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Dr. Evelyne Bischof speaking at the 2020 China-Israel Summit on Longevity Medicine

Over the past decade, we witnessed unprecedented advances in the field of biogerontology, and the massive convergence of biotechnology, information technology, AI, and medicine. And now we are witnessing the birth of a new field of longevity medicine, which integrates the latest advances in many of these fields of science and technology. My definition longevity medicine is advanced personalized preventative medicine powered by deep biomarkers of aging and longevity.

And, like in the field of AI for drug discovery, women are at the forefront of this revolution and there were precedents when we had to look for a male physician to make a conference panel more diverse.

One of the physician-scientists who stands out in this area is Dr. Evelyne Yehudit Bischof. I first got a note with a request for more information on one of our research papers from Dr. Bischof on December 30th, 2019 while in Shanghai. A request I almost ignored due to the heavy workload but accidentally I looked at her profile which was highly unusual. In brief, Evelyne is a German medical doctor with an MD from Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, who interned at Columbia University, and Harvard MGH and Beth Israel Medical Deaconess, attending physician at University Hospital Basel in Switzerland, and associate professor at Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences. She fluently spoke six languages including German, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese, which was quite impressive. The second time we met was at Human Longevity Inc, in San Diego when she was interviewing with one of the most influential entrepreneurs and investors in longevity biotechnology, Dr. Wei-Wu He to join HLI as a longevity physician.

Dr. Evelyne Yehudit Bischof

The longevity industry is rapidly emerging and longevity clinics are being set up in various parts of the world. So I decided to ask Eva a few questions to elucidate this new and emerging industry.

Alex: Eva, we know each other for almost a year and you do not fail to impress with your academic publications, public lectures, and clinical work. You are as close to the longevity physician as it can possibly get. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and about the work that you are doing on the clinical side and on the research side?

Dr. Evelyne Bischof: Thank you, Alex it is an honor to be so generously introduced by a true innovator, scientist and entrepreneur, as well as a longevity KOL and allow me to revert the compliment. I am a rather globally oriented internal medicine specialist, with training and work experience in Germany, USA, Switzerland and China. For almost a decade now, I have been splitting my time between Shanghai and Basel, creating a path that allowed me to conclude my residency and fellowship, develop translational and clinical research niches and collaborators, as well as to engage actively in academic medical education. While my clinical work was mostly based in a university clinic in Basel in internal, intensive and onco-hematologic medicine wards, my scientific pursuits and academic teaching were mostly based in Shanghai, where I went along the track from a junior lecturer to an associate professor in 2016. My research focused primarily, but not exclusively, on oncology and being an internist at core on geroncology and precision medicine in general internal medicine. Geroncology is a crucial field that investigates the very much interlinked pathways of aging and tumorigenesis, leading to the epidemiological observation that age is the number one risk factor to develop cancer for all.

Both Switzerland and China are innovative hubs with strong medical and bioscientific profile, which allowed me to learn from some of the finest experts worldwide. The frequent travels and splitting my life between continents were not always easy, but - coming from a simple background of non-academic farmer and handcraft family Alongside - I will be forever grateful for all the great people I met and worked with, the abundant cultural nuances and differences I was able to learn and appreciate, the stimulating and constructive exchange and so much more in soft and hard skills, on professional and personal level. with the emergence of AI-based solutions in the clinic and with the rise of longevity medicine, my passion and efforts are now focused on these domains, while I continue my clinical practice in the university hospitals, academic lecturing at two medical schools (currently in Shanghai - due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions) and research/public speaking (globally - thanks to COVID-19-related shift to virtual communication).

Alex: Can you tell us about your perspective on the emerging field of longevity medicine starting from your own definition of the field?

Dr. Evelyne Bischof: With pleasure! My personal definition of longevity medicine is clear: it is precision medicine driven by deep aging biomarkers. Surely, the definition is succinct, but extremely deep. Precision medicine is per se an enormously complex and dynamic field, driven by multimodally mined data and their constant re-evaluation, reannotation and reiteration to provide qualitative and quantitative using AI-algorithm outputs applicable for clinical practice. Longevity medicine is a to say the next generation of precision medicine that evaluates the patient within the reference range for the patients ideal age (usually 20-30) and is looking for ways to reduce the gap between the current parameters and the parameters of maximum physical performance for the ideal age. Deep aging clocks as quantifiable, trackable and accurate biomarkers of aging and an indispensable component of longevity medicine. Without being able to actually measure the biological age and its changes due to interventions, longevity medicine cannot be performed. I strongly believe that this field of medicine will revolutionize healthcare and change the mindset of all the doctors, the policy makers, the stakeholders and above all: the patients. Allow me to add that I consider each of us as a patient we all suffer from aging! I also believe that citing Peter Diamandis in the future, if a physician wont be using A.I. in guiding diagnosis and therapy, it'll be a malpractice". This said, I would love to add that we need more passionate physicians in longevity and this can only be achieved with an appropriate educational setting, which will be inaugurated this month by Deep Longevity and collaborators.

Alex: What do you see as the most promising developments in the field of longevity medicine that can truly push the needle and add a few decades if not more to the healthy youthful life of the individual?

Dr. Evelyne Bischof: Besides of deep aging clocks and AgeMetrics, which I truly without cronyism embrace and would encourage all physicians to implement in their daily practice, I see a big potential in gene therapies, in (natural and designed) gerolytics and senolytics, as well as supplements that will show safe efficacy in combating senescence from the molecular to system level. Studies on AKG, rapamycin and metformin are already fueling this hope. Of course, all interventions will require a prior comprehensive precision health assessment and continuous monitoring. For the latter, the wearables and applications will certainly bring us even faster to an extension of a healthy and productive lifespan.

I am encouraged by the fact that there are two major developments, perpetuated by the racing speed of longevity medicine and geroscience. Number one: doctors are shifting from putting a patient on meds to putting a patient on a personalized longevity protocol that becomes a natural, integral, rewarding part of their lives. Number two: society is realizing that it is not important how old one is, but how one shows his/her own age. Remembering this allows one to make sure he or she does not become a slave of the myths about the elderly, but also to be mindful that even at an early chronological age, one might actually experience silent accelerating aging due to modifiable risk factors or pathomechanisms.

Alex: Without promoting Human Longevity Inc or Health Nucleus 100+, can you tell us what an average person with an average income can do to increase their performance and longevity?

