Select Page ::

Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market 2020 Demand Analysis and Outlook | Eyenetwatch, Neurotechnology, Delaney Secure Ltd.and Others – Cole of…

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Futuristic Reports, The growth and development of Global Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market Report 2020 by Players, Regions, Type, and Application, forecast to 2026 provides industry analysis and forecast from 2020-2026. Global Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market analysis delivers important insights and provides a competitive and useful advantage to the pursuers. Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var processes, economic growth is analyzed as well. The data chart is also backed up by using statistical tools.

Simultaneously, we classify different Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var markets based on their definitions. Downstream consumers and upstream materials scrutiny are also carried out. Each segment includes an in-depth explanation of the factors that are useful to drive and restrain it.

Key Players Mentioned in the study are Fulcrum Biometrics, Eyenetwatch, Neurotechnology, Delaney Secure Ltd., AKSA Solution Development, DYDEX-HS, Digital Data Systems, AutoStar Technologies, Bromba Biometrics, 360 Biometrics, California Peripherals and Components, Bayometric

For Better Understanding, Download FREE Sample Copy of Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market Report @ https://www.futuristicreports.com/request-sample/40778

Key Issues Addressed by Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market: It is very significant to have Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var segmentation analysis to figure out the essential factors of growth and development of the market in a particular sector. The Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var report offers well summarized and reliable information about every segment of growth, development, production, demand, types, application of the specific product which will be useful for players to focus and highlight on.

Businesses Segmentation of Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market:

On the basis on the applications, this report focuses on the status and Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, and growth rate for each application, including-

Application 1 Application 2 Application 3 Application 4 Application 5

On the basis of types/products, this Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var report displays the revenue (Million USD), product price, market share, and growth rate of each type, split into-

Non-AFIS Biometrics in VAR AFIS Biometrics in VAR

Grab Best Discount on Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market Research Report [Single User | Multi User | Corporate Users] @ https://www.futuristicreports.com/check-discount/40778

NOTE: Our team is studying Covid-19 impact analysis on various industry verticals and Country Level impact for a better analysis of markets and industries. The 2020 latest edition of this report is entitled to provide additional commentary on latest scenario, economic slowdown and COVID-19 impact on overall industry. Further it will also provide qualitative information about when industry could come back on track and what possible measures industry players are taking to deal with current situation.

You just drop an Email to:[emailprotected] us if you are looking for any Economical shift towards the New Normal on any Country or Industry Verticals.

Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market Regional Analysis Includes:

Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia) Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.) North America (the United States, Mexico, and Canada.) South America (Brazil etc.) The Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries and Egypt.)

Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Insights that Study is going to provide:

Gain perceptive study of this current Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var sector and also possess a comprehension of the industry; Describe the Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var advancements, key issues, and methods to moderate the advancement threats; Competitors In this chapter, leading players are studied with respect to their company profile, product portfolio, capacity, price, cost, and revenue. A separate chapter on Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var market structure to gain insights on Leaders confrontational towards market [Merger and Acquisition / Recent Investment and Key Developments] Patent Analysis** Number of patents filed in recent years.

Table of Content:

Global Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market Size, Status and Forecast 20261. Market Introduction and Market Overview2. Industry Chain Analysis3. Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market, by Type4. Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market, by Application5. Production, Value ($) by Regions6. Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2016-2020)7. Market Status and SWOT Analysis by Regions (Sales Point)8. Competitive Landscape9. Analysis and Forecast by Type and Application10. Channel Analysis11. New Project Feasibility Analysis12. Market Forecast 2020-202613. Conclusion

Enquire More Before Buying @ https://www.futuristicreports.com/send-an-enquiry/40778

For More Information Kindly Contact:

Futuristic ReportsTel: +1-408-520-9037Media Release:https://www.futuristicreports.com/press-releases

See the rest here:

Fingerprint Biometrics In The Var Market 2020 Demand Analysis and Outlook | Eyenetwatch, Neurotechnology, Delaney Secure Ltd.and Others - Cole of...

On National DNA Day, scientists are trying to take the colonialism out of genetics – Massive Science

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Scientists are trying to tackle the lack of diversity seen in genomics research, but even ambitious efforts, like the NIHs All of Us program, often fall short, especially when it comes to the inclusion of Indigenous communities. This is one of the reasons why the Decolonize DNA Day conference is taking place on April 24th, one day before the National DNA Day.

Traditionally, National DNA Day is an annual celebration of the discovery of DNA's double helix structure (1953) and the completion of the Human Genome Project (2003).

I was having conversations with colleagues on what would it mean to decolonize DNA, says Krystal Tsosie, an Indigenous (Din/Navajo) PhD student at Vanderbilt University. As an Indigenous academic, we always talk about what it means to Indigenize and re-Indigenize different disciplines of academia that have been historically more white-centred or white-dominated... and what it would mean to remove the colonial lens.

In collaboration with Latrice Landry and Jerome de Groot, Tsosie co-organized the Decolonize DNA Day Twitter conference to help re-frame narratives around DNA. Each speaker will have an hour to tweet out their "talk" and lead conversations on various topics, including how DNA ancestry testing fuels anti-Indigeneity and how to utilize emerging technologies to decolonize precision medicine.

There is a divide between people who are doing the science or the academic work, and the people who we want to inform, says Tsosie. Twitter is a great way to bridge that divide.

The Decolonize DNA Day conference is simply one effort to Indigenize genomics. Tsosie is also a co-founder of the Native BioData Consortium, a non-profit organization consisting of researchers and Indigenous members of tribal communities, focused on increasing the understanding of Native American genomic issues.

We dont really see a heavy amount of Indigenous engagement in genetic studies, which then means that as precision medicine advances as a whole [] those innovations are not going to be applied to Indigenous people, says Tsosie. How do we get more Indigenous people engaged?

Some of the answers can be found in a recent Nature Reviews Genetics perspective, penned by Indigenous scientists and communities, including those from the Native BioData Consortium. The piece highlights the actions that genomics researchers can take to address issues of trust, accountability, and equity. Recommended actions include the need for early consultations, developing benefit-sharing agreements, and appropriately crediting community support in any academic publications.

By switching power dynamics, were hoping to get genomic researchers to work with us, instead of against us, says Tsosie.

Excerpt from:

On National DNA Day, scientists are trying to take the colonialism out of genetics - Massive Science

Turning On the ‘Off Switch’ in Cancer Cells – Michigan Medicine

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

We used cryo-electron microscopy to obtain three-dimensional images of our tool-molecule, DT-061, bound to PP2A, says study co-senior author Derek Taylor, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. This allowed us to see for the first time precisely how different parts of the protein were brought together and stabilized by the compound. We can now use that information to start developing compounds that could achieve the desired profile, specificity and potency to potentially translate to the clinic.

The researchers propose calling this class of molecules SMAPs for small molecule activators of PP2A.

Along with cancer, PP2A is also dysregulated in a number of other diseases including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. And the researchers are optimistic the findings could also open opportunities to develop new medicines against diseases like heart failure and Alzheimers as well.

The research required a marriage of scientific disciplines and areas of expertise, notes co-senior author Goutham Narla, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the division of genetic medicine in the department of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School.

Its an illustration of how collaboration and team science can solve some of the questions like this that scientists have been asking for many years, Narla says. Solving the structure without the biological knowledge of how best to apply it against cancer, would only be half of the story. And if we were just activating PP2A, killing cancer cells and slowing the growth of cancer without the structural data that would be a really nice half-story as well. But working together, we now have a story about being able to drug this previously undruggable tumor suppressor.

The study was led by first authors Daniel Leonard, an M.D. and Ph.D. student and member of Narlas lab when the research was at Case Western Reserve and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and research scientist Wei Huang, Ph.D., of the Taylor lab.

There has been a lot of activity and excitement in recent years around the development of kinase inhibitors small molecule compounds that go after the protein kinases whose dysfunction is involved in the explosive growth and proliferation of cancer cells. That is, turning off cancers on switch, Leonard explains.

The new research attacks cancer from the opposite side of the equation, turning on cancers off switch by stabilizing protein phosphatases whose malfunction removes a key brake on cancer growth.

In the paper, the researchers speculate how a combination of both approaches simultaneously might offer an even more powerful one-two punch potentially helping to overcome cancers ability to evolve to thwart a singular approach.

The binding pocket we identified provides a launch pad for optimizing the next generation of SMAPs toward use in the clinic in cancer, and potentially other diseases, Huang adds.

Additional authors include Danica D. Wiredja, Yinghua Chen, Daniela M. Schlatzer, Janna Kiselar, Nikhil Vasireddi and Abbey L. Perl of Case Western Reserve University; Sudeh Izadmehr, Nilesh Zaware and Matthew D. Galsky of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Caitlin M. OConnor of the University of Michigan; Zhizhi Wang and Wenqing Xu of the University of Washington; David L. Brautigan of the University of Virginia; and Stefan Schchner and Egon Ogris of the Medical University of Vienna.

The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01 CA240993, R01 GM133841, R01 CA181654, F30 TRN216393, T32 GM007250), and an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship (17POST33650070).

DT-061 was developed at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which has filed for patent protection on the tool compound. Narla, Ogris and Taylor have ownership interest in RAPPTA Therapeutics, which has licensed the cryo-EM coordinates for the clinical and commercial development of novel series of small molecule PP2A activators from the University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve; the authors and institutions stand to benefit financially. The Medical University of Vienna has filed a patent on a monoclonal antibody used in the study.

Paper cited: Selective PP2A Enhancement Through Biased Heterotrimer Stabilization, Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.038

Turning On the 'Off Switch' in Cancer Cells - Michigan Medicine

Turkey’s top scientific body invests TL 2.3 billion on 16 vaccine projects over 5 years | Daily Sabah – Daily Sabah

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

TBTAK has invested TL 2.3 billion ($ 300 million) for the development of 16 vaccine and other medicine projects over the past five years in Turkey, the president of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TBTAK) said Saturday.

A platform consisting of 41 Turkish institutions has mobilized to develop medicines and vaccines against COVID-19 pandemic, professor Hasan Mandal noted, adding that efforts to develop anti-coronavirus drugs and vaccines were launched late December in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Technology and proposals to be carried out within a 9 to 12 month period were taken into account and evaluated.

There are 16 projects working in synergy both in medicine and vaccine groups thanks to the COVID-19 Turkey Platform, which includes 225 researchers from 25 universities, eight public research bodies and eight private firms, Mandal added.

For medicine in pre-clinical phases, we'll be in the production phase this summer, probably much earlier. For vaccine, pre-clinical phase will be completed within a nine-month period, Mandal said. He added that it is now time for institutions cooperating with the science body to prove their valor.

The modeling of molecules in the medicine group began with the identification of over 10,026 molecules that could provide a solution for this virus, Mandal explained, adding synthesis works regarding this and its production are now underway.

In order to fight with a virus that you recently came across, you have to know it and define it correctly. All proceeding phases are tied to this. For that, it should be isolated from all external conditions and genetic characterization of the virus should be carried out. We will have genetic characterization of this virus determined next week. This situation shows the competence of this country. We now know this virus and this will be among the most important indicators how we will fight it both on the medicine side and vaccine side, Mandal said.

