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Category Archives: Transhuman News

"Seventy-two Is the New 30": Why Are We Living So Much Longer?

Posted: October 17, 2012 at 12:21 pm

Charles Q. Choi

The death rate in industrialized countries has dropped so much in the last century or so that, for example, a 72-year-old in Japan has the same chances of dying as a preindustrial 30-year-old did, or does, a new study says.

"In other words," the researchers write, " ... 72 is the new 30."

Humans nowadays survive much longer than our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, which rarely live past 50. Even hunter-gathererswho often lack the advanced nutrition, modern medicine, and other benefits of industrialized livinghave twice the life expectancy at birth as wild chimpanzees.

So what's changed in us since the days of our ape ancestors? Are we living so much longer mainly because of changes in our lifestyles or because of genetic mutationsin other words, evolution?

(Related: "Longevity Genes Found; Predict Chances of Reaching a Hundred.")

To find out how we got to this advanced state, the study team compared death rates in industrialized countries with those in modern-day hunter-gatherer groups, whose lifestyles more closely mirror those of early modern humans.

The researchers found that the mortality rate at younger agesduring the first couple decades of lifein the industrialized world is now about 200 times lower overall than in today's hunter-gatherer groups.

"We have a greater distance in mortality levels between today's lowest-mortality nations and hunter-gatherers than there is between hunter-gatherers and chimpanzees," said study leader Oskar Burger, an evolutionary anthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany.

Longevity's Great Leap Forward

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"Seventy-two Is the New 30": Why Are We Living So Much Longer?

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Idera Pharma: Itching For Touch Up…

Posted: at 12:21 pm

10/17/2012 6:08 AM ET Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, is said to be probably one of the oldest known diseases. It is estimated that as many as 7.5 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide have psoriasis. Though there are several different types of psoriasis, the most prevalent form of the disease is plaque psoriasis.

The truth about psoriasis is that it is not just a cosmetic problem as this devastating disease causes physical pain as well as frustration and self-consciousness to the patients. There is no cure yet for psoriasis, but a number of treatments are available to manage its symptoms.

Working on the development of a treatment for patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis is Idera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IDRA: Quote), a clinical stage biotechnology company.

For readers who are new to Idera, here's a brief overview of its pipeline and the upcoming events to watch out for...

The most-advanced compound in the company's pipeline is IMO-3100, which is under phase II testing in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The phase II trial of IMO-3100 for psoriasis was initiated in April of this year and it completed the enrollment of 44 patients this month. Idera expects reporting top-line data from this phase II study by year-end 2012.

The clinical activity of IMO-3100, including the impact on Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), mean focal psoriasis severity, and Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scores are being assessed in the phase II study. In addition, biopsies of psoriasis plaques are evaluated for treatment-related changes in epidermal thickness and immune cell infiltrates consistent with the intended mechanism of action, according to the company.

The completion of the phase II study for IMO-3100 in psoriasis is expected during the first half of 2013.

Amgen's Enbrel, Abbott Labs' Humira, and Johnson & Johnson's Remicade, Simponi and Stelara are some of the FDA-approved biologic drugs for psoriasis. The global psoriasis market is estimated to be worth around $4.5 billion to $5 billion.

Idera's psoriasis drug candidate - IMO-3100, is a dual antagonist of Toll-like receptor TLR7 and TLR9, which play a key role in inflammation and immunity.

Next in the company's pipeline is IMO-8400, a first-in-class antagonist of TLRs 7, 8, and 9, for the treatment of lupus. Given the fact that IMO-8400 has demonstrated preclinical efficacy - in mouse models of lupus, Idera anticipates initiating a phase I dose escalation trial during the fourth quarter of 2012 to evaluate the safety and pharmacodynamics of IMO-8400 in healthy subjects.

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Idera Pharma: Itching For Touch Up...

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Psoriasis Patients Twice As Likely To Develop Diabetes

Posted: at 12:21 pm

Editor's Choice Main Category: Eczema / Psoriasis Also Included In: Diabetes;Dermatology Article Date: 16 Oct 2012 - 13:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Psoriasis Patients Twice As Likely To Develop Diabetes

The study, led by UC Davis researchers, was published online in Archives of Dermatology, and found a strong association between the dry skin rash and blood sugar disorder.