Dr. Evelyne Bischof speaking at the 2020 China-Israel Summit on Longevity Medicine

Dr. Evelyne Bischof: This is a very valid question in fact, when it comes to reasonably boosting performance and creating a good base for longevity, one does not necessarily be wealthy. The components of the magic mixture are the well-known pillars of preventative and functional medicine: exercise, nutrition, supplements, moderation. However, longevity physicians are now able to customize the right proportions of each for a specific person, minding the biovariability, comorbidities, chronological age, but also lifestyle and preferences. In an extreme generalization, I would suggest caloric restriction via intermittent fasting to an overall healthy person, with at least an A-Z vitamin and mineral supplement, 15-30min workout at least 3 times a week, moderation in substance use to the minimum, but with permissible enjoyment, if needed (alcohol and cigarettes), a minimum of 6 hours of sleep without interruption, circadian rhythm (regular times) of sleep and food intake, no meals at night (at least 4 hours before night rest) and very importantly cognitive activities (books, foreign languages, crosswords), preferably rewarding ones so that the psychological wellbeing area is also covered. Everyone is able to use stairs as their gym, to not to eat before sleep, to choose water over other drinks, to laugh aloud to oneself and to learn text parts by heart (because decelerating psychological aging and cognitive decline are crucial aspects of healthy longevity). I recall I was always reading the ingredients and how to use? texts on tubes during shower, so as not to waste the time. My first sentence in Russian was actually the instruction of how to use a shampoo.

Dr. Evelyne Bischof speaking at a conference on aging and longevity

Alex: And if someone has nearly unlimited access to capital, what should they do?

Dr. Evelyne Bischof: I believe, as in any other business or property of this particular population, the individuals should seek good investments and insurance in relation to their health and the health of their significant surrounding (family, friends, workers etc.). The investment should involve as precise diagnostics as possible, that harnesses all cutting edge and untapped potential of the human genome, deep quantitative phenotyping, complete -omics and -ioms (e.g. microbiome, epigenomics, metabolomics, proteomics etc.), advanced imaging with radiogenomic algorithms etc. As it is a dynamic field, constantly evolving and implementing new features and/or better ways of interpretation, such diagnostic comprehensive checkups (or part of them) should be repeated regularly. The insurance part does not relate to a contracted policy, but to a complex entity of lifestyle recommendations and interventions lead by an entrusted longevity physician (basically a physician that can list and pronounce the aforementioned terms), who understands and permanently advances in the field, being able to combine human and artificial intelligence and customize an individual approach of prevention and (if needed) therapy for a specific patient. In addition, the leading physician needs to comprehend and implement the personal challenges and preferences of the patient, such as mostly disturbed wake-sleep rhythm, irregular and unhealthy social meals, acute and chronic stress exposure, irritability or fatigue etc., to create a program that will be realistic, allow the patient to remain compliant and engaged based on his/her educated informed decisions. Simply said: knowing 150 GB of a patients data, a physician of trust should be a good lead towards identification, mitigation and elimination of actionable diseases (years and decades ahead) and risk factors that curb the quantity and quality of life.

Alex: I know maybe 3-4 people like you in the world, who have an MD, are actively engaged in biomedical research, and work with some of the high-profile clients who are spoiled with the most cutting-edge medical care provided by the top medical institutions. And all of them are women. Why do we see such gender imbalance in the field?

Dr. Evelyne Bischof in the clinic

Dr. Evelyne Bischof: Again thank you very much for this encouraging statement, this time speaking on behalf of women in medicine, academia and STEM. As you know, one of my side areas of interest is the study of biological sex differences in various diseases, predominantly cancer, and ultimately also on the sex (biological) and gender (socio-cultural) variables influencing pathomechanisms, diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, resulting differing toxicities, follow up strategies and outcomes (recovery, chronification etc.). It was natural to engage in debates and develop curiosity about the gender distribution in academia in general. Recently, with an ad hoc group of collaborators from Europe, USA and China, we demonstrated in a Lancet Oncology paper that female representation at the podium, meaning as keynote speakers and scientific committees at the largest oncological conferences in China. Our data showed that China is much more inclusive, without an intensive active promotion or directives towards gender quotas. As you know, I am a big fan of this country, but this quantitative study once again showed how impressive this country is and perhaps we found one of the contributing factors for the nations booming leading role in biotech and medicine.

Overall however, there are indeed significant differences in various fields, as well as an overall underrepresentation of females in leadership and podium roles. I am happy to see that in longevity science and medicine, we have dedicated females that can unfold their passions and translate them into viable solutions that do impact the public and individual health. As always, the reasons are multifold, but perhaps the most important one is that in longevity, driven women are emerging in an inclusive environment that embraces non-discriminating and non-stigmatized diversion. In different words: the longevity field seems to embrace inclusion at the same (ultrarapid) pace as STEM and medicine are evolving. The sex and gender differences clearly allow to generate creativity and innovation it is a mutually perpetuating process. Last but not least, it is thanks to committed male mentors and collaborators that actually value D&I (diversity and inclusion) intuitively or knowingly (based on evidence that diverse teams outperform the less diverse one by over 35%). Most male KOLs in longevity, like yourself, promote and underline the importance of D&I. On a final note myself, personally, I have always remained at the unconscious side when facing a person I work with. Accountability, motivation and fairness have proven to be non-gender related in my experience as I have faced many challenges being a (previously young) female, permanent foreigner and on top of that blond. The typical situation at a round dinner table in China with 12 male professors usually ended up with us all laughing at my gambei with water being the only discrepancy from the norm.

Dr. Evelyne Bischof speaking at the 2020 China-Israel Summit on Longevity Medicine

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Women In Longevity Medicine And The Rise Of The Longevity Physician - Forbes

In the days after it became clear that the White House had suffered a COVID-19 outbreak, many who had been in the building or interacted with the President wondered aloud: why hadnt they heard from contact tracers?

But though the idea of a legion of agents armed with the know-how to trace and detect an outbreak may be comforting, its one of a series of misconceptions that surround the idea of contact tracing in the U.S.

Though the concept has been successfully implemented in countries around the world and in a few locations here, the U.S. as a whole lags far behind where it needs to be in order to have contact tracing function as an effective tool to mitigate and control the pandemic.

Beyond the lack of infrastructure, personnel, and funding for the local public health departments that conduct contact tracing, the approach also faces a conceptual problem due to the massive amount of virus that continue to spread across the country.

Theres just too much viral load for contact tracing to be effective right now, Gary Slutkin, a former WHO epidemiologist who fought disease in Africa, told TPM.

Whats left is a bleak but revealing picture: a key tool needed to bring the pandemic to an end is missing.

Contact tracing operates on a simple principle: if you can identify who an infected person has been in close contact with, you can get ahead of COVID-19 by quarantining those exposed to the virus.