Link:

Turkey's top scientific body invests TL 2.3 billion on 16 vaccine projects over 5 years | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

Covid-19 will pass. What about the racism it has illuminated? – STAT

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

The Covid-19 pandemic is teaching me that the world can change almost overnight when it faces a big problem.

When President Trump declared a national emergency, my medical practice shifted almost instantly from in-person appointments to telehealth visits. The Drug Enforcement Administration allowed doctors like me to prescribe buprenorphine, a controlled substance used to combat opioid addiction, after a telephone consult, a move experts have been seeking for years. The Department of Health and Human Services waived privacy constraints for telehealth visits, which have long tied up this type of medicine, allowing doctors to use commonly available platforms like FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Zoom to provide medical care.

And Congress quickly passed the CARES Act, a $2 trillion aid package to fight Covid-19 that included sending $1,200 checks to individuals and families who were most vulnerable to job loss and other financial stressors.

As a psychiatrist who treats opioid addiction and works at a minority-serving hospital, I am delighted by these long-sought changes. But I am also frustrated that they have happened so quickly. Frustrated because the U.S. has been facing an equally large and equally deadly problem racism for years and has done little to address it.

Black people are dying at alarming and disproportionate rates from Covid-19. In cities, the statistics are nothing short of tragic. In Chicago, for example, 70% of coronavirus deaths are among Black people, who make up only 30% of the citys population. A similar pattern is seen in other cities and counties across the country.

Black and brown people have been seeking reparations to address the systemic injustices they have faced for decades. Yet there has never been an economic stimulus to address the impact of racism on health, quality of life, and advancement.

The countrys response to the new coronavirus does, however, suggest that we are taking steps toward addressing the damaging threat of racism.

First, though, we have to name it. Policy leaders across the country urged Trump to declare a national emergency because they understood the power of naming a crisis. In the same way, we need to declare that racism is a national emergency. It is a virus in the truest sense: a corrupting influence that spreads through communities and across the nation. Systemic racism has harmed and killed millions of Americans through its corruption of health care, criminal justice, and the economic marketplace.

Dr. Deborah Birx, who serves as the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, recently suggested that Black people are dying of Covid-19 at higher rates due to underlying medical conditions. She is right if she means that the underlying condition is racism, not its manifestations like high blood pressure and diabetes. Racism has created inequality in access to health care, housing, wealth, education, and employment, all of which undermine health. It is time to name racism as the crisis it is.

Second, we must shift policy to address the circumstances of those affected by the crisis. For Covid-19, that means finding unique ways to care for patients. To address racism, we must do that and go even further. We must not only come up with new ways to reach patients who have been disadvantaged but must also address the dire circumstances that racism has created.

The first time I ever used telehealth was after Covid-19 had emerged as a nationwide threat. My patient, who was homeless, had been sitting in a park all day, waiting for my call. He knew if we didnt connect, he would not be able to get the medication he needed to help him stay free from using heroin. He adjusted his life to meet health cares demands. Thats not the way health care should be it should meet patients where they are and address the circumstances they are in.

During that call, I didnt stick to my usual script: Any problems filling your prescription? Any medication side effects? Any cravings or heroin use since the last visit? Instead, I talked with him about the challenges he was facing at the shelter. He asked about how to manage his day since he couldnt stay inside. I also let him know where he could find a hot meal on a daily basis.

I wish our health care system would take a similar approach and see value in working on problems like housing and food insecurity. Some are calling this concept structurally competent care; it needs to become our new normal.

Third, we must deal with the economic consequences of the crisis. For Covid-19, thats the thrust of the CARES Act. In Boston, where I completed my medical training, the median net worth of white families was more than $200,000. The median net worth of black families was $8. Undoing racism means passing something like the CARES Act to provide funds for those disadvantaged by racism.

I respect Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, who acknowledged the role of health disparities in Covid-19. He has said that we must deal with these issues once we get beyond the pandemic.

But I disagree with him on that. We must deal with them now.

Morgan Medlock, M.D., is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C. and the editor of Racism and Psychiatry: Contemporary Issues and Interventions (Springer, 2019)

See the rest here:

Covid-19 will pass. What about the racism it has illuminated? - STAT

Infection Rate May Indicate a Future Diagnosis of Cancer – Cancer Network

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

In an article published inCancer Immunology Research, researchers suggested that immune suppression and increased infection could occur during the precancerous period.1

However, cancer can occur through a lifespan, therefore the authors indicated that further research is necessary to clarify these precancer trends.

"Cancer can develop in an inflammatory environment caused by infections, immunity disruption, exposure to chemical carcinogens, or chronic or genetic conditions,"co-author of the study Shinako Inaida, PhD, a visiting researcher at the Graduate School of Medicine at Kyoto University in Japan, said in a press release.2"An individual's immunity is thought to be a factor in the development of cancer, but additional research is needed to understand the relationship among precancerous immunity, infections, and cancer development.

In this 7-year case-control study of people 30 years of age, researchers looked to determine the prevalence of influenza, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, and pneumonia infections to indirectly assess whether infections correlated to the formation of malignant cancer. Using data extracted from a large medical claims database of a Japanese social health insurance system, researchers identified 2,354 people with their first cancer diagnosis occurring in the seventh year of the study for the case group and 48,395 people with no cancer diagnosis by the seventh year of the study for the control group.

The most common cancers diagnosed in the case group were digestive and gastrointestinal, head and neck, and stomach cancers. Other cancer types diagnosed in the case group included cancers within the following categories:

The yearly prevalence rates of influenza, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, and pneumonia infections were found to increase throughout the study period, with the case group experiencing higher rates of infection compared to the control group. Moreover, age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in cases 1 year before cancer detection were significantly higher. During this year, the infection prevalence rates for the case group were higher than the control group by 18% for influenza (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.14-1.46), 46.1% for gastroenteritis (OR. 1.60; 95% CI, 1.41-1.82), 232.1% for hepatitis (OR, 3.38; 95% CI, 2.12-5.37), and 135.9% for pneumonia (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.79-3.13).

In patients with influenza infections, significant ORs were found only in the second and sixth years before cancer diagnosis. Further, for each cancer site, an increased rate of infection prior to cancer diagnosis was observed.

The researchers also found that certain infections appeared to have a greater correlation with specific cancer types. For example, the odds of influenza infection just before cancer detection were highest for those who developed male germ cell cancers. Additionally, the odds of pneumonia were found to be highest in those who later developed stomach cancer and the odds of hepatitis infection were highest in those who developed hematologic, blood, bone, or bone marrow cancers.

"Interestingly, we found that infection afflicting a specific organ did not necessarily correlate with increased risk of cancer in the same organ," Inaida explained.

Notably, the researchers only extracted the first cancer diagnosis for each patient and given that the observation period was limited to 8 years, further cancer diagnoses may have been missed. The data also did not include information such as the grade or stage of tumors, which may have been important to estimating each precancerous period.

Another limitation highlighted by the researchers was that patients with infection who did not visit the hospital may have been overlooked. Moreover, influenza vaccination status may prevent infection, although a patient's influenza vaccination record was not available in for this dataset.

Patients who feel unwell, potentially because of cancerous status, tend to see doctors more often, the authors wrote. Although our study considered four major infections, analysis of other infections and the timing of infection before malignant cancer detection, which can potentially be a factor for later cancer development, remains to be studied.

References:

1. Inaida S, Matsuno S. Previous Infection Positively Correlates to the Tumor Incidence Rate of Patients with Cancer.Cancer Immunology Research.doi:10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-19.0510.

2. Increased rate of infections may indicate a future cancer diagnosis [news release]. American Association for Cancer Research. Published April 17, 2020. eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/aafc-iro041520.php. Accessed April 17, 2020.

Infection Rate May Indicate a Future Diagnosis of Cancer - Cancer Network

Misleading coronavirus information falsely attributed to Johns Hopkins – AFP Factcheck

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Social media posts attribute a list of points about the novel coronavirus to Johns Hopkins, a leading source of information on the virus. But the US universitys medical program said it is not the source of the claims, and while some are accurate, experts say others contain false or misleading information.

EYE-OPENING KNOWLEDGE FROM John Hopkins University, says one of the posts, variations of which have circulated on Facebook since at least March 23, 2020.

Others attribute the claims to Irene Ken, a physician whose daughter is an Asst. Prof in Infectious Disease at Johns Hopkins University, or to a Prof in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, or to John Hopkins Hospital.

The points also appear on Reddit here and here, while versions have been posted on Instagram here, here and here.

Johns Hopkins is tracking the spread of COVID-19 -- the disease caused by the novel coronavirus -- providing statistics on deaths and infections as well as other information for both policymakers and the public, meaning its name lends authority to those who cite it.

But Johns Hopkins Medicine said it is not affiliated with the points circulating online, posting on its Facebook page that rumors and misinformation like this can easily circulate in communities during a crisis.

The rumors that we have seen in greater volumes are those citing a Johns Hopkins immunologist and infectious disease expert. We do not know the origin of these rumors and they lack credibility, it said.

And "we have no information" on whether Irene Ken or her daughter exist, a spokesperson for Johns Hopkins Medicine said.

Some of the points themselves are also problematic. AFP Fact Check breaks them down below.

Claim: The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the ocular, nasal or buccal mucosa, changes their genetic code. (mutation) and convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells.

Several parts of this description are false, experts say.

The coronavirus arrives as an RNA molecule that comes wrapped in lipid and protein -- the first point is complete nonsense as written, Dr. Benjamin Neuman, an expert in coronaviruses who chairs the Biological Sciences department at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, told AFP by email.

There are no aggressor or multiplier cells -- not sure what that might even be referring to, he said.

Dr. Julian Leibowitz, an expert in coronaviruses who is a professor of microbial pathogenesis and immunology at Texas A&M's College of Medicine, agreed.

This is not true on many levels. The virus is an RNA virus, it contains no DNA, and its RNA genome is encased in a protein and is then enveloped by a lipid bilayer that contains several viral proteins, he said by email.

When the virus infects cells the virus RNA expresses its genes, it does NOT mutate the genes of the host to convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells, Leibowitz said.

Claim: Since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.

This point is accurate, according to Dr. Wendy Keitel, professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine.

As mentioned, the decay or loss of the viruses ability to infect does depend on temperature, humidity and the type of material where it lies, she said by email.

Claim: The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best remedy, because the foam CUTS the FAT (that is why you have to rub so much: for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam). By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down on its own.

Some viruses are very fragile; others are not fragile at all, said Keitel, with coronaviruses being significantly less stable than smallpox, for example.

Soap or detergent is a very effective way to help remove viruses from hands, she said, but while the detergent is important for removing soil and may have some effect on inactivation of the virus, the major effects are friction (rubbing the surfaces) and rinsing off the viruses.

Claim: HEAT melts fat; this is why it is so good to use water above 77 degrees Fahrenheit for washing hands, clothes and everything. In addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful.

This point is misleading; while the virus is sensitive to heat, Keitel said that it is likely that a temperature high enough to inactivate coronavirus would be too hot for handwashing.