Psoriasis is widespread skin condition that runs in families. It is characterized by red, raised, flaky and often itchy, rash, and is found mostly on the knees and elbows, but can appear anywhere. Doctors believe it is an autoimmune disease; the body thinks of the skin as foreign and therefore gives off an inflammatory response. Earlier studies have hinted that psoriasis could be a risk factor for diabetes.

April Armstrong, assistant professor of dermatology at UC Davis and lead investigator of this study, and her team examined 27 studies of patients with psoriasis. Five of these studies looked at how many of the patients developed diabetes during the period of study, 10 to 22 years. The remainder of the studies assessed the incidence of diabetes at the commencement of the study. In total, they examined over 314,000 people with psoriasis and compared them with 3.7 million people without the disease (a control group).

The collection of data for these studies shows that patients with mild psoriasis are more than 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes than the general public, while those suffering from severe psoriasis are twice as likely.

Studies that assessed prevalence found patients with psoriasis had a 27 percent elevated risk of getting diabetes, compared with the general public.

All but one study found a link between psoriasis and diabetes. These trials contained data from outpatient clinics, insurance claims, and hospitals. The rate of diabetes was the same regardless of patients' ethnicities or countries. Armstrong explains:

She goes on to say:

More research can also verify other possible limiting factors that are seen in the current study; a factor that could be confusing, like concurrent medications used to treat psoriasis that may change the risk of developing diabetes.

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Psoriasis Remedies Book Teaches How to Get Rid of Psoriasis

Posted: at 12:21 pm

Psoriasis remedies book teaches how to get rid of psoriasis naturally. Katy Wilson, medical researcher, has authored her new book Psoriasis Remedies to help readers get rid of psoriasis using at-home remedies that do not require creams or medical solutions.

Leesburg, VA (PRWEB) October 17, 2012

Millions of Americans and more worldwide suffer from skin conditions like psoriasis. Medical research has confirmed studies globally for the past two decades by leading medical doctors. While remedies are available medically, not all people that seek treatment receive results that are satisfactory for reducing the redness and itchiness that comes with psoriasis.

The Psoriasis Remedies book was written exclusively to help men, women and children that suffer daily from the symptoms of psoriasis. The research that is included in this book was used to cure the skin conditions of the author as well as many that participated in early testing of the findings. These natural methods for curing psoriasis are based on the authors research and have not been evaluated by medical professionals.

There are certain dietary changes that can be implemented for someone that has psoriasis according to a portion of the Psoriasis Remedies book. Avoiding certain food groups and ingesting other food groups is one way to combat the symptoms and appearance of psoriasis on the skin.

The Psoriasis Remedies book is now available for download as a PDF. This book can be read on any digital reader, personal computer, mobile phone or laptop. A complete 60-day refund is offered to any person that does not cure or drastically notice relief in appearance of symptoms of psoriasis according to the author.

About Psoriasis Remedies

Katy Wilson authored the Psoriasis Remedies e-book after unsuccessfully using medical treatments to cure her psoriasis. This medical researcher put her expert skills to work and has developed multiple remedies to lessen redness, itching and skin appearance for psoriasis sufferers. While these methods have cured the authors and other peoples conditions, the Psoriasis Remedies book is based on medical research and has not been evaluated by medical professionals. This book is written as an alternative to medicinal treatments.

Jody Taylor Psoriasis Remedies 206-424-0321 Email Information

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Nanoparticles seen as gene therapy advance

Posted: at 12:20 pm

Published: Oct. 16, 2012 at 8:30 PM

EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered how to control the shape of nanoparticles that can move DNA through the body to treat cancer and other diseases.

A gene therapy technique utilizing nanoparticles is significant in that it does not use a virus to carry DNA into cells, as some gene therapy strategies relying on viruses have posed health risks, researchers at Northwestern University and John Hopkins University reported.