The approach is an essential component of any pandemic mitigation and prevention strategy, allowing public health officials to catch and halt transmission chains as they occur.

But its a huge ask. A report from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials estimated that nearly 330,000 contact tracers would be needed nationwide, assuming a ratio of one contact tracer per one thousand citizens.

And contact tracing is most suited for the beginning and ends of the epidemic curve,Josh Michaud, associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told TPM times whencases are few enough that individual outbreaks can be tracked down and potential cases contained.Thats not the situation the U.S. finds itself in today, with only somewhat-mitigated spread.

In places where you have a city or a county or something where theres just widespread transmission, too many cases to count, in that kind of situation you dont see contact tracing having much of an impact, Michaud said.

Coupled with the overwhelming rate of new cases in the U.S., slow testing turnaround times and lack of resources for the local public health departments that actually trace contacts drastically reduce the effectiveness of an already sparsely used program.

If results are being delayed 7-10 days, contact tracing almost is worthless because you cant identify people quickly before theyve already spread the virus, Michaud noted.

Public health departments around the country are already equipped to handle the function in limited ways due to past experience with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical School, told TPM.

Its traditionally done at the local level, by the city or county health departments, and it takes some training, he added. It depends on gaining the trust of the person whom youre interviewing for the case.

We havent had a lot of resources, Schaffner added.

Congress appropriated $25 billion for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing in March as part of the CARES Act.

But since then, no new federal dollars have been earmarked for the task.

Experts told TPM that in an ideal scenario, COVID-19 transmission would be reduced to a level where contact tracing would be effective: individual outbreaks could be caught and stopped by local public health departments.

If you think of the population as being infected in a more circumscribed way the White House, for example contact tracing there can be very, very helpful, Schaffner added. You can button things up in that particular population. But if you think of our population at large, regardless of what were doing with contact tracing, it has a much less notable effect.

And though some areas like New York City have managed to stand up groups of contact tracers to try to identify and halt new outbreaks as they occur, many areas with underfunded health departments have had trouble finding the money and time to track down the contacts of people infected with COVID-19.

Several proposals would see billions of dollars go towards local public health departments, allowing them to hire scores of contact tracers that would be able to meet the level the country needs to keep virus transmission at a level far lower than it is today.

ASTHO and Johns Hopkins released an estimate saying that 100,000 contact tracers was the minimum needed nationally to rapidly identify, contain, support, and re-testindividuals who are infected and have been exposed.

The Biden campaign has latched onto that number, committing to establishing a U.S. Public Health Job Corps that would be composed of at least 100,000 people to work on public health issues around COVID-19, including contact tracing. Biden has also said that he would establish a U.S. Public Health Service Reserve Corps that would deploy around the country to train local health departments to detect and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Other questions around massive budgetary losses in local government linger. Public health departments are already constrained by a steep drop in tax revenue, making it difficult to add more services.

The HEROES Act, House Democrats bill aimed at addressing the pandemic, includes a $75 billion appropriation for testing and contact tracing which would go part of the way towards addressing this.

But, Michaud argued, to have avoided outbreaks in the fall and coming winter, the country should have made these investments months ago.

The time to invest was yesterday, he said. We needed to make sure to have those in place for what could be a surge in cases going forward as the weather gets colder.

See the rest here:
White House Outbreak Exposes Contact Tracing-Shaped Hole In US COVID Response - TPM

By Dr. Monica Capella l Associate Veterinarian, VCA Calvert Veterinary Center

With the fall weather comes the beautiful parts of the season carving pumpkins, apple pies, the changing of the leaves and the excitement of Halloween. With the hocus pocus, spooky ghosts and holiday fun also comes one of my favorite parts of all the candy! Its no surprise that our furry friends also find these sweet treats appealing, but for them, there are real dangers hiding behind the shiny wrappers.

Chocolate toxicity is a common problem we see this time of year in veterinary medicine, and we are going to go through what signs to look for in your pets, some tips and tricks for minimizing exposure for your pets, and helpful resources for owners to contact in the event of ingestion. At the end of this article, we will also highlight some major points about xylitol toxicity.

There is a significant variation in how your dog may respond to chocolate toxicity relative to other dogs. Smaller dogs and pre-existing conditions like liver, kidney, heart and neurologic disease may make your dog more susceptible to chocolate toxicity. Mild to moderate signs we look for in dogs are vomiting, increased urination, diarrhea and restlessness. Additional warning signs can include agitation, hyperactivity, ataxia (stumbling gait), increased heart rate, breathing faster, high temperature and high blood pressure. Severe toxicity may cause tremors, seizures, severe abnormal heart rhythms, coma and death, which is why identifying exposure and being as informed as possible is critical when contacting an animal poison control center.

Tips And Tricks For Owners

Helpful Links/Resources For Owners

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952115

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=6107960

Xylawhat? Xylitol!

Xylitol is a sugar substitute compound that has become more popular in todays market and is found in products like sugarless gum, toothpaste and certain brands of peanut butter. Your dogs normal response to sugar intake is the same as in the human body ingestion of sugar leads to release of insulin to help move that sugar into the tissues to be used for energy. The problem with Xylitol is that we can see an increased release of insulin (three to seven times greater) in dogs, leading to severely low blood sugar. Signs can include vomiting, tremors, incoordination, collapse, and seizures within 30 minutes 12 hours of ingestion. Unfortunately, Xylitol ingestion in dogs can be a two-part problem as the liver becomes affected, leading to acute liver failure, bleeding and clotting problems. If you suspect your dog has ingested Xylitol, contact your veterinarian and poison control center immediately to learn the next steps and have your pet evaluated.

Helpful Links/Resources For Owners

In regards to chocolate and Xylitol toxicity for your pets, the best medicine is preventative medicine. Staying informed and limiting your pets risk of ingestion will help make this fall season safe and enjoyable for everyone in the family, including your canine and feline companions. The veterinarians and staff at VCA Calvert Center thank you for your time and dedication to the care of your pets, and they are available by phone or email if you have additional questions or concerns. We wish everyone a season of safe and happy memories during these times!

The veterinarians of VCA Calvert Veterinary Center have over 35 years of combined experience helping pets stay healthy and happy. For more information about how to care for your exotic pet, call today for an appointment at 410-360-PAWS or schedule online at http://www.vcahospitals.com/calvert. VCA Calvert Veterinary Center is conveniently located at 4100 Mountain Road and has been proudly serving the Pasadena community for over 16 years.