Hands can be washed in warm or cold water as long as the use of soap and the duration of cleansing is at least 20 seconds, she said.

Neumen said that there are proteins in the coronavirus that do indeed denature with heat, but the virus is used to growing in human lungs and intestines, and it is stable up to temperatures a little above 100 degrees F.

He also highlighted issues with the points information about heat melting fat.

There are fats that melt at different temperatures -- for example, bacteria that live in methane ice and bacteria that live on the rims of... deep ocean volcanoes both have membranes made of lipid molecules (what this person is calling fat), but they have very different melting points, Neuman said.

Claim: Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ANY FAT, especially the external lipid layer of the virus.

This is not too far off from reality, Neuman said.

Keitel agreed: Alcohol is believed to destroy the essential viral proteins and may disrupt the lipid (fatty) layer that is part of the coat.

Claim: Any mix with 1 part bleach and 5 parts water directly dissolves the protein, breaks it down from the inside.

This is true, but excessive, according to Neuman.

A standard store-bought hypochlorite bleach will indeed kill the virus, but it works at half the specified concentration, he said.

Claim: Oxygenated water helps long after soap, alcohol and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein, but you have to use it pure and it hurts your skin.

This is false.

The amount of oxygen dissolved in water would have very little effect on the virus. This suggests some kind of sham medical product to oxygenate water for health benefits, Neuman said.

Leibowitz agreed: Oxygenated water does not generate hydrogen peroxide and alcohol kills the virus after one minute of exposure.

Claim: NO BACTERICIDE OR ANTIBIOTIC WORKS. The virus is not a living organism like bacteria; antibiotics cannot kill what is not alive.

This is true, unless it is a product also aimed at viruses.

Many products are both bactericidal and virucidal (destroying both, physically), but it is correct that a specific bactericide would not be effective, according to Neuman.

Antibiotics generally do not inactivate viruses; hence, treatment of a viral infection with a common antibiotic would not be expected to inactivate the virus, and it could cause harmful side effects, Keitel said, while also noting that a number of disinfecting chemicals have both antibacterial and antiviral activities.

Claim: NEVER shake used or unused clothing, sheets or cloth. While the virus is glued to a porous surface, it is very inert and disintegrates between 3 hours (fabric and porous), 4 hours (copper and wood), 24 hours (cardboard), 42 hours (metal) and 72 hours (plastic). But if you shake it or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float in the air for up to 3 hours, and can lodge in your nose.

The recommendation is accurateif the items in question are contaminated with the virus.

The current public health recommendations at this time are to avoid shaking contaminated materials due to the theoretical possibility that the contaminated surfaces could release infectious material, said Keitel.

If your feather duster is covered in large amounts of SARS-CoV-2, then I would agree -- don't shake it. Otherwise, it's fine to dust as usual, Neuman said, using the official name for the novel coronavirus.

And Leibowitz said that the numbers mentioned in this point are not quite right.

The virus can survive for at least 8 days on metal (steel) or hard plastic at room temperature but the relative survival on cardboard, paper, or fabric is relatively short and about 3 hours is the number I have seen, he said.

Claim: The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial as air conditioners in houses and cars. It also needs moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade it faster.

Neuman said the virus does not do well in any of the environments mentioned.

It remains stable almost indefinitely in a specialized -80 degree Celsius freezer, but tends to fall apart eventually at any higher temperature including a regular -20 degree Celsius home freezer, he said.

And according to Leibowitz, the relationship between humidity and virus survival shows that it is less stable at both high and very low humidity but it was most stable at 20% humidity, which is actually pretty low. Cold increases survival time.

Claim: UV LIGHT on any object that may contain it and break down the virus protein. For example, to disinfect and reuse a mask is perfect. Be careful, it also breaks down collagen (which is protein) in the skin.

UV light can inactivate viruses, but Keitel said it is not recommended for the general public to use this method.

At this time it is not recommended for non-medical personnel to attempt to use UV light to inactivate viruses for the purpose of disinfection of face masks. Cloth masks should be washed frequently in hot soapy water and dried in a drier, Keitel said.

As for the effect of UV on the virus, Neuman said that it crosslinks nucleotides in the virus RNA -- it can damage protein as well, but that is the mechanism of inactivation.

Keitel said that UV light has multiple potential ways of inactivating viruses, including effects on the proteins and on the genetic material.

AFP Fact Check has addressed the topic of using UV light against the novel coronavirus here.

Claim: The virus CANNOT go through healthy skin.

This is true but the reasoning is off, according to Neuman. There aren't any cells with the viral receptor in skin, healthy or unhealthy, so it would not be able to infect.

Keitel said that at this time there is no evidence that this coronavirus can go through healthy skin, and that injury to the skin is required in order for many viruses to gain entry through the skin.

Claim: Vinegar is NOT useful because it does not break down the protective layer of fat.

It is accurate that vinegar is not recommended, but that this is because there is no data to support the claim that it works, and it can be harmful to surfaces, Keitel said.

Claim: NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, work. The strongest vodka is 40% alcohol, and you need 65%. Edit: there are a few alcohols more than 65%, and Vodka does come in 50%, but still not strong enough to kill the virus.

This is generally correct, but there is at least one vodka that is 96% ethanol, and would be OK, according to Neuman.

The use of spirits for disinfection is not recommended and has not been studied. Consumption of alcohol for this purpose is discouraged, Keitel said.

Claim: LISTERINE WORKS! It is 65% alcohol.

This is false: Listerine is only 27% ethanol, and would not work reliably, Neuman said.

First, it has not been tested against the coronavirus. Second, not all Listerine contains alcohol. Third, the alcohol content does not exceed about 20%, significantly lower than the recommended concentration for disinfection purposes, said Keitel.

And Listerine does not contact all surfaces where the virus may be located (e.g., nasal, lower respiratory tract), she said.

Claim: The more confined the space, the more concentration of the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated, the less.

This is true, but distance between individuals is much more important. The virus spreads mostly by small droplets (about 10 microns diameter) generated from coughs and sneezes and they do not stay in the air very long and mostly settle out of the air after traveling less than 6 feet, said Leibowitz.

Neuman said: The size of the space doesn't matter so much -- it is a case of whether the virus is in it. Most buildings would have HEPA-filtered air, which is designed to catch coronavirus-sized particles and remove them from what we breathe.

Claim: You have to wash your hands before and after touching mucosa, food, locks, knobs, switches, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, etc. And when using the bathroom.

This is a harmless and a reasonable idea, Neuman said, while Keitel said that it is recommended to do so after touching potentially contaminated surfaces.

Claim: You have to Moisturize dry hands from so much washing them, because the molecules can hide in the micro cracks. The thicker the moisturizer, the better.

According to Neuman, you most certainly do not have to moisturize, but if you find it more comfortable, you can. It has no bearing on the virus, and is certainly not protective in the way mentioned here.

And Leibowitz said that you may want to moisturize your hands from lots of hand washing but the virus doesnt hide in the cracks.

Claim: Also keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide there.

This is not a game of peek-a-boo -- you are unlikely to get respiratory droplets under your fingernails, and even if you did, the virus is unlikely to go from under your fingernails onto your mucosal membranes, Neuman said.

Leibowitz agreed, saying: This virus is spread by the respiratory route and nail length has nothing to do with this.

AFP Fact Check has debunked more than 350 examples of false or misleading information about the novel coronavirus crisis. A complete list of our fact checks on the topic in English can be found here.

See the article here:

Misleading coronavirus information falsely attributed to Johns Hopkins - AFP Factcheck

New study could lead to therapeutic interventions to treat cocaine addiction – Newswise

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Newswise Irvine, CA April 22, 2020 A new study explains how cocaine modifies functions in the brain revealing a potential target for therapies aimed at treating cocaine addiction. The study was published this week in Cell Reports.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated that a key receptor for dopamine, called D2 (D2R), intervenes in the mechanism through which cocaine modifies functions in the striatum, a region of the brain responsible for the psychomotor and rewarding effects of drugs like cocaine, directly involved in the process of addiction.

In our study, we show that D2R signaling over cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) and acetylcholine (Ach) release exerts a major control in the striatum, which is required for the normal functioning of striatal circuits, said Emiliana Borrelli, PhD, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, pharmaceutical sciences, and member of the Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism at the UCI School of Medicine.

Cocaine use drastically elevates dopamine levels in the striatum, and causes the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) to inhibit striatal acetylcholine signaling, resulting in cocaine-induced changes in behavior and the striatal genomic response, said Borrelli. By genetic ablation of D2R in cholinergic interneurons, we disrupt the dopamine-mediated inhibition of these neurons and reduce the addictive effects of drugs like cocaine.

The study indicates that D2R activation in cholinergic interneurons is indeed central to the control of striatal neuronal circuits and significantly affects the motor and cellular responses to cocaine.

Our study emphasizes the importance of the dopaminergic control on striatal responses to psychostimulants and may pave the way for future therapeutic strategies to treat substance use disorders, said Borrelli.

Cocaine is a psychomotor stimulant that when ingested stimulates the central nervous system increasing motor activity and producing euphoria, excitement, and a feeling of reward. Understanding how psychomotor stimulants modify striatal functions is critical to fighting addiction to this drug.

According to the American Addiction Centers, nearly a million American adults (over age 12) struggled with a cocaine use disorder in 2017. The Foundation for a Drug Free World, states cocaine is one of the most dangerous drugs known to man. Once a person begins taking the drug, it has proven almost impossible to become free of its grip physically and mentally. Physically it stimulates key receptors (at nerve endings that sense changes in the body) within the brain that, in turn, create a sense of well-being to which users quickly develop a tolerance. Only higher dosages and more frequent use can bring about the same effect.

This research was supported by funds from the Institut de la Sant et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM). First author, PhD student R.G. Lewis, received support from a UCI School of Medicine Deans Fellowship and the Dr. Lorna Carlin Scholar Award.

About the UCI School of Medicine

Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, and nearly 150 doctoral and masters students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD; a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program; and PhDs and masters degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA, an MD/masters in public health, or an MD/masters degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit som.uci.edu.

See the article here:

New study could lead to therapeutic interventions to treat cocaine addiction - Newswise

As Cuomo Issues New Executive Order, Weill Cornell Medicine Ramps Up COVID-19 Testing – Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

As many people yearn to return to some form of normalcy, states are beginning to consider what the reopening of nonessential businesses should look like. In his daily press briefing Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) said a crucial first step for reopening is widespread COVID-19 testing which New York State currently lacks.

On that same day, Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, Weill Cornell Dean, announced a new initiative to begin antibody testing employees of Weill Cornell.

Current testing efforts across the state are focused on detecting those with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but in order to begin reopening businesses people must be tested for previous exposure to the virus.

The current diagnostic used to test patients suspected of having COVID-19 at WCM is a real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, an effective and relatively fast method to detect genetic material. It can be used to detect the RNA present in the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

PCR is the gold standard because its such a highly sensitive and specific test and can deliver reliable and accurate diagnosis in as fast as 2-5 hours. Compared to other available platforms its much faster and more accurate, said Dr. Melissa Cushing, pathology, in Chois update.

