, but that kid is the love of her life and shes full of hope, too. She goes, Were going to get through this, and before she knows it, shes kind of found herself completely lost, but she says, Were going to be great, and they really do believe it, and because she does believe it she has a million jobs and a million things to do and a million places to go and a million people to help because she really does believe it.

And she believes it because her mom believes it, and her mother doesreally believe, but she has a lot of bad problems. But because of her energy, she helps a lot of people and has a lot of jobs and has this incredible talent. You know? And she helps me with my kid, who is her best friend, and all of that is just fuel for hope. Its just infectious, so at some point, you just dont give up, and you cant because if you do, what do you have left?

TMS: Yeah, and I really liked that in the movie because, not to spoil anything, but by the end you realize just how much everyone wants to help each other in the long run of it all. Like with Donna, its never really a question of whether or not Amber can stay with them. Its just that Donna didnt know what was going on in Ambers life, and the minute she found out, she was like, Yeah, of course.

REYES: Yeah, and I think it was because she wanted to respect that space. You know what I mean? She wanted to respect her space and her mothers space, so she just didnt wantit feels so familiar to me. And Justina and I talk about this a lot. Its a very Latin thing. I love how diverse this is. I love how multicultural it is without question. Its just there, which is the world that we live in, the world that I know, the Bronx that I grew up in.

As dark as it got when I grew up and when I left, its the world that we know. Its how we grew up as immigrants. You give help, but you dont ask for it because thats going to get you in trouble, you know? The undocumented or the immigrant world that you come from, its going to get you in trouble. And so it stings with a reminder of how we grew up. You dont ask, and its a pride thing. Its a pride thing for a lot of reasonsfor legal reasons but for cultural reasons. That still stings, as I said, as a reminder. But you connect the dots with her, in terms of story, of how she could get in trouble because of the whole homelessness issue, but ultimately, its just kind of respecting the space until she asks for that help.

TMS: With this film, as you said earlier, your character has an autistic son and its refreshing because its not so much about a struggle of raising a son with autism but is more just like This is my son and Amber helps because we just need a little more help, and Donna is doing her job while being a single mother, and its wonderful. So, do you, as an actress, hope to show those very strong not just mothers but very strong female figures who dont let the weight of their situation completely destroy them? They just find ways to adapt?

REYES: Exactly. Like, it doesnt have to be an event. You know? Because people function. They have their lives, and its such a wonderful opportunity to continue and start to tell people who just, like, function and do what they do as mothers of autistic kids.

__________

All Together Nowis out on Netflix now, and its one youll want your tissues for.

(image: Netflix)

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INTERVIEW: Judy Reyes Talked With Us About the Importance of All Together Now - The Mary Sue

‘It just sounds like a thud’: astronomers hear biggest cosmic event since big bang – The Guardian

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Danzig

Scientists have announced the detection of a signal from a long-ago collision between two black holes that created a new one of a size never seen before.

Its the biggest bang since the big bang observed by humanity, said Caltech professor of physics Alan Weinstein, who was part of the discovery team.

Black holes are compact regions of space so densely packed that not even light can escape them. Until now, astronomers only had observed them in two general sizes: small ones called stellar black holes that are formed when a star collapses and are about the size of small cities, and supermassive black holes that are millions, perhaps billions, of times more massive than our sun and around which entire galaxies revolve.

According to astronomers calculations, anything in between didnt quite make sense, because stars that grew too big before collapse would essentially consume themselves, leaving no black hole.

Star collapses could not create stellar black holes much bigger than 70 times the mass of our sun, scientists thought, according to physicist Nelson Christensen, research director of the Artemis research unit at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

Then in May 2019 two detectors picked up a signal that turned out to be the energy from two stellar black holes each large for a stellar black hole crashing into each other. One was 66 times the mass of our sun and the other 85 times its mass. The result was the first known intermediate black hole, at 142 times the mass of the sun.

Lost in the collision was an enormous amount of energy in the form of a gravitational wave, a ripple in space that travels at the speed of light. It was that wave that physicists in the US and Europe, using detectors called LIGO and Virgo, captured last year. After deciphering the signal and checking their work, the scientists published the results on Wednesday in the journals Physical Review Letters and Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Because the detectors allow scientists to pick up the gravitational waves as audio signals, scientists actually heard the collision. For all the violence and drama, the signal lasted only a tenth of a second. It just sounds like a thud, Weinstein said. It really doesnt sound like much on a speaker.

This crash happened about 7 bn years ago, when the universe was half its current age, but is only being detected now because it happened so far away.

Black hole collisions have been observed before, but the black holes involved were smaller to begin with, and even after the merger didnt grow beyond the size of typical stellar black holes.

Scientists still dont know how supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies formed, Christensen said, but this new discovery may offer a clue.

It may be that smaller blocks combine to make bigger ones and those combine to make even bigger ones, said Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, who wasnt part of the study but said the results chart new astronomical territory.

Indeed, the larger of the two black holes involved in this crash may have been the result of an earlier merger, both Weinstein and Christensen said.

Its conceivable that this pair of black holes formed entirely differently, possibly in a dense system with lots of dead stars whizzing about, which allows one black hole to capture another during a fly-by, said Barnard College astronomer Janna Levin, author of the book Black Hole Survival Guide.

On the other hand, scientists cant quite explain how merged black holes, flying around the universe, would meet so many others to merge again and grow ever bigger. It could instead be that supermassive black holes were formed in the immediate aftermath of the big bang.

In astrophysics, were always faced with surprises, Weinstein said.

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'It just sounds like a thud': astronomers hear biggest cosmic event since big bang - The Guardian

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