See the article here:
The Dangers Of Chocolate And Xylitol Toxicity In Dogs And Cats - Severna Park Voice

BrandonFlanery

bflanery@uccs.edu

Can you be LGBTQ+ and Christian?

Thisquestion is critical, as itstheprimary reason why U.S. Americans are leaving evangelical churches.

According to Public Religion Research, 70 percent of millennials are alienatedbychurchesjudgments towards LGBTQ+individuals, and with good reason.

According to the Trevor Project, LGB youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth, and according to the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, religious LGBTQ+ youth are significantlymore likelythan their non-religious peers to attempt suicide.

We cant afford to not have an informed opinion on this. There are literally human lives at stake, andunless youre burying yourself underground (literally or symbolically),you willcome into contact withLGBTQ+peopleat some point in your life.Were statistically everywhere. Shoot, you might even have one as a kid. What are you going to do then?

With all that in mind, my hope is that I can help you start the journey with this article.

First off, why me? Well, because Im Christian, gay, was raised in the church, worked in ministry,Ileft ministry and Christianity because of the pain I endured. But Icame back, researched and prayed through my position on being gay and Christian, and Im now buildingbelievr, an app that exists tohelp LGBTQ+ Christians find belongingandconnection in love.

I dont say that to toot my own horn. Its to help build some ethos as quickly as possible(after all, Im already breaking the character limit; my editor is going to kill me).

So,forsakeof brevity,Im going to point you to two amazing resources that will elaborate far more succinctly that I ever willbe able toin a short article. TheReformation Project and Beloved Ariseare two organizations that havecatalogued resources like books and videos by scholars to show you that it is okay to be queer and Christian.

Readingany of the books they recommend is a great start. In summary, they will all tell youthe same thing: the condemnationofLGBTQ+ peopleiswrong, andany verse thatalludesto the condemnation of LGBTQ+ peopleismissing context and has been mistranslated over the centuries.In fact, most of the verses about homosexuality inthe Biblewere translated as pedophilia all the way upuntilthe 1950s.

But Ill let the experts speakonthis,because theyll do a far better job. What I want to do in this article isa little more meta. I want tobring into question what it means to be a Christian and how that affects those whoare LGBTQ+.

When growing up,I was told insensately, Christianity isnt a religion; its a relationship. Heres the problem: I would hear it from the most religious people. Heres the other problem: even though itsa hypocriticalclich, theyre right.

Religion says, Heres what you do to please God Heres what you do to get to Heaven Heres what you do to be a good (insert religiousnoun)

Its all about whatthe humandoes in relation to the deity in question.

Thats not what Jesus came to do; He didnt come to create a new way of getting to God.

The reason Christianity (in its purest form) isactually differentthan all other religionsis that humanity had been trying to get to God for millennia, and we werent able. Were not able.Instead, God said, Im coming to them, and Im making all this right.

The word gospelliterally translates to good news. If were talking about another way to get to God, thats not good news. None of us can make it, regardless of what the magic formulais.Thats thepointof the Bible hundreds of humanstooka good shot at getting to God,and none of them did.So,God had to come to us.

Christianity is truly just about trust.Its not about what I do to get to God, including my sexuality.Its about knowing humanity has done a shit job of being perfect. We keep fucking it up. We were never enough. But Jesus was enough, andtrustingin His love, in His goodness,leads us to loving Him and loving others. Thats the work of Christianity.

I want to pointtotwo places in the Bible to make a point here.

The first one is Genesis 1-3 (you know, the verses that make it so that Christians dont believe in evolution). In this story Adam and Eve ate from theTree of theKnowledge of Good and Evil (religion), and it cursed them and all of humanity. If we continue to live out of this tree of religion, were going to keep cursing humanity. Just look at historyanyone heard of the Crusades? Or the wars in Ireland? Or whats currently happening inKashmir?

Instead, were called to life in the Tree of Life, which is living in connection to Jesus (relationship),who is the embodiment of Love.

Which brings me to my next story in Acts 15.

In short, heres what happened:non-Jews, or Gentiles,were becoming Christians;Jewish Christianswere complaining they werent obeying the law; everyone was confused on what to do. Were these Christians who wouldnt obey the law actually saved?

Heres the crazy part, and not a ton of Christians talk about this.

In response to this unrest, the 12 disciples of Jesuscame together at the Council of Jerusalem andprayed. After which, they decided thatGentileChristiansshouldfollow threerules.

What? Can humans just change the rules? They can if theres a higher rule that is helping them navigate the world. A new commandment I give you:Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another(John 13:34).

Jesus came to fulfill the law, to fulfill religion,because we couldnt make it to God. After He took care of it all, He says, Go love.

The reason the 12 disciples of Jesus gave instructions (not laws)to theseGentileChristianswas not becauseJesus got it wrong.They were fulfillingHis new instruction; they wereteachingthe firstChristians tolovepeople in a new context that was foreign to them.

And thats what Christians are called todo to love God and people inourcurrent context. Andaccording to that context,wevalue women,we valueegalitarianism,we value racial justice, we value equity,andwe value ourLGBTQ+brothers and sisters because they are worthy of love.

The culture to which the Bible was written used sodomy as a way of degrading conquered nations, of using power to abuse those who were powerless. It wasnt abouta sharedlove. That wasnt their context. But that is our context now, and Christians can fulfill the words of Christ,loving our neighborsby believing and trusting that their LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters and non-binary siblingsareloved in the eyes of God,andthatHis sacrifice through Jesus was more than enoughfor us all.

Regardless of gay or straight, cis or trans, none of us could make it and all of us believed God was cruel. The message of Christ is that He was able and that He is love, if we believe.

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died more than that, who was raised to lifeis at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord(Romans 8:34-39).

Read more:
Can you be LGBTQ+ and Christian? - The Scribe

Investments into precision medicine companies is rising, but how much has it helped?

What healthcare will look like when the COVID pandemic is over is tough to say right now. What new technologies will emerge from this? What new data sets are created and how they are shared? Will healthcare shift to being more preventative? That will likely take years to sort out.

One interesting thing to look out for will be if we see a rise in precision health. This is healthcare that is tailored to each individual person, using their genes to figure out what treatments will work best for them. In a pandemic like COVID, knowing how to treat each person, and what drugs they will react best to, could have saved countless lives.

Precision health, however, didn't see the same type of rise in adoption as a space like telehealth, which a recent reportspeculated would encompass over 20 percent of all patient visits this year,representing $29.3 billion of medical services. Perhaps the difference is that telehealth services have been around for a long time, even if nobody was really using them before they were forced to; precision heath, on the other hand, is a relatively new space. The Human Genome Project was only completed in 2003, after all.