However, as institutions begin to test for people who were exposed to the virus and recovered, another method is required antibody testing. Instead of testing for the genetic material of the virus itself, antibody tests search for the antibodies that the body creates in response to COVID-19. These antibodies are formed between three and 15 days after experiencing symptoms, according to Cushing.

As of April 17, testing was made available for New York Presbyterian staff that tested positive for COVID-19 or had a COVID-19-like illness and returned to work.

WCM plans to make more testing available to its staff, as it works to increase its testing capabilities. Cushing predicted that this public testing is at least several weeks away. Experiencing the brunt of statewide shortages of certain materials, WCM also requires access to reagents and more high output platforms to increase its testing capabilities.

We need to really scale up with the amount of reagents we have with our current tests. Then we are really looking to some of the commercial labs to provide the large, high frequency platforms that we already use in our labs so that the process can be much more automated, Cushing said. That is our goal to be testing as many people that need to be tested in our city.

In order to address the testing insufficiencies on a statewide level, the governor issued an executive order on April 17 that directs all public and private labs capable of conducting virology testing to coordinate with the State Department of Health to prioritize coronavirus testing.

The testing and tracing is the guideposts through this. As we are working our way through the next several months the testing, which is informing us as to who can go back to work helping us isolate people, its about testing, Cuomo said in his daily briefing on April 17. Testing is a totally new challenge. Nobody has done this and what we need to do on testing.

According to Cuomo, the lack of infrastructure to facilitate widespread testing mirrors the earlier lack of coordination between hospitals, which the Surge and Flex initiative addressed the initiative coordinated the distribution of scarce medical supplies between public and private hospitals across the state.

Besides the lack of infrastructure, another impasse to wide scale testing is the availability of the materials specifically chemical reagents necessary to run the tests.

Currently, this order will not affect the labs on Cornells Ithaca campus.

Cornell University is not offering any human testing for COVID-19 on campus at this point. We will always follow all state/federal government regulations as appropriate, John Carberry, a University spokesperson, wrote in a statement to The Sun.

Cornell is affiliated with two of the 301 laboratories and hospitals capable of performing viral testing the Allyn B Ley Clinical Laboratory housed in Cornell Health and the Hospital for Special Surgery Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in New York City.

Initially, 28 laboratories with clinical laboratory permits from the state health department and experience in molecular-based virology could conduct testing. However, this system is unable to meet the demand for the widespread testing needed to reopen New York State.

We dont have a testing system that can do this volume, or that can be ramped up to do this volume. We dont have a public health testing system, its de minimis if you look at what our government department of health have, Cuomo said.

The state has begun its efforts to perform antibody tests on 3,000 individuals to better understand what percentage of the population is currently immune to the virus. The plan is being supported financially by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who pledged more than $10 million to create a test and trace program.

Original post:

As Cuomo Issues New Executive Order, Weill Cornell Medicine Ramps Up COVID-19 Testing - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

UW president, biochemistry chair and mathematics professor named to American Academy of Arts and Sciences – UW News

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Administrative affairs | For UW employees | Honors and awards | News releases | UW and the community

April 23, 2020

Three University of Washington faculty members, including President Ana Mari Cauce, are among the 2020 fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nations oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. Trisha Davis, professor and chair of biochemistry at the UW School of Medicine, and Tatiana Toro, the Craig McKibben and Sarah Merner Professor of Mathematics, are also among the 276 artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, non-profit and private sectors who were announced as new fellows Thursday.

We congratulate these incoming members of the Academy for excelling in a broad array of fields; we want to celebrate them and learn from them, said Nancy C. Andrews, chair of the Board of Directors of the American Academy. When Academy members come together, bringing their expertise and insights to our work, they help develop new insights and potential solutions for some of the most complex challenges we face.

Cauce who was named to the Educational and Academic Leadership section of the Academys Public Affairs, Business and Administration class became the 33rd president of the UW on Oct. 13, 2015 after serving as interim president for seven months and having previously served as provost and executive vice president.

Throughout her career, Cauce has championed access to higher education, including through the Husky Promise, which provides full tuition to eligible Washington students who otherwise could not attend college. As part of her strong belief in ensuring access to higher education for all, just one month into her role as interim president she engaged students in an honest discussion about race and equity, launching an effort to create a more just and diverse community.

Cauce is a professor of Psychology and American Ethnic Studies, with secondary appointments in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies and the College of Education. She maintains an active research program, focusing on adolescent development, with a special emphasis on at-risk youth. She is also a strong advocate for women and underrepresented minorities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Davis was named to the Cellular and Developmental Biology (including Genetics), Microbiology and Immunology Section of the Biological Sciences Class of the Academy. Davis and her colleagues explore the dynamics of the chromosome capture that occurs in preparation for cell division.

Impressive molecular machinery tries to assure that each cell resulting from the split receives a proper set of chromosomes. Mistakes in sorting, separating and distributing the chromosomes could cause serious problems, such as cancer. Davis team looks at how the movement and segregation of chromosomes is orchestrated. This chromosome assembly is trial and error, but cells usually can find and fix mistakes. As chromosomes attach to the separation machinery, checkpoints tune into to the connection and the tension it produces. If this quality assurance detects that a chromosome is incorrectly captured, it is released for another try.

The Davis lab uses many ways of examining this and related controls. These include genetic analysis, proteomics, quantitative microscopy, computational modeling and biochemical assays.

Davis holds the Earl W. Davie/ZymoGenetics Chair in Biochemistry at UW Medicine. She also heads the UWs Yeast Resource Center, funded by the National Institutes of Health to develop technologies for exploring protein structure and function.

Toro was named to the Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics section of the Academys Mathematical and Physical Sciences class. Her research centers on the premise that objects, which may at first appear irregular or disordered, actually have regular features that are quantifiable. Toros work spans geometric measure theory, harmonic analysis and partial differential equations. Toro studies the mathematical questions that come up in systems where the known data are rough, as well as interfaces that arise in noisy minimization problems.

In addition to her research, Toro has also worked to increase diversity in mathematics. She helped launch Latinx in the Mathematical Sciences, including two conferences through the National Science Foundation highlighting the achievements of Latinx mathematicians.

Toro joined the UW faculty in 1996 and her career includes numerous honors and accolades. Last year, she received the UWs Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award. In 2017, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. Toro has also been a Guggenheim Fellow, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and a Simons Foundation Fellow.

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the countrys oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, convening leaders from the academic, business and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing the nation and the world.

The new members join the company of Academy members elected before them, including Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton in the eighteenth century; Ralph Waldo Emerson and Maria Mitchell in the nineteenth; and Robert Frost, Martha Graham, Margaret Mead, Milton Friedman, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the twentieth.

Learn more about the Academys mission, members, and work on its website amacad.org.

# # #

See the article here:

UW president, biochemistry chair and mathematics professor named to American Academy of Arts and Sciences - UW News

Mustang Bio Receives Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product Classification from European Medicines Agency for MB-107 Lentiviral Gene Therapy for X-Linked…

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

NEW YORK, April 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mustang Bio, Inc. (Mustang) (MBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on translating todays medical breakthroughs in cell and gene therapies into potential cures for hematologic cancers, solid tumors and rare genetic diseases, today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) classification to MB-107, Mustangs lentiviral gene therapy for the treatment of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (XSCID), also known as bubble boy disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation to MB-107 for the treatment of XSCID in August 2019.

EMA grants ATMP classifications to new therapeutics that are based on genes or cells and intended as long-term or permanent therapeutic solutions to acute or chronic human diseases at a genetic, cellular or tissue level. The ATMP program provides specific regulatory guidelines for preclinical development, manufacturing and product quality testing of ATMPs and offers incentives, including fee reductions for regulatory advice, recommendations and evaluation and certification of quality and non-clinical data.

Manuel Litchman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mustang, said, We are extremely encouraged that the EMA has granted MB-107 with ATMP classification, an important step in establishing our path to market approval and commercialization in Europe. This classification complements the RMAT designation we received last year from the FDA and brings us closer to realizing our goal of commercializing MB-107 for XSCID patients, as these patients are in desperate need of innovative and potentially curative treatment options.

MB-107 is currently being assessed in two Phase 1/2 clinical trials for XSCID: the first in newly diagnosed infants under the age of two at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital (St. Jude), UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital in San Francisco and Seattle Childrens Hospital and the second in patients over the age of two who have received prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the National Institutes of Health. Under a licensing partnership with St. Jude, Mustang intends to develop the lentiviral gene therapy for commercial use as MB-107.

About Mustang BioMustang Bio, Inc. (Mustang) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on translating todays medical breakthroughs in cell and gene therapies into potential cures for hematologic cancers, solid tumors and rare genetic diseases. Mustang aims to acquire rights to these technologies by licensing or otherwise acquiring an ownership interest, to fund research and development, and to outlicense or bring the technologies to market. Mustang has partnered with top medical institutions to advance the development of CAR T therapies across multiple cancers, as well as a lentiviral gene therapy for XSCID. Mustang is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and files periodic reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mustang was founded by Fortress Biotech, Inc. (FBIO). For more information, visit http://www.mustangbio.com.

ForwardLooking StatementsThis press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our growth strategy and product development programs and any other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock value. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include: risks relating to our growth strategy; our ability to obtain, perform under and maintain financing and strategic agreements and relationships; risks relating to the results of research and development activities; risks relating to the timing of starting and completing clinical trials; uncertainties relating to preclinical and clinical testing; our dependence on third-party suppliers; our ability to attract, integrate and retain key personnel; the early stage of products under development; our need for substantial additional funds; government regulation; patent and intellectual property matters; competition; as well as other risks described in our SEC filings. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.

Story continues

Read the original here:

Mustang Bio Receives Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product Classification from European Medicines Agency for MB-107 Lentiviral Gene Therapy for X-Linked...

Childhood Psychopathology Linked to Higher Levels of Genetic Vulnerability of Adult Depression – Clinical OMICs News

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Emotional, social, and psychiatric problems in children and adolescents have been linked to higher levels of genetic vulnerability for adult depression, according to University of Queensland scientists. They made the finding Genetic Associations Between Childhood Psychopathology and Adult Depression and Associated Traits in 42998 Individuals: A Meta-Analysis, which appears inJAMA Psychiatry, while analyzing the genetic data of more than 42,000 children and adolescents from seven cohorts across five European countries.

Christel Middeldorp, MD, PhD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Child Health Research Centre at the University of Queensland, said that researchers have also found a link with a higher genetic vulnerability for insomnia, neuroticism, and body mass index.

By contrast, study participants with higher genetic scores for educational attainment and emotional wellbeing were found to have reduced childhood problems, she pointed out.

We calculated a persons level of genetic vulnerability by adding up the number of risk genes they had for a specific disorder or trait, and then made adjustments based on the level of importance of each gene. We found the relationship was mostly similar across ages.