"These nanoparticles could become a safer and more effective delivery vehicle for gene therapy, targeting genetic diseases, cancer and other illnesses that can be treated with gene medicine," John Hopkins material science Professor Hai-Quan Mao said.

Mao, who has been developing non-viral nanoparticles for gene therapy for a decade, said a major breakthrough is the ability to "tune" the particles in three shapes, resembling rods, worms and spheres, which mimic the shapes and sizes of viral particles.

The nanoparticles carry healthy snippets of DNA within protective polymer coatings and are designed to deliver their genetic payload only after they have moved through the bloodstream and entered the target cells, prompting the cells to produce functional proteins that combat disease.

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Gene Linked to Kidney Failure

Posted: at 12:20 pm

Reported by Julielynn Wong, MD

A single gene may shed light on why more than half of transplanted kidneys fail in 10 years, a new study found.

The study of nearly 4,500 European transplant recipients, some whom were followed for 20 years, found kidneys with one version of the gene were 69 percent more likely to fail, sending patients back to dialysis and a transplant waiting list.

But with a wait list 74,000 names long and only17,500 kidneys donated annually, doctors wont be excluding any organs based on the gene variant just yet.

We just dont have enough donor kidneysto go around now, said Dr. Michael E. Shapiro, associate professor of surgery at New Jersey Medical School/University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey, who was not involved in the study. So wecouldntexclude such kidneys based solely on genetic variation.

The study authors are unsure why the gene variant is linked to a higher risk of kidney failure after a transplant, but they suspect it might have to do with the anti-rejection drugs needed to prevent the immune system from attacking the new organ. Those drugs can cause kidney failure if they accumulate in high levels, they said.

But because kidneys are such a rare and valuable resource, even those more likely to fail in the long run will continue to be transplanted. The alternative is dialysis, a process that artificially filters blood, according to Dr. Stanley Jordan, medical director of the Kidney Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, who was not involved with the study.

And dialysis has its drawbacks.

We know that remaining on dialysis has a very high mortality rate, as high as 20 percent per year for some patients, said Jordan.

Dialysis costs roughly $85,000 per year, compared with $19,000 per year for a working transplanted kidney, Jordan said, citing a 2011 report on the United States Renal Data System website. But the cost of treating a failed kidney transplant can be as high as $230,000 in the first year, with Medicare usually bearing the brunt of these costs, he added.

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Theatre censorship set to be a thing of the past

Posted: at 12:19 pm

Photo from an Off-Broadway production of Stitching. Banned in Malta in 2009, the play was staged with a 14 rating in the UK.

Teodor Reljic

Though the death of theatre censorship as we know it was signalled by Minister for Culture Mario de Marco as early as January, the long-awaited decision to strip the Police of all matters related to classification of film and theatre was finally passed in its second reading in parliament yesterday, which signifies broad agreement on its contents from both sides of the House.

The act officialises a proposal to transfer all laws regulating the classification of film and theatre productions from the Police to the Ministry for Culture.

The move comes in the wake of an often-torturous censorship debate which was sparked more than once on the island over the last couple of years, impacting more than just the theatrical scene.

Pia Zammit and Mikhail Basmadjan

It was the landmark 'Stitching' case that brought the issue to public attention, however, after local drama company Unifaun Theatre attempted to stage the UK drama -penned by Anthony Nielson, and staged in Edinburgh with a '14' rating -in 2009, only to be banned by the Film and Classification Board at the time.

READ MORE: Censored no more what is the future of Maltese theatre?

The Board itself has since been dissolved in favour of a system of self-regulation - as proposed by de Marco in the original draft law calling for a relaxation on censorship laws -however this particular proposal remains to be formalised.

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China scrambles to censor novelist Mo Yan's Nobel Prize

Posted: at 12:19 pm

HONG KONG It didnt take long for the Chinese government to try to take control of the conversation about Mo Yan.

Days after the 57-year-old novelist thrilled his country by winning the Nobel Prize for literature, Chinas central censorship organ issued a directive to media companies instructing them to strictly police online discussion for anti-party chatter or mentions of two other Chinese-born Nobel winners.