Still, the pandemic does seem to have increased investor interest in the space, which perhaps shows that they are betting on it to take on a bigger role if we were to go through another similar pandemic (knock on wood!).

In 2018, there was $565 million invested in 17 deals into startups using artificial intelligence to improve precision medicine.

In Q2 of this year, there was $5.1 billion invested in the healthtech space, representing 22 percent of all VC dollars invested during the quarter. Of that, $2.6 billion came from Series A investments into biopharma companies, compared to $2.3 billion in all of 2017.As such, valuations for these companies have increased by at least two-fold since the start of 2019.

There are also digital therapeutics, which compromises precision medicine. Thesetherapeutics interventions are driven by software programs that use data to prevent, manage, or treat disorderand diseases. Investments in this category have grown an average of 40 percent year-over-year for each of the the last seven years; it reached $1 billion in 2018.

Another subset of precision medicine ispredictive analytics, which uses data to predict what will happen to each patient, and to personalize their care based on those outcomes. This is a market that is expected to reach $7.8 billion by 2025.

Some of the biggest precision medicine companies include 23andMe, which has raised $786.1 million; Tempus, which has raised $620 million; Helix, which has raised $353 million; and PathAI, which has raised $90.2 million.

2020 investments into precision medicine

The largest deal so far this year into a precision medicine company is Grail, which focuses on understanding the human genome to provide medical breakthroughs in oncology. The company announced a $390 million Series D financing round in may from new investors including Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, as well as two undisclosed investors, along with existing backers including Illumina. This brought its total funding tomore than $1.9 billion.

Other precision medicine companies that have raised funding this year include:

Be sure tocheck out theHealthcare in Politicsevent tomorrow(register forhere!)where multiple panels of experts, policy makers and lawmakers who will be on hand to discuss topics related to healthcare policy and decision making, including the role of precision medicine in the pandemic response.

(Image source: hdfgroup.org)

The rest is here:
The role of precision medicine in the pandemic response - VatorNews

Sure, people wear face masks these days mostly to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. But now experts say there might be an added benefit of wearing your mask when out in public: It could lower your odds of contracting the flu.

Like COVID-19, the flu is a virus thats mainly spread through infected respiratory droplets. Wearing a mask will likely decrease transmission of the flu as well, says Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious-disease physician in Akron, Ohio, and a professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Rajeev Fernando, MD, an infectious-disease expert in Southampton, N.Y., expects that the 2020-21 flu season will actually be milder than usual because of coronavirus-prevention methods, including widespread mask wearing. Its the same concept as preventing the spread of COVID-19, he says. Masks can help prevent respiratory droplets from spreading.

That being said, you should still plan on getting a flu shot and practicing other flu prevention methods this year. Here's what you need to know about protecting yourself from the fluvia face masks and other measuresthis year.

FWIW: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not currently list wearing a face mask in its main recommendations for preventing the spread of the flu. Instead, the CDC recommends avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering your coughs and sneezes, washing your hands well with soap and water, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and cleaning and disinfecting objects that could be contaminated with the viruses that cause the flu.

However, the CDC does point people to everyday preventative measures for stopping the spread of COVID-19 as part of its tips for preventing the spread of the flu. And among those measures is advice to wear a face mask whenever you go out.

Medical staff wear surgical masks when treating flu patients, Fernando says, and a cloth face mask can likely offer at least some level of protection. And if someone who has the flu wears a mask and the people around them also wear a mask, the odds of the infected person making others sick drops dramatically, Fernando says.

The CDC specifically says that getting vaccinated against the flu this season is more important than ever and lists these as important reasons to get your shot:

At this point, I would recommend as many preventive measures that we know are successful, Fernando says. Theres really no reason not to get your flu shot. We will have a weaker flu season if everyone does that.

This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

And, if you continue to practice known ways of preventing the spread of COVID-19, like wearing your mask, avoiding crowds as much as possible, social distancing, and washing your hands regularly, your odds of contracting the fluand COVID-19should plummet, Watkins says.

Sounds like a win-win.

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Excerpt from:
Will a Face Mask Protect Against Both The Flu And COVID-19? Here's What Doctors Say - Women's Health

"The 4 million mark is unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away," a spokesperson for Cal Fire said.

Speaker 1: 00:00 California's disastrous wildfire season is now one for the record books. Roughly 4 million acres have burned that is far and away. The largest area destroyed in one season in modern California history. Climate change has been named as the major culprit in the state's bigger, hotter, faster moving wildfires in recent years, but a new report finds another and potentially manageable cause of these tremendous fires. That is where California is building new homes and the fire safety measures required in that construction. Joining me is reporter Elizabeth wile co author of an investigative report on wildfire and California housing policy published by pro Publica and Elizabeth. Welcome to the program. Thank you so much. Attention has been given to climate change as the crucial element in our devastating wildfires and rightly so, but what role does back country development play in sparking those fires?

Speaker 2: 01:02 Well, it plays a very large role. Um, climate change, of course, underlies this, all our heating planet and weather patterns are making it worse, but where humans live in our environment makes a tremendous difference in both where wildfires start, how many homes and lives are lost in those fires, how difficult those fires are to fight once they do start and how possible it is to manage the landscape well in a sort of preventative medicine way before fires started all.

Speaker 1: 01:38 And in your article, there's this figure that 95% of wildfires are caused by humans.

Speaker 2: 01:44 Yes. So the landscape does need to burn. California is a Mediterranean landscape and fire is a natural part of that landscape, but yes, 95% of fires are sparked by human. Someone drives down the road, a spark flies from something, somebody start to barbecue. As we all know, PG and E has started an awful lot of fires in the state. So the ignitions almost always are human caused. So when you have more humans living in an environment, the more likely it is that fires will start.

Speaker 1: 02:21 What's driving the development of homes in the back country or the wild land, urban interface area as it's

Speaker 2: 02:29 Yes, it's a mouthful. The wild land, urban interface. Well, the California has a housing crisis, as we all know. So the state desperately needs housing housing in a lot of coastal urban centers is extremely expensive. So people for financial reasons often move further and further away from those cities, uh, into areas that are now known as the wifi, the wild land, urban interface, and of those areas are often beautiful and people like living there. So there are many reasons people are getting pushed outward, but housing policy is a very large part of it.

Speaker 1: 03:09 When housing developments are planned, is there any state requirement that the wildfire risk needs to be assessed?

Speaker 2: 03:16 No, there are many different requirements and different municipalities, but this week Newsome vetoed a bill that for the first time would have made wildfire risks are part of what's known as the housing allocation process. It's very detailed in arcane and that part is not important. But as of now, wildfire is not whilst our risk is not considered in warehousing needs to be developed in California.