Adult mood disorders are often preceded by behavioral and emotional problems in childhood. It is yet unclear what explains the associations between childhood psychopathology and adult traits. To investigate whether genetic risk for adult mood disorders and associated traits is associated with childhood disorders, write the investigators.

This meta-analysis examined data from 7 ongoing longitudinal birth and childhood cohorts from the U.K., the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Starting points of data collection ranged from July 1985 to April 2002. Participants were repeatedly assessed for childhood psychopathology from ages 6 to 17 years. Data analysis occurred from September 2017 to May 2019.

Individual polygenic scores (PGS) were constructed in children based on genome-wide association studies of adult major depression, bipolar disorder, subjective well-being, neuroticism, insomnia, educational attainment, and body mass index (BMI).

Results from this study suggest the existence of a set of genetic factors influencing a range of traits across the life span with stable associations present throughout childhood. Knowledge of underlying mechanisms may affect treatment and long-term outcomes of individuals with psychopathology.

The results indicate there are shared genetic factors that affect a range of psychiatric and related traits across a persons lifespan. Around 50 percent of children and adolescents with psychiatric problems, such as attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD), continue to experience mental disorders as adults, and are at risk of disengaging with their school community among other social and emotional problems, added Middeldorp.

Our findings are important as they suggest this continuity between childhood and adult traits is partly explained by genetic risk, she continued. Individuals at risk of being affected should be the focus of attention and targeted treatment. Although genetic vulnerability is not accurate enough at this stage to make individual predictions about how a persons symptoms will develop over time, it may become so in the future, in combination with other risk factors.

Middeldorp believes that this study and others may support precision medicine by providing targeted treatments to children at the highest risk of persistent emotional and social problems.

Childhood Psychopathology Linked to Higher Levels of Genetic Vulnerability of Adult Depression - Clinical OMICs News

Gdask scientist makes crucial headway in understanding killer virus by isolating COVID-19 DNA from infected patient – The First News

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Dr. ukasz Rbalski (pictured) from Gdask University is the first in Poland to obtain the full genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, isolated directly from a Polish patient. Adam Warawa/PAP

The full DNA sequence of the coronavirus virus has been taken from an infected patient after being isolated by scientists at Gdask University.

By unravelling the genetic sequence, the researchers can learn a variety of crucial information about the disease, such as how the virus deceives the human body, weakening its immune system.

A fragment of the genetic sequence of the coronavirus fully isolated by Dr. Rbalski.Adam Warawa/PAP

Other clues include COVID-19s evolutionary and geographic origins, how it found itself in Poland and how it has changed since the outbreak in China.

Team leader Dr. ukasz Rbalski at the Gdask University and Medical Academys joint Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology said: Genetic material must meet many qualitative and quantitative standards in order to be decoded.

The data obtained will allow scientists from around the world to consider Poland in their research related to the epidemiology of COVID-19 disease.Public domain

In the case of viruses whose genetic material is single-stranded RNA, methods are used to multiply the amount of genetic material.

Normally, this has been done by replicating viral particles in laboratories. Nowadays, thanks to achievements in the field of molecular biology, a shorter pathway can be used without the need for virus culture.

By unravelling the genetic sequence, the researchers can learn a variety of crucial information about the disease, such as how the virus deceives the human body, weakening its immune system.Adam Warawa/PAP

The equipment used to decode coronavirus was previously used during the Ebola epidemic.

Dr. Rbalski used the latest generation of sequencers from Oxford Nanopore Technologies, which have bioinformatic protocols that limit the risk of results distortion.

Dr. Rbalskis research is published in the global GISAID database.Uniwersytet Gdaski

The GISAID database is the biggest resource of DNA sequences worldwide scientists have already uploaded over 5,000 of them and now the collection includes one from a Polish patient.

The University Clinical Centre in Gdasks Hematology Laboratory is currently carrying out further sequencing of viruses from Polish patients.

Dr. Rbalski used the latest generation of sequencers from Oxford Nanopore Technologies, which have bioinformatic protocols that limit the risk of results distortion.Adam Warawa/PAP

The next package of data will be sent to GISAID within the next few days.

The research has been published in the international GISAID database so that it can be widely used for research on vaccines and medicine for the coronavirus.

Visit link:

Gdask scientist makes crucial headway in understanding killer virus by isolating COVID-19 DNA from infected patient - The First News

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health Holds Webinar With Diaspora on COVID-19 Response at Tadias Magazine – Tadias Magazine

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Ethiopia pardons more than 4,000 prisoners to help prevent coronavirus spread

Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with covid-19, are dying from strokes

By The Washington Post

Doctors sound alarm about patients in their 30s and 40s left debilitated or dead. Some didnt even know they were infected. Read more

Global coronavirus death toll surpasses 200,000, as world leaders commit to finding vaccine

By NBC News

The global coronavirus death toll surpassed 200,000 on Saturday, according to John Hopkins University data. The grim total was reached a day after presidents and prime ministers agreed to work together to develop new vaccines, tests and treatments at a virtual meeting with both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We will only halt COVID-19 through solidarity, said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. Countries, health partners, manufacturers, and the private sector must act together and ensure that the fruits of science and research can benefit everybody. As the U.S. coronavirus death tollpassed 51,000 people, according to an NBC News tally, President Donald Trump took no questions at his White House briefing on Friday, after widespread mockery for floating the idea that light, heat and disinfectants could be used to treat coronavirus patients.

Germany to start first coronavirus vaccine trial

By DW

German Health Minister Jens Spahn has announced the first clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine. The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), the regulatory authority which helps develop and authorizes vaccines in Germany, has given the go-ahead for the first clinical trial of BNT162b1, a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It was developed by cancer researcher and immunologist Ugur Sahin and his team at pharmaceutical company BioNTech, and is based on their prior research into cancer immunology. Sahin previously taught at the University of Mainz before becoming the CEO of BioNTech. In a joint conference call on Wednesday with researchers from the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Sahin said BNT162b1 constitutes a so-called RNA vaccine. He explained that innocuous genetic information of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is transferred into human cells with the help of lipid nanoparticles, a non-viral gene delivery system. The cells then transform this genetic information into a protein, which should stimulate the bodys immune reaction to the novel coronavrius.

Webinar on COVID-19 and Mental Health: Interview with Dr. Seble Frehywot

By Liben Eabisa | TADIAS

Dr. Seble Frehywot, an Associate Professor of Global Health & Health Policy at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and her colleague Dr. Yianna Vovides from Georgetown University will host an online forum next week on April 30th focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health. Dr. Seble who is also the Director of Global Health Equity On-Line Learning at George Washington University told Tadias that the virtual conference titled Peoples Webinar: Addressing COVID-19 By Addressing Mental Health is open to the public and available for viewing worldwide. Read more

CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating

By The Washington Post

Even as states move ahead with plans to reopen their economies, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that a second wave of the novel coronavirus will be far more dire because it is likely to coincide with the start of flu season. Theres a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through, CDC Director Robert Redfield said in an interview with The Washington Post. And when Ive said this to others, they kind of put their head back, they dont understand what I meanWere going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time, he said. Having two simultaneous respiratory outbreaks would put unimaginable strain on the health-care system, he said. The first wave of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has already killed more than 42,000 people across the country. It has overwhelmed hospitals and revealed gaping shortages in test kits, ventilators and protective equipment for health-care workers.

Americans at World Health Organization transmitted real-time information about coronavirus to Trump administration

By The Washington Post

More than a dozen U.S. researchers, physicians and public health experts, many of them from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were working full time at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization as the novel coronavirus emerged late last year and transmitted real-time information about its discovery and spread in China to the Trump administration, according to U.S. and international officials. A number of CDC staff members are regularly detailed to work at the WHO in Geneva as part of a rotation that has operated for years. Senior Trump-appointed health officials also consulted regularly at the highest levels with the WHO as the crisis unfolded, the officials said. The presence of so many U.S. officials undercuts President Trumps assertion that the WHOs failure to communicate the extent of the threat, born of a desire to protect China, is largely responsible for the rapid spread of the virus in the United States. Read more

In Ethiopia, Dire Dawa Emerges as Newest Coronavirus Hot Spot

By Africa News

The case count as of April 20 had reached 111 according to health minister Lia Tadesses update for today. Ethiopia crossed the 100 mark over the weekend. All three cases recorded over the last 24-hours were recorded in the chartered city of Dire Dawa with patients between the ages of 11 18. Two of them had travel history from Djibouti. Till date, Ethiopia has 90 patients in treatment centers. The death toll is still at three with 16 recoveries. A patient is in intensive care. Read more

COVID-19: Interview with Dr. Tsion Firew, an Ethiopian Doctor on the Frontline in NYC

Dr. Tsion Firew is Doctor of Emergency Medicine and Assistant Professor at Columbia University. She is also Special Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia. (Courtesy photo)

By Liben Eabisa

In New York City, which has now become the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, working as a medical professional means literally going to a war zone, says physician Tsion Firew, a Doctor of Emergency Medicine and Assistant Professor at Columbia University, who has just recovered from COVID-19 and returned to work a few days ago. Indeed the statistics coming out of New York are simply shocking with the state recording a sharp increase in death toll this months surpassing 10,000 and growing. According to The New York Times: The numbers brought into clearer focus the staggering toll the virus has already taken on the largest city in the United States, where deserted streets are haunted by the near-constant howl of ambulance sirens. Far more people have died in New York City, on a per-capita basis, than in Italy the hardest-hit country in Europe. At the heart of the solution both in the U.S. and around the world is more testing and adhering to social distancing rules until such time as a proper treatment and vaccine is discovered, says Dr. Tsion, who is also a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia. Dr. Tsion adds that at this moment we all as humanity have one enemy: the virus. And whats going to win the fight is solidarity. Listen to the interview

Ethiopia Opens Aid Transport Hub to Fight Covid-19

By AFP

Ethiopia and the United Nations on Tuesday opened a humanitarian transport hub at Addis Ababa airport to move supplies and aid workers across Africa to fight coronavirus. The arrangement, which relies on cargo services provided by Ethiopian Airlines, could also partially offset heavy losses Africas largest carrier is sustaining because of the pandemic. An initial shipment of 3 000 cubic metres of supplies most of it personal protective equipment for health workers will be distributed within the next week, said Steven Were Omamo, Ethiopia country director for the World Food Programme (WFP). This is a really important platform in the response to Covid-19, because what it does is it allows us to move with speed and efficiency to respond to the needs as they are unfolding, Omamo said, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus. The Addis gateway is one of eight global humanitarian hubs set up to facilitate movement of aid to fight Covid-19, according to WFP.

Covid-19: Ethiopia to buy life insurance for health workers

By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE | AFP

The Ethiopian government is due to buy life insurance for health professionals in direct contact with Covid-19 patients. Health minister Lia Tadesse said on Tuesday that the government last week reached an agreement with the Ethiopian Insurance Corporation but did not disclose the value of the cover. The two sides are expected to sign an agreement this week to effect the insurance grant. According to the ministry, the life insurance grant is aimed at encouraging health experts who are the most vulnerable to the deadly coronavirus. Members of the Rapid Response Team will also benefit.