China Digital Times has atranslationof the leaked directive:

To all websites nationwide: In light of Mo Yan winning the Nobel prize for literature, monitoring of microblogs, forums, blogs and similar key points must be strengthened. Be firm in removing all comments which disgrace the party and the government, defame cultural work, mention Nobel laureates Liu Xiaobo and Gao Xingjian and associated harmful material. Without exception, block users from posting for ten days if their writing contains malicious details.

Liu Xiaobo, a human rights activist and author, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, but he remains in prison in China. Gao Xingjian won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2000 after giving up his Chinese citizenship in 1996.

More from GlobalPost: Kernels of truth in "China bashing"

Official media has also been trying to steer the public toward acceptable lines of thinking about Mo Yan. In the state-run Peoples Daily, an editorial urges people to adopt one of three mentalities about Mo Yan that can be considered correct.

These prescribed perspectives are: seeing his victory as a blessing for those in China who have long had the Nobel Prize complex; seeing it as a good thing that should not be over-interpreted; and rejecting those who criticize his work.

The last order presumably targets those in China who reacted to Mos victory with anger. While the overwhelming response was celebratory, a number of reform-minded Chinese knocked Mo Yan for having an apparently cozy relationship with authorities. Mo Yan remains a member of the Communist Party, and the vice chairman of the party-run Writers Association. He also contributed to a book of calligraphy in tribute to Mao Zedong.

Liao Yiwu, a celebrated author who was imprisoned for writing about the Tiananmen Square massacre, called the prize a woeful example of the West's fuzzy morals, in an interview with Der Spiegel in Germany, where he has lived since fleeing China in 2011.

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Ron Paul: A Major Event Could Occur during the Next Administration – Video

Posted: at 12:19 pm

16-10-2012 00:29 - Please like, share, subscribe & comment! Facebook Backup YouTube channel: Email updates: Video by Bexar Liberty at http 10/13/2012 Ron Paul is America's leading voice for limited, constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, sound money, and a pro-America foreign policy. To spread the message, visit and promote the following websites: (grassroots website) http (Ron Paul in Congress) (discussion forum) Disclaimer This video is not-for-profit clip that is uploaded for the purpose of education, teaching, and research, which falls under fair use according to the Copyright Act of 1976 and tips the balance in favor of fair use; all intellectual content within the video remains property of its respective owners.

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Obama, Romney and Federal Reserve independence

Posted: at 12:19 pm

Politics Obama, Romney And The Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve is a hot-button issue for some members of Congress, for instance the former presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul from Texas. Though Paul's supporters were no doubt disappointed that he failed to win the nod from the GOP, his antipathy for the central bank did get some recognition with a spot in the Republican platform.

From the platform:

(The) Republican Party will work to advance substantive legislation that brings transparency and accountability to the Federal Reserve, the Federal Open Market Committee and the Fed's dealings with foreign central banks. The first step to increasing transparency and accountability is through an annual audit of the Federal Reserve's activities.

Though it sounds vaguely Ron-Paulian, Mitt Romney, Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor, has not advocated or endorsed the Audit the Fed bill approved by the House in July.

The bill does offer some specific ideas about where in the central bank to shine some light. Those include discount window and open market operations, agreements with foreign governments and central banks, and Federal Open Market Committee directives.

The discount window is the Federal Reserve's emergency lending operation for banks. When solvent banks can't find short-term financing through other means, they can go to the Fed as the lender of last resort. Banks that borrow through the discount window are not publically identified. The term "open market operations" refers to programs in which the central bank buys securities in the open market.

"The Fed, just like any bank, is always audited to the extent of basic operations to make sure there's no malfeasance," says David Stasavage, a professor of politics at New York University. "But, what they've pushed on more -- and I think this is more of a hot-button issue -- is the extent to which Federal Reserve deliberations or records of deliberations should be subject to greater scrutiny."

As it currently stands, the regular monetary policy meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, are strictly closed-door affairs. Three weeks after the meeting, a paraphrasing of the minutes is released. After five years, a lightly edited verbatim transcript is released.

While Romney has publically thrown his support behind the idea of auditing the Fed, his campaign has not offered many details beyond that.

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