Speaker 1: 03:44 And the experts you spoke with said that it's really necessary to have a requirement at the state level about that. What is their reason?

Speaker 2: 03:53 Well, most, most housing decisions are made on the local level and therefore are very influenced by local politics. So for better or worse, a lot of more affluent suburbs and cities are very resistant to housing. There are a lot of underpinnings to this, but people will say traffic is already bad and their schools are already underfunded and their public transportation already. Isn't good enough. And many other reasons that often housing is resisted. So that becomes part of the issue at the local level, that if you leave it up to the locals and they don't want housing, it won't get built. But if there's state oversight sort of looking at the big picture in California and what needs to happen, we might move in the right direction more quickly now. Okay.

Speaker 1: 04:42 In your report, you say that it would not be possible to stop people from living in these remote areas, 11 million people in the state live in the wild land, urban interface, but are there ways to make the houses safer?

Speaker 2: 04:56 Yes. There are many ways to make the houses safer. And I, and I highly recommend to listeners if they live in a fire prone area to just, you know, look it up. But the first and most important thing to do is make sure you have a good roof, that you have a roof that is flame resistant, most houses burn, because embers blow in the wind and land on somebody's roof. And the house burns down as fire people often like to say, houses don't burn up. They burn down. So that's the first thing. And then people will find that they should clear vegetation out from around their houses. So if an Ember flies, the house is less likely to burn. There are a lot of fairly simple things that homeowners can do to make their own home safer. And a lot of experts believe that the community level of organization is really the most important thing relative to keeping our neighborhood safe. That if one house burns, the next is more likely to burn, but if your neighborhood can get together and everybody make your homes, fire safe together, you'll really put yourself at far less risk.

Speaker 1: 06:06 I have been speaking with pro public, a reporter, Elizabeth Weil and Elizabeth. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Thank you.

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California Wildfires Have Burned 4 Million Acres And The Season Isn't Over Yet (KPBS Midday Edition Segments) - KPBS

Donald Trump has often been criticized for failing to follow through on promises. His latest promise, in a video clip posted to his Twitter feed, is that older Americans in an age range to be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 will have the same medical treatment he received, at no cost. With reports that Joe Biden crossed the critical 270 elector vote mark, Trump described himself as capable of handling the crisis, and his opponent as unable to do so.

In the clip, Trump offers no plan for how he will provide this, doesnt say whether the treatment will be accessible to all Americans or just senior citizens, and doesnt address whether any other medical care, including preventative care, would be provided. Instead, he admits he was very sick when he went into the hospital Friday (a sharp contrast with the previous statements insisting it was merely a precaution), and that the medications provided, including experimental treatments that are not yet publicly available, worked for him so quickly that he could have left the next day. Then he promises that hell make the same available to my favorite people in the world seniors, for free.

To my favorite people in the world seniors. Im a senior. I know you dont know that. Nobody knows that, the president begins. We have medicines right now I call them a cure, he says. I went into the hospital a week ago. I was very sick. He says that after taking the medications made available to him through Walter Reeds top-tier medical team, he could have walked out the next day. Sooner.

He promises these treatments will be available immediately, and takes credit.

To seniors, he says, They like to say youre vulnerable. Youre not vulnerable. Youre the least vulnerable. But for this one thing, you are vulnerable. And so am I. But I want you to get the same care that I gotYoure gonna get the same medicine, youre gonna get it free. No charge! And were gonna get it to you soonWere gonna take care of our seniors, all free. He does not offer any specifics about when immediately might be, or what kind of plan hes proposing to make the treatments available.

Trump then transitions into bashing his opponent in the 2020 election.

The president was checked into Walter Reed last Friday, assuring the public it was just a precaution. Since then, information released about his diagnosis, timeline, and treatment has included contradictions, and the White House has refused to state when Trumps last negative COVID-19 test was. Though he is still within the 10-day quarantine period, the president has been releasing videos, maskless, apparently filmed outside the White House. Its not clear whether he is still on the steroid treatment he began receiving while in the hospital.

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Donald Trump Promises Seniors The Same Care He Got, For Free, Admits He Was "Very Sick" As Election Looms - HillReporter.com

From Women's Health

Face masks might help protect against the flu in addition to novel coronavirus.

The CDC doesn't officially recommend face masks for flu prevention, but does point to other "everyday preventative measures."

Doctors reiterate that masks can prevent respiratory droplets from spreading, including for both the flu and COVID-19.

Sure, people wear face masks these days mostly to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. But now experts say there might be an added benefit of wearing your mask when out in public: It could lower your odds of contracting the flu.

Like COVID-19, the flu is a virus thats mainly spread through infected respiratory droplets. Wearing a mask will likely decrease transmission of the flu as well, says Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious-disease physician in Akron, Ohio, and a professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Rajeev Fernando, MD, an infectious-disease expert in Southampton, N.Y., expects that the 2020-21 flu season will actually be milder than usual because of coronavirus-prevention methods, including widespread mask wearing. Its the same concept as preventing the spread of COVID-19, he says. Masks can help prevent respiratory droplets from spreading.

That being said, you should still plan on getting a flu shot and practicing other flu prevention methods this year. Here's what you need to know about protecting yourself from the fluvia face masks and other measuresthis year.

FWIW: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not currently list wearing a face mask in its main recommendations for preventing the spread of the flu. Instead, the CDC recommends avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering your coughs and sneezes, washing your hands well with soap and water, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and cleaning and disinfecting objects that could be contaminated with the viruses that cause the flu.

Story continues

However, the CDC does point people to everyday preventative measures for stopping the spread of COVID-19 as part of its tips for preventing the spread of the flu. And among those measures is advice to wear a face mask whenever you go out.

Medical staff wear surgical masks when treating flu patients, Fernando says, and a cloth face mask can likely offer at least some level of protection. And if someone who has the flu wears a mask and the people around them also wear a mask, the odds of the infected person making others sick drops dramatically, Fernando says.

The CDC specifically says that getting vaccinated against the flu this season is more important than ever and lists these as important reasons to get your shot:

It can reduce your risk of catching the flu, and of being hospitalized or dying from the flu if you do happen to contract it.

Getting a flu vaccine can save healthcare resources for the care of people who have COVID-19.

At this point, I would recommend as many preventive measures that we know are successful, Fernando says. Theres really no reason not to get your flu shot. We will have a weaker flu season if everyone does that.