U.N. says Saudi deportations of Ethiopian migrants risks spreading coronavirus

By Reuters

The United Nations said on Monday that deportations of illegal migrant workers by Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia risked spreading the coronavirus and it urged Riyadh to suspend the practice for the time being.

Ethiopias capital launches door-to-door Covid-19 screening

Getty Images

By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE | AFP

Ethiopias capital, Addis Ababa is due to begin a door-to-door mass Covid-19 screening across the city, Addis Ababa city administration has announced. City deputy Mayor, Takele Uma, on Saturday told local journalists that the mass screening and testing programme will be started Monday (April 13) first in districts which are identified as potentially most vulnerable to the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus. The aggressive city-wide screening measure intends to identify Covid-19 infected patients and thereby to arrest a potential virus spread within communities. He said, the mass screening will eventually be carried out in all 117 districts, locally known as woredas, of the city, which is home to an estimated 7 million inhabitants. According to the Mayor, the door-to-door mass Covid-19 screening will be conducted by more than 1,200 retired health professionals, who responded to governments call on the retired to join the national fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Worldwide deaths from the coronavirus hit 100,000

By The Associated Press

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has hit 100,000, according to the running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The sad milestone comes as Christians around the globe mark a Good Friday unlike any other in front of computer screens instead of in church pews. Meanwhile, some countries are tiptoeing toward reopening segments of their battered economies. Public health officials are warning people against violating the social distancing rules over Easter and allowing the virus to flare up again. Authorities are using roadblocks and other means to discourage travel.

Ethiopia COVID-19 Response Team: Interview with Mike Endale

By Liben Eabisa | TADIAS

A network of technology professionals from the Ethiopian Diaspora known as the Ethiopia COVID-19 Response Team has been assisting the Ethiopian Ministry of Health since the nations first Coronavirus case was confirmed on March 13th. The COVID-19 Response Team has since grown into an army of more than a thousand volunteers. Mike Endale, a software developer based in Washington, D.C., is the main person behind the launch of this project. Read more

Ethiopia eyes replicating Chinas successes in applying traditional medicine to contain COVID-19

By CGTN Africa

The Ethiopian government on Thursday expressed its keen interest to replicate Chinas positive experience in terms of effectively applying traditional Chinese medicine to successfully contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the East African country.

This came after high-level officials from the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MoIT) as well as the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) held a video conference with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners and researchers on ways of applying the TCM therapy towards controlling the spread of coronavirus pandemic in the country, the MoIT disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday.

China, in particular, has agreed to provide to Ethiopia the two types of Chinese traditional medicines that the country applied to successfully treat the first two stages of the novel coronavirus, a statement from the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology read.

WHO Director Slams Racist Comments About COVID-19 Vaccine Testing

The Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has angrily condemned recent comments made by scientists suggesting that a vaccine for COVID-19 should be tested in Africa as racist and a hangover from the colonial mentality. (Photo: WHO)

By BBC

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned as racist the comments by two French doctors who suggested a vaccine for the coronavirus could be tested in Africa.

Africa cant and wont be a testing ground for any vaccine, said Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The doctors remarks during a TV debate sparked outrage, and they were accused of treating Africans like human guinea pigs.

One of them later issued an apology.

When asked about the doctors suggestion during the WHOs coronavirus briefing, Dr Tedros became visibly angry, calling it a hangover from the colonial mentality.

It was a disgrace, appalling, to hear during the 21st Century, to hear from scientists, that kind of remark. We condemn this in the strongest terms possible, and we assure you that this will not happen, he said.

Ethiopia declares state of emergency to curb spread of COVID-19

By Reuters

Ethiopias prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the country to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, his office said on Twitter. Considering the gravity of the #COVID19, the government of Ethiopia has enacted a State of Emergency, Abiys office said.

Ethiopia virus cases hit 52, 9-month-old baby infected

By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE | AFP

Ethiopia on Tuesday reported eight new Covid-19 cases, the highest number recorded so far in one day since the country confirmed its first virus case on March 12. Among the new patients that tested positive for the virus were a 9-month-old infant and his mother who had travelled to Dubai recently. During the past 24 hours, we have done laboratory tests for a total of 264 people and eight out of them have been diagnosed with coronavirus, raising the total confirmed number of Covid-19 patients in Ethiopia to 52, said Health Minister Dr Lia Tadese. According to the Minister, seven of the newly confirmed patients had travel histories to various countries. They have been under forced-quarantine in different designated hotels in the capital, Addis Ababa. Five of the new patients including the 9-month-old baby and the mother came from Dubai while the two others came from Thailand and the United Kingdom, she said

The coronavirus is infecting and killing black Americans at an alarmingly high rate

By The Washington Post

As the novel coronavirus sweeps across the United States, it appears to be infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionately high rate, according to a Washington Post analysis of early data from jurisdictions across the country. The emerging stark racial disparity led the surgeon general Tuesday to acknowledge in personal terms the increased risk for African Americans amid growing demands that public-health officials release more data on the race of those who are sick, hospitalized and dying of a contagion that has killed more than 12,000 people in the United States. A Post analysis of what data is available and census demographics shows that counties that are majority-black have three times the rate of infections and almost six times the rate of deaths as counties where white residents are in the majority.

In China, Wuhans lockdown officially ends after 11 weeks

After 11 weeks or 76 days Wuhans lockdown is officially over. On Wednesday, Chinese authorities allowed residents to travel in and out of the besieged city where the coronavirus outbreak was first reported in December. Many remnants of the months-long lockdown, however, remain. Wuhans 11 million residents will be able to leave only after receiving official authorization that they are healthy and havent recently been in contact with a coronavirus patient. To do so, the Chinese government is making use of its mandatory smartphone application that, along with other government surveillance, tracks the movement and health status of every person.

U.S. hospitals facing severe shortages of equipment and staff, watchdog says

By The Washington Post

As the official U.S. death toll approached 10,000, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams warned that this will be the hardest and saddest week of most Americans lives.

Ethio-American Tech Company PhantomALERT Offers Free App to Track & Map COVID-19 Outbreak

By Tadias Staff

PhantomALERT, a Washington D.C.-based technology company announced, that its offering a free application service to track, report and map COVID-19 outbreak hotspots in real time. In a recent letter to the DC government as well as the Ethiopian Embassy in the U.S. the Ethiopian-American owned business, which was launched in 2007, explained that over the past few days, they have redesigned their application to be a dedicated coronavirus mapping, reporting and tracking application. The letter to the Ethiopian Embassy, shared with Tadias, noted that PhantomALERTs technology will enable the Ethiopian government (and all other countries across the world) to locate symptomatic patients, provide medical assistance and alert communities of hotspots for the purpose of slowing down the spread of the Coronavirus.

2nd COVID-19 death confirmed in Ethiopia

By Dr. Lia Tadesse (Minister, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia)

It is with great sadness that I announce the second death of a patient from #COVID19 in Ethiopia. The patient was admitted on April 2nd and was under strict medical follow up in the Intensive Care Unit. My sincere condolences to the family and loved ones.

The Next Coronavirus Test Will Tell You If You Are Now Immune. And Its Fast.

People line up in their cars at the COVID-19 testing area at Roseland Community Hospital on April 3, 2020, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

By Chicago Tribune

A new, different type of coronavirus test is coming that will help significantly in the fight to quell the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and scientists say. The first so-called serology test, which detects antibodies to the virus rather than the virus itself, was given emergency approval Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And several more are nearly ready, said Dr. Elizabeth McNally, director of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Center for Genetic Medicine.

Immunity and our DNA: Why women are the stronger sex – The Age

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

The Better Half: On the Genetic Superiority of Women is by Dr Sharon Moalem (male); a neuroscientist and evolutionary biologist. Its a fascinating, unexpected and thought-provoking argument that the simple fact of having two X chromosomes, instead of one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, is the secret to womens underappreciated success in the game of life.

Dr Sharon Moalem is a science author.

A quick refresher on chromosomes: among the 23 pairs of chromosomes X-shaped twists of DNA that are the encyclopaedia of us found in every human cell, are two sex chromosomes. In genetic females, these two sex chromosomes are both an X chromosome. In genetic males, one is an X chromosome and one is a Y chromosome.

We inherit one sex chromosome from our father and one from our mother; genetic females inherit one X sex chromosome from each parent, and genetic males inherit an X sex chromosome from the mother, and a Y sex chromosome from their father.

The X chromosome is the genetic powerhouse of the sex chromosomes, containing more than 1000 genes that orchestrate a huge number of vital cellular processes. In contrast, the Y chromosome is a stunted thing that only carries about 70 genes, most of which are involved in the production of sperm.

In genetic females, only one of their two X chromosomes is needed, so the second X chromosome is deactivated or silenced when that person is merely a bundle of cells in the uterus. The silenced X chromosome gets condensed down into a bit of cellular debris called a Barr body.

For a long time, that second, silenced X chromosome was assumed to be dead. But it turns out that second X chromosome in the cells of genetic females is actually a genetic back-up plan, helping the cell and the person to survive by throwing a genetic lifeline when things get tough. Far from being inert, about 23 per cent of those thousand or so genes on the silenced X chromosome are still active.

Dr Sharon Moalem on women having an extra X chromosome: Its like having two toolboxes. One toolbox may have a broken hammer, so you use the hammer from the second box."Credit:Getty Images

Moalem argues that this back-up set of genes gives women a significant survival advantage, as evidenced by the fact that women consistently outlive men, even in times of hardship.

Having the use of two X chromosomes makes females more genetically diverse, and the ability to rely on that diverse genetic knowledge is why females always come out on top, he writes.

This advantage is particularly evident with the immune system. Moalem recalls his time tending to HIV-positive children at an orphanage in Bangkok, and his observation that the HIV-positive boys were consistently more likely to get sick with opportunistic infections than the HIV-positive girls.

Credit:

He goes on to note that HIV-positive men are also more likely than HIV-positive women to develop tuberculosis and pneumonia, while HIV-positive women tend to have higher immune-cell counts a sign of immunological strength in the early stages of HIV infection than men do.

The X chromosome carries a large number of genes involved in immune system functioning. Moalem argues that because women have two copies of the X chromosome, they are able to produce a more diverse and effective population of immune cells than if they relied on the immune genes of only one X chromosome, as men do.

But there is a price for that more aggressive immune response; sometimes it goes overboard and starts overreacting to benign things, such as our own cells. This is the phenomenon of autoimmunity, and it disproportionally affects women.

If a microbe is the wolf, and its dressing up like Grandma, better trying to kill Grandma every once in a while than to risk being fooled by a wolf dressed like Grandma, he explains.

Having two X chromosomes also offers an unparalleled advantage if it happens that a gene on one of those chromosomes is dangerously mutated.

Say you inherit a malfunctioning gene on the X chromosome from your mother that might be associated with developmental problems. If you also have inherited an X chromosome from your father that carries a functional copy of that gene, you have a back-up, an understudy, for that faulty gene. But if you inherit a Y chromosome from your father, youre stuck with the faulty one.