And, if you continue to practice known ways of preventing the spread of COVID-19, like wearing your mask, avoiding crowds as much as possible, social distancing, and washing your hands regularly, your odds of contracting the fluand COVID-19should plummet, Watkins says.

Sounds like a win-win.

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A Face Mask Might Help Protect You Against The Flu This Year - Yahoo Lifestyle

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Monday morning, Sept. 28, California woke up sweaty, devastated, even shocked to find the state burning again. But if were honest, and to our great shame, no one was surprised. Wed seen this horror movie in this town. Three years ago, wildfire killed 25 people in Sonoma County. Now the Glass Fire was there, again, burning toward Santa Rosa. At 12:30 a.m., a string of seniors stood in line, many in pajamas, waiting to board an evacuation bus from their retirement home. A tiny woman with a roller bag stooped over her walker. A man in a red shirt leaned on his red cane. A woman in a purple robe and magenta slippers sat in her wheelchair, a white teddy bear in her lap. They disembarked at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Auditorium. But then at 2:48 a.m., before the slumped crowd, a young man climbed on a folding chair and announced: The fire was moving too fast toward them. Time to move again.

Farther east, the Butte County sheriff issued an evacuation warning for the entire town of Paradise. The Camp Fire killed 85 people in Paradise less than two years ago. Many survivors, including the former mayor, spent the night trying and failing to sleep in one of Paradises 434 newly rebuilt homes.

It is all too close, too soon: the propane tanks exploding, the safety-vest orange sky. By daylight, that sky rained chunks of ash, like dead moths. Many Californians would have felt less triggered by locusts.

California, as we all now know, is going to burn.

The ecosystem here depends on fire to stay healthy. OK, fine.

We suppressed that fire for a hundred-plus years, and now were living with a deathly backlog of kindling. Not fine, but thats going to take decades to fix.

The climate crisis has warmed and dried that tinder, leading to five of the six largest fires in California history just this year. Not fine at all, but the time frame of remedying this uhh lets just put that to the side.

Which leaves us with the one thing we could be doing to keep wildfire from destroying homes and lives: get a whole lot smarter about where and how we build.

Housing is the megafire-sized climate issue that lawmakers in California keep failing to adequately address even though when asked directly how important housing is to California climate policy, Kate Gordon, Gov. Gavin Newsoms senior climate policy adviser, told me, Oh, its HUGE. Yet it remains intractable.

Adam Millard-Ball, a professor who studies urban planning and environmental economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told me, Its absolutely the weak link in the states climate policy. Affluent urban areas and suburban areas have been incredibly successful at pulling up the drawbridge, as Millard-Ball put it, blocking new housing and pushing Californians to live in evermore remote communities, often in whats known as the wildland urban interface. (WUI, the shorthand for this area where humans meet nature, is pronounced woooeeee.) It kicks off a pernicious cycle. Once there, people drive more, increasing emissions. And thanks to emissions globally, those areas are burning more than ever before. In August, Millard-Ball himself recently had to evacuate his home because of the CZU August Lighting Fire Complex.

So with that as a backdrop. ... he said. Californias housing dysfunction has been thrown into really tragic, stark relief for the last couple of months.

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California leads the country on most climate issues; its showpiece is green transportation. Just last week, amid this latest round of fires, Newsom promised to phase out new gas-only cars by 2035. But when it comes to addressing the root causes why people have to drive in the first place. ... Millard-Ball trailed off. Not much happens. Or not much good.

On Wednesday night, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have nudged Californians to stop putting new housing in high fire-risk zones. The piece of legislation had overcome a yearlong delay, appeased initial detractors including the development lobby and passed the legislature by wide margins before flaming out at the eleventh hour on the governors desk.

It was, as original sponsor Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, a Democrat from Santa Barbara, acknowledged when the California Senate Housing Committee began debating it in April 2019, not exactly the sexiest stuff in the world. But it had two important goals: One, to identify existing structures highly vulnerable to burning in wildfire and make plans to retrofit them. (This was not politically complicated, as the measure did not even include funding.) Two, to ease pressure to develop in the parts of California with the highest wildfire risk. To date, no legislation related to wildfires or any other climate-related hazard impacts Californias arcane housing allocation system. (That system tells each region how much housing its required to build over a stretch of five or eight years.) But once wildfire risk is codified as a valid reason not to build, whats next? Extreme heat? Nick Cammarota, with the California Building Industry Association, articulated that viewpoint when he called the bill a housing killer.

We dont want to have gentrification. We dont want to have seismic risk. We dont want to have sea level rise or wetlands, or ag land preservation or floods, or toxics. Or you name it, he continued. The entire state is covered with imperfect places to build.

Yet dealing with WUI development, according to fire pros like former California State Fire Marshal Kate Dargan, is the most urgent fire question in the state.

Newsom did sign legislation to improve emergency response and preparedness efforts. But his veto of what was a pretty modest bill felt inauspicious to climate policy wonks who pay attention to such things. At this moment, it is extremely disappointing to hear that @GavinNewsom decided not to sign #sb182, Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University, tweeted at 10:31 p.m. on Wednesday. The housing crisis enormously complicates decisions not to build anywhere. But solutions to Californias housing production needs are not now nor will they in future be in the WUI. A half-hour later he tweeted again, appalled by Newsoms refusal to back away from sprawl that must ultimately be defended from wildfire at enormous cost in treasure, and hopefully not in blood.

What will it take to create change? If we cant do it now, with the impetuses of the housing crisis and the wildfire. Millard-Ball said. Then he trailed off. It would be incredibly sad to sit back and do nothing.

This is the basic WUI problem: Houses are essentially big piles of fuel. Houses in the WUI also mean people in the WUI, and people ignite over 95% of California wildfires. Houses further increase risk to lives and structures by making it difficult for land managers to do prescribed burns. Once wildfires grow large, houses increase risks for firefighters. Houses in the WUI cost a fortune to defend.

Max Moritz, a wildfire specialist at University of California Cooperative Extension at the Bren School in Santa Barbara, began focusing intently on the WUI problem six years ago. Hed been creating fire probability maps under different climate change scenarios, and his data on fuel included plants that could burn, but not buildings. He found that nearly a quarter of the increased risk that appeared to be due to climate change was in fact due to development. So in 2016, Moritz worked with a team of scientists to co-write a paper laying out why we need to include land use in the wildfire models. (I can send it to you if you want it. Its great bedtime reading.) Then Moritz pivoted to synthesizing the research on fire in the WUI. His goal was to lay out the facts for policymakers. Then maybe this stuff could get codified, he said. Because yeah, why isnt it? Why isnt it regulated?