This is why so-called X-linked intellectual disabilities almost entirely affect genetic males; more than 100 genes associated with intellectual disabilities have been found on the X chromosome.

Moalem also highlights a problem that numerous female authors before him have also drawn attention to: that medical science and medicine still view women as being biologically the same as men. That persistent ignorance one might even call it wilful denialism has had some devastating consequences.

Women with autoimmune conditions have long had their symptoms dismissed or trivialised by the medical establishment, which was working on the assumption that these diseases were equally prevalent in men and women.

Not that that lack of understanding has slowed females down too much. As Moalem points out, theres only one way to judge the winner in the genetic battle of the sexes: The real test of ones mettle is being able to survive the challenges of life, he writes. So, who is left standing at the end of life?

Thats right. Women.

Bianca Nogrady is the editor of The Best Australian Science Writing 2019 (NewSouth).

Visit link:

Immunity and our DNA: Why women are the stronger sex - The Age

Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier inaccurately claims that the novel coronavirus is man-made and contains genetic material from HIV – Health Feedback

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

CLAIM

"this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus [] the HIV virus (AIDS virus)"

DETAILS

Inaccurate: Genomic analyses indicate that the virus has a natural origin, and was not engineered. The so-called unique protein sequence insertions found in the 2019 novel coronavirus can be found in many other organisms, not just HIV.

KEY TAKE AWAY

Genomic analyses of the novel coronavirus show that it was not engineered. In addition, the claim that its genome contains inserted HIV sequences is based on a now-withdrawn preprint of a study that contained significant flaws in design and execution. The so-called HIV insertions identified by the authors are in fact gene sequences that can also be found in many other organisms besides HIV.

REVIEW Numerous articles published in April 2020 report that Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier claimed that SARS-CoV-2 is a manipulated virus that was accidentally released from a laboratory in Wuhan, China and that Indian researchers have already tried to publish the results of the analyses that showed that this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus [] the HIV virus (AIDS virus). The claim that SARS-CoV-2 contains HIV insertions began circulating in January 2020, and was propagated by outlets such as Zero Hedge and Infowars. Health Feedback covered this claim in early February 2020, and found it to be inaccurate.

Firstly, genomic analysis of the novel coronavirus, published in Nature Medicine, has demonstrated that the virus is not the product of bioengineering, but is rather of natural origin[1]. The current most likely theory, based on what scientists know about viral evolution, is that the virus first emerged in pangolins or bats (or both) and later developed the ability to infect humans. This ability to infect human cells is conferred by the so-called spike (S) protein, which is located on the surface of the enveloping membrane of SARS-CoV-2.

After the 2003-2005 SARS outbreak, researchers identified a set of key amino acids within the S protein which give SARS-CoV-1 a super-affinity for the ACE2 target receptor located on the surface of human cells[2,3]. Surprisingly, the S protein of the current SARS-CoV-2 does not contain this optimal set of amino acids[1], yet is nonetheless able to bind ACE2 with a greater affinity than SARS-CoV-1[4]. This finding suggests that SARS-CoV-2 evolved independently and undermines the claim that it was manmade[1]. Indeed, the best engineering strategy would have been to harness the known and efficient amino acid sequences already described in SARS-CoV-1 order to produce a more optimal molecular design for SARS-CoV-2. The authors of the Nature Medicine study[1] concluded that Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus.

Secondly, the claim that SARS-CoV-2 contains HIV insertions is based on a preprint of a research study uploaded to bioRxiv on 2 February 2020. A preprint is a study in progress that has not been peer-reviewed by other scientists. The authors of the preprint, titled Uncanny similarity of unique inserts in the 2019-nCoV spike protein to HIV-1 gp120 and Gag, claimed to have found 4 insertions in the spike glycoprotein (S) which are unique to 2019-nCoV and are not present in other coronaviruses. The authors further asserted that all of [these inserts] have identity/similarity to amino acids residues in key structural proteins of HIV-1 [which] is unlikely to be fortuitous in nature.

The work was swiftly criticized by experts. In this Forbes article, Arinjay Banerjee, a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University who has studied coronaviruses, said that:

The authors compared very short regions of proteins in the novel coronavirus and concluded that the small segments of proteins were similar to segments in HIV proteins. Comparing very short segments can often generate false positives and it is difficult to make these conclusions using small protein segments.

Researchers also took to Twitter to demonstrate this problem first-hand. Trevor Bedford, a faculty member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who studies viral evolution, re-analyzed the gene and protein sequences used by the authors and found that the so-called unique inserts appeared in many other organisms, including Cryptosporidium and Plasmodium malariae, which cause cryptosporidiosis and malaria, respectively.

Assistant professor at Stanford University Silvana Konermann also checked the authors findings and came to the same conclusion, calling the similarity spurious.

This has also been independently confirmed in another published analysis[5]. In other words, these sequences are not insertions, but are rather common sequences found in numerous other organisms such as bacteria and parasites. Therefore, the existence of these sequences in SARS-CoV-2 does not provide evidence of a link to HIV, nor that scientists purposely inserted HIV sequences into the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

In summary, genomic analysis of the virus indicates that it does not contain so-called HIV insertions and that it was not engineered in a lab. Evidence points to the virus having a natural origin.

The only thing accurate about these articles is that Nobel Prize winner and virologist Luc Montagnier did in fact make these claims. Although he holds impressive scientific credentials, his claims run contrary to credible scientific evidence. And despite having won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008 for his co-discovery of the link between HIV and AIDS, Montagnier now promotes widely discredited theories such as the pseudoscience of homeopathy and that autism is caused by bacteria that emit electromagnetic waves. Articles which repeat Montagniers claims without critically evaluating their veracity exhibit the common appeal to authority fallacy, in which something is assumed to be true simply because the person saying it is considered to be an expert, thereby misleading readers into believing that this theory is scientifically credible. This demonstrates the importance of verifying scientific claims with other experts in the same field, rather than simply taking such claims from a single expert at face value.

SCIENTISTS FEEDBACK [These comments come from an evaluation of a related claim.] Aaron T. Irving, Senior Research Fellow, Duke-NUS Medical School:Its easier to believe misinformation when it is mixed with truth. The region highlighted in the pre-print is indeed an insertion in nCoV-2019 relative to its bat ancestors and indeed it has high identity to the HIV gp120/gag. However, the authors chose to align only this small region and not do a basic check on whether there were other sequences which were also homologous (showing high degree of similarity/identity). As it turned out, the region is also homologous to many unrelated sequences. As such, the conclusions drawn from the data are no longer valid and there are many open-ended questions regarding this region highlighted. I see the authors themselves agree with this criticism by other scientists and have voluntarily withdrawn their preprint pending a much deeper investigation.

The author of this article by European Scientist also compared the genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and found no significant similarity, explaining that In plain English, SARS-CoV-2 is not made of the bat coronavirus and small bits of the HIV virus. Readers who wish to verify the level of sequence identity between the two viruses for themselves are welcome to follow the steps listed in the article.

Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier inaccurately claims that the novel coronavirus is man-made and contains genetic material from HIV - Health Feedback

The Very Sad Childfree Life : Strange Notions

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

TimeMagazine's recent cover story "The Childfree Life" has generated a good deal of controversy and commentary. The photo that graces the cover of the edition pretty much sums up the argument: a young, fit couple lounge languidly on a beach and gaze up at the camera with blissful smilesand no child anywhere in sight.

What the editors want us to accept is that this scenario is not just increasingly a fact in our country, but that it is morally acceptable as well, a lifestyle choice that some people legitimately make. Whereas in one phase of the feminist movement, "having it all" meant that a woman should be able to both pursue a career and raise a family, now it apparently means a relationship and a career without the crushing encumbrance of annoying, expensive, and demanding children.

There is no question that childlessness is on the rise in theUnited States. Our birthrate is the lowest in recorded history, surpassing even the crash in reproduction that followed the economic crash of the 1930's. We have not yet reached the drastic levels found in Europe (inItaly, for example, one in four women never give birth), but childlessness has risen in our country across all ethnic and racial groups, even those that have traditionally put a particular premium on large families.

What is behind this phenomenon? The article's author spoke to a variety of women who had decided not to have children and found a number of different reasons for their decision. Some said that they simply never experienced the desire for children; others said that their careers were so satisfying to them that they couldn't imagine taking on the responsibility of raising children; still others argued that in an era when bringing up a child costs upward of $250,000, they simply couldn't afford to have even one baby; and the comedian Margaret Cho admitted, bluntly enough, "Babies scare me more than anything." A researcher at the London School of Economics weighed in to say that there is a tight correlation between intelligence and childlessness: the smarter you are, it appears, the less likely you are to have children!

In accord with the tenor of our time, those who have opted out of the children game paint themselves, of course, as victims. They are persecuted, they say, by a culture that remains relentlessly baby-obsessed and, in the words of one of the interviewees, "oppressively family-centric." Patricia O'Laughlin, a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist, specializes in helping women cope with the crushing expectations of a society that expects them to reproduce. As an act of resistance, many childless couples have banded together for mutual support. One such group in Nashville comes together for activities such as "zip-lining, canoeing, and a monthly dinner the foodie couple in the group organizes." One of their members, Andrea Reynolds, was quoted as saying, "We can do anything we want, so why wouldn't we?"

What particularly struck me in this article was that none of the people interviewed ever moved outside of the ambit of his or her private desire. Some people, it seems, are into children, and others aren't, just as some people like baseball and others prefer football. No childless couple would insist that every couple remain childless, and they would expect the same tolerance to be accorded to them from the other side. But never, in these discussions, was reference made to values that present themselves in their sheer objectivity to the subject, values that make a demand on freedom. Rather, the individual will was consistently construed as sovereign and self-disposing.

And this represents a sea change in cultural orientation. Up until very recent times, the decision whether or not to have children would never have been simply "up to the individual." Rather, the individual choice would have been situated in the context of a whole series of values that properly condition and shape the will: family, neighborhood, society, culture, the human race, nature, and ultimately, God. We can see this so clearly in the initiation rituals of primal peoples and in the formation of young people in practically every culture on the planet until the modern period. Having children was about carrying on the family name and tradition; it was about contributing to the strength and integrity of one's society; it was about perpetuating the great adventure of the human race; it was a participation in the dynamisms of nature itself. And finally, it was about cooperating with God's desire that life flourish: "And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it" (Gen. 9:7).

None of this is meant to be crushing to the will, but liberating. When these great values present themselves to our freedom, we are drawn out beyond ourselves and integrated into great realities that expand us and make us more alive.

It is finally with relief and a burst of joy that we realize that our lives are not about us. Traditionally, having children was one of the primary means by which this shift in consciousness took place. That increasingly this liberation is forestalled and that people are finding themselves locked in the cold space of what they sovereignly choose, I find rather sad.Originally posted at Real Clear Religion. Used with author's permission.(Image credit: TIME Magazine)

Note: Our goal is to cultivate serious and respectful dialogue. While it's OK to disagreeeven encouraged!any snarky, offensive, or off-topic comments will be deleted. Before commenting please read the Commenting Rules and Tips. If you're having trouble commenting, read the Commenting Instructions.

Continue reading here:

The Very Sad Childfree Life : Strange Notions

How this working mum is coping without her village during the coronavirus pandemic – ABC News

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Six months after her son Benedict was born, Skye was looking forward to getting back to work.

Needless to say, the pandemic has thrown the project manager's best-laid plans into a spin but true to form, Skye and husband Jonathan have found a unique way to manage life.

We've been following Skye's journey into motherhood since she wrote to us about her parenting fears.

Last time we spoke, the 37-year-old Sydneysider was finding her feet after "baby blues", and going into work with her husband at the family business, Benny in tow, for a sense of normalcy.

A key part of what helped make motherhood work for Skye was her "village". As for so many new mums, social distancing has taken that away.

We spoke to Skye about working and caring for Benny (now eight months old) full time, and how the pandemic has changed their life.

She's one of many people ABC Life heard from during our series on being childfree by choice. And now she's a new mum, we're checking back in.

When Skye returned to work full time earlier in the year, child care for Benny was shared between her sister-in-law, parents and a nanny.

"It was working out really well.

"I did feel a bit weird [going back to work] because it felt like starting out again."

One of Skye's fears when we spoke to her before she gave birth was falling behind in the industry.

But she's really enjoying being back.

"It's something that's for me."

She also worried about the "crushing expectations" from society for mothers to be superheros.

Losing her village with social distancing has really put that to the test.

"That was a bit rough. The sister-in-law has to stay away and I can't be with my mum and dad.

"I remember being on the phone to my mum the night before and I was about to break out in tears."

The first day of working from home with Benny, Skye says she "cracked it".

"I was doing everything the caregiving, the cleaning, the laundry. It amplified those gender-specific tasks I had been trying to avoid [when becoming a mum]."

Her and Jonathan switched up the arrangement to instead share the family business office (which is currently empty), each having half a day there, while the other cares for Benny at home, doing as much work as they can.

"It's more about time management. I do some work while Benny is asleep at night," Skye says.

Skye is enjoying Benny more than ever as he becomes more interactive.

"Looking after him is actually quite fun, he's doing more wonderful things."

And while she describes her time with him sometimes like "looking after a drunk friend", it's the bonding time she loves the most.

"When I have him in my arms, it's a feeling of 'it's not about me, it's about him'. And that is a nice feeling."

She's also really loved seeing how much happiness Benny has brought other loved ones.

"Watching Mum and Dad be grandparents is amazing, and watching Jon's sister be an aunty, that's incredible.

"I would have missed that if he wasn't around."

The coronavirus crisis and climate change have left Skye feeling anxious about Benny's future.

"I'm definitely very sad about what sort of world I'm leaving to him," she says.

"There have been moments I've felt angry or depressed."

On the upside, she's loving their time together.

"Being able to adjust working flexibility and getting this time to reconnect that is a positive.

"I'm actually enjoying the time I'm getting with the little fella, which I wouldn't have gotten without the pandemic."

Get our newsletter for the best of ABC Life each week

See original here:

How this working mum is coping without her village during the coronavirus pandemic - ABC News

I used to judge childfree women | Life and style | The …

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

At a friends house with a group of other mothers recently, the conversation turned to someone we all knew well: married, in her early 40s. But rather than mention her career, recent house move or the fact that shed just returned from a backpacking trip around Asia, we all exchanged looks and brought up the subject of children or lack of them.

I was as guilty as the rest of my friends: speculating on her situation, wondering if she couldnt have children or didnt want to. And if she didnt want to why not? Was she career obsessed? Did she not like them? Was she a secret drinker? Cheeks were sucked in and protective, adoring glances bestowed on the toddlers playing at our feet.

But our friend, Ive since discovered, has simply chosen not to have children. She is happy for her family to be just her husband and herself. She has never felt the urge to be a mother.

Stand-up poet and writer Kate Fox feels the same; her comedy show Good Breeding, about a child-free life, played at last years Edinburgh Festival and has been adapted for Radio 4, to be broadcast next spring. Not having children is as ingrained as my sexuality and I cant remember a time when I didnt feel it. Apparently, aged three, I announced to bemused relatives that I didnt want to have children. My mum even joked about not being maternal and said her mum wasnt either. I come from a long line of unmaternal women but my mother and grandmother had more pressure on them to procreate, she says.

To Kate, its more complex than not feeling maternal and she has experienced what she sees as every possible reason for not wanting children. Its not that I dont like kids I do but I cant imagine nurturing one all the time. I also dont think Id be able to do what I do in terms of my career and social life if I had children. Then theres the environment, but if Id really wanted children, I dont think that would have stopped me.

At 39, Kate constantly questions her decision, in case she changes her mind. I dont think I will, but I suppose Im open to persuasion. Doing my show Good Breeding was an interesting experiment in a way: I was surprised how many parents came along and how open they were about their choices. I suppose Id imagined that people who have children have always wanted them. Its not that clear cut.

So has it been an easy decision? No. It has been a long road to accept myself and believe that I am just as feminine or even emotional without being a mother.

I think my doubts have been absorbed from both my family and an attitude thats ingrained in our culture.

So why do mothers like me and my friends and many other people find it difficult to understand the choice that women such as Kate have made? The child-free have come out of the tributaries of society in the last 10 to 15 years, but the childfree choice is still not totally accepted as an equally valid choice as the choice to have children, explains Laura Carroll, author of The Baby Matrix (LiveTrue Books 2012), which examines pronatalism, the set of social and cultural beliefs that influence how we think about parenthood.

The reason boils down to pronatalist social and cultural messaging that has exalted the role of parenthood for generations. When we question pronatalist beliefs and see them for what they are beliefs we will also see that choosing not to reproduce is just as normal as the choice to reproduce.

Tap #childfree into Twitter and you could be forgiven for thinking that some sort of revolution is about to take place. Social media, as well as blogs and forums such as the site Were (not) having a baby (http://werenothavingababy.com/), the forum Childfree Living (http://childfreelivinguk.yuku.com) and Tumblrs child-free section (http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/childfree) are buzzing with discussions about what its like to live without children in a family-centric society. But Laura prefers to avoid the word movement.

While the childfree would like to see this choice accepted, I dont see a collectively organised group out there pushing for this. However, like discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual preference, there is a need for working policies to reflect equal treatment for all employees, no matter who they are or the lifestyle they choose.

Laura also believes that the media often reinforces stereotypes at the same time as giving childfree families coverage. Articles with images of a beautiful couple on a beach suggest that the childfree have all kinds of free time and disposable cash to go off on exotic holidays. This is a myth the childfree come from all walks of life.

Although the internet has allowed like-minded childfree families to connect, Laura says that sending the message that childfree is some kind of new trend is wrong. For the last decade, longer in fact, the number of women without children aged 40-44 has hovered at about one in five. And census researchers have been saying for years now that the majority of that 20% have no children by choice.

Miranda Reading, 35, a PhD student, has been married to Tony, 60, for nine years. They have decided not to have children. Neither of us has ever had the slightest desire to procreate and I think our relationship is all the better for it. As for carrying on a bloodline were happy to be in an evolutionary cul-de-sac, she says.

Miranda has, however, occasionally turned to the blogs and groups that Laura talks about. Its good to know Im not alone, a freak or abnormal in some way. I think things revolve around children a lot more than they used to. Why are museums and galleries so dedicated to childrens activities that you cant look at a painting in silence or have a proper adult-level information display? Why are childfree singles and couples discriminated against in pricing structures? And why do politicians assume women are only interested in policies that involve children? Im more interested in the economy.

I think back to the assumptions we made about our friend that afternoon, and ask Cass , 28, a childfree television administrator who recently married Andy, 27, about being on the receiving end. The main preconceptions are that we dislike children, that we are no good with children, or that we have a medical reason which means we cant have children. All of those are, of course, false I have friends who have children and I love them all dearly, and as far as I am aware I am perfectly capable of reproducing. I just choose not to, which seems to be something that society cant get its collective head around so it has to come up with excuses why I must be feeling that way.

Cass and Miranda have been refused sterilisation by the NHS because they dont have children already. Cass finds that as shes in her 20s, people expect her to change her mind. They assume that once I hit 30, or when my friends start having babies, thatll be it. I find it quite offensive. As is the idea that its not fair on all those poor women who want children and are unable to conceive.

Cass says that shes often asked what her husband thinks about it. As though my decision about my own body is anything to do with him. As it happens, he is fully supportive when we got together nine years ago he was already aware of my feelings on the matter as wed been friends before, but when the relationship got serious we had another discussion to ensure we were on the same page.

Is Andy ever quizzed about his feelings? Once people discover you dont want children, they often treat you differently. The reaction can be quite condescending, as if Im naive and making the wrong choice, he says.

I dont feel that there was a specific point when I sat down and told myself I didnt want to have children, Id just never really thought much about it when I was growing up.

Listening to childfree people talk is thought-provoking and I hope it has ensured I will never jump to the same conclusions about a woman or man who isnt a parent in future.

As a mother, its easy for me to list the things that have been hard about my chosen path the trials of motherhood seem well documented.

I asked Laura Carroll, who is 54, what has been the most difficult aspect of not having had children. When my friends started having babies, it was hard finding ways to stay in as much contact with them. But that soon passed. My friends didnt assume that because I didnt have kids I didnt know anything about children and couldnt be party to a conversation about them.

Also, they didnt lose interest in what I was up to. With many childfree women and men, when it comes to how having kids can affect friendships, its easy to get hurt and feel defensive on both sides. For those with the kids and those without, the key is to not take it personally to stay in touch with your love for your friends and your curiosity about their lives.

Miranda agrees that its important not to create a distinction between herself and friends who are parents. We all need to pull together not find reasons to divide us. Being childfree is a deliberate, often difficult choice, so dont make it harder by seeing it as a lesser one.

I admire my female friends with children I admire their dedication and hard work. Id like them to start admiring me in return. I work just as hard and am just as dedicated to my own way of life. We are all women. We should be celebrating difference, not creating barriers.

This article was amended on 11 October 2018 to remove some personal information.

I used to judge childfree women | Life and style | The ...

Childfree: Im not having children because I want to save the planet – Stylist Magazine

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

I dont think we should drive ourselves to extinction by not having kids. But we could have a more integrated relationship with the earth and its other species, where we value them in their own right, rather than for resources. Its more about the belief pattern relating to our place on the earth that needs to change, rather than our actual place on the earth.

I certainly dont want my own children but if I ever decide that I do want kids in my life, I will adopt, because thats a person that is already on this earth. Its an interesting one from a demographic point of view because Im a Western white woman living in a fairly affluent area, and I have access to far more globally impacting things - such as a car - than a woman in Sudan, for example.

So if I adopted a child from a country like that, I would be taking a child who might not pollute the planet and bringing them into a situation where they could. But if I were to adopt a child in the UK, that child would probably go on to have an impact on the world anyway, and I would hope that, through my influence, they would reduce their burden on the planet as much as they could.

The rest is here:

Childfree: Im not having children because I want to save the planet - Stylist Magazine

Select Page ::