After the 2009 Black Saturday fires in Australia that killed 173 people and destroyed 2,133 homes, the federal government launched a commission that found (among many other things) planning and building controls are crucial factors affecting safety. The Australians then instituted swift, sweeping changes. Among them: including bushfire risk in planning new development and making ember risk part of building codes. Yet, over the past seven years, wildfires in California have killed 193 people and destroyed nearly 50,000 structures, and the state has done comparatively little to fix the problem. We have these tragic, huge events. We have Black Saturday after Black Saturday and almost no movement on these things, Moritz said.

Hed hoped the research he and others had done on where and how we build in the face of climate change would spur bolder action. Man, youve got the chance here to establish your legacy, as a progressive leader, tackling a tough problem, he said, as if talking to Newsom shortly before the governor vetoed the bill. But hey, land use urban planning thats political. Thats tough, right? Yeah. We need some guts.

To protect a single home from wildfire in the WUI, this is your basic checklist. Defensible space. (No combustibles close to your home for sure in the first 5 feet. Newsom did sign a separate law on Tuesday mandating this for high fire severity zones.) Class A fireproof roof. Dual-paned windows. Remove flammables from under deck. Metal gutter covers. A mesh covering all vents.

But protecting a single home in the WUI is (with only some exaggeration) like being the only one in your family who wears a mask. Safety is inherently a community project, and fire experts, as a rule, freak out about their neighbors houses and yards. One has nightmares about wood shingle siding that ignites and flies off like an airfoil spreading fires. Another about mulch that lets embers smolder until a wind whips them into open flames that creep right up to peoples house walls. A third told me about ponderosa pines killed by bark beetles but not yet cut down. Have you ever had a real Christmas tree and burned it in February? he asked. They go off like napalm.

For Wara, of Stanfords Climate and Energy Policy Program, the zombies are the 20-foot-tall juniper bushes that line his neighbors house. Its a herd immunity thing, right? he said. Once your neighbors house catches fire and starts throwing embers, yours is probably next. I dont think people get that.

In the early 1970s, the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control tackled the problem of indoor fire. This culminated in the America Burning report, which in turn led to the creation of the U.S. Fire Administration and an over 50% drop in indoor fires since 1980. But theres no such equivalent effort for wildfires. To help fix this, for the past two years, Alexander Maranghides, a fire protection engineer with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, has been co-leading a detailed reconstruction of the Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise. (NIST plans to release its first of three 400-page reports this fall.) The outside fire problem is technically somewhere between one and two orders of magnitude more complex than the interior fire problem, Maranghides said. Those fires involve topography, weather, fuel conditions, fire-fighting response, on and on. Just defining the fire dynamics of embers alone is a huge task. The intention of this science is not to keep people from living in the WUI at all, which almost nobody thinks is feasible. The intention is to make the public and policymakers WUI literate and provide science and tools that could lead to the creation of cost-effective solutions, so we dont keep repeating the same tragic, expensive mistakes.

Wara pointed out that people are rebuilding in Coffey Park, a neighborhood in Santa Rosa that was nearly destroyed in 2017. And theyre doing all these things that are so avoidable. Like wood fences connecting the homes. Its like a vertical, combustible ember catcher! You just dont need to do that.

Heres the political problem: 11 million people, over a quarter of all Califorians, live in the WUI. We are not going to kick them out.

At the same time, the state is in a housing crisis, and Newsom staked his career on fixing it. In his inaugural address, in January 2019, he announced a Marshall Plan for housing and promised to build 3.5 million new affordable units by 2025. You could hear the tension between that promise and watching his state burn down in his veto Wednesday night. Wildfire resilience must become a more consistent part of land use and development decisions, he wrote. However, it must be done while meeting our housing needs.

Right now, the states climate priorities are skewed. California has focused on solar and wind and electric vehicles the sort of technology solution side of climate, she said. We havent focused as much on land use, Gordon, the Newsom adviser, admitted. This is an oversight, and the administration knows it, even refuses at times to act that way. As a state, were the one who pays for the disaster mitigation, right? Gordon said. Its just not sustainable. I mean, our entire budget will become about disaster response if we dont get ahead of this thing.

Without action at the state level, its hard to see how California achieves good climate housing policy. Local governments have a lot of power. Too much power, Millard-Ball, the UC Santa Cruz professor, argues. Cities can effectively ignore the climate crisis when theyre making certain decisions, he said. Like most cities in California have developed climate action plans, which are great in terms of things promoting waste reduction and street trees and energy efficiency. But they have said almost nothing about creating more walkable, transit-oriented places to live.

The situation is becoming dire. Insurers, losing a fortune in the WUI, are rapidly dropping homeowner policies. The hemorrhage of non-renewals grew so acute that Californias insurance commissioner essentially instituted a circuit-breaker halt and declared a one-year moratorium. But that may not be enough help for residents to afford to stay. As Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann told me, You go on the FAIR Plan the California insurance policy of last resort and you realize, Holy smokes! I used to pay $1,200 a year and now Im going to pay $5,000. Thats a second mortgage.

The hard truth is: this is as it should be. WUI housing, with its true costs factored in, is not the bargain real estate agents refer to when they say, Drive until you qualify. Last year, the National Bureau of Economic Research, or NBER, published a paper detailing how taxpayers are subsidizing people living in high fire risk zones. How? Firefighting is expensive California may spend a billion dollars this year. A large percentage of that will go to defending private homes. This firefighting benefit is not negligible: NBER calculated it can exceed 20% of a propertys value. The very fact that firefighting is publicly funded decreases the incentive for WUI residents to fireproof their properties. Distorting the housing market further and creating moral hazard: Because much of firefighting budgets comes out of federal disaster funds, publicly funded fire response decreases the incentive for a city or state hello, California to create and enforce wildland building codes.

This pattern, according to NBER, will grow more pronounced with climate change.

The state would also save money if it took a preventative medicine approach and shifted more funds into fire prevention. Every dollar invested in risk mitigation typically saves six in disaster costs. Dargan, the former state fire marshal, who was a firefighter for 30 years and has a son working as a first responder right now, believes the state makes a mistake by not viewing fire prevention and suppression as the same thing. Mitigation and response just happen at different times on the continuum of solutions, she said. We have the worlds best response system in California. And that system works beautifully until a megafire erupts. Then that system fails. At that point, no matter how well theyre trained or how hard they work, firefighters are unable to focus on firefighting. All they can do is get people out ahead of time and even then were beginning to fail at greater numbers. We need a better plan. For taxpayers. For WUI residents, like those seniors evacuated from their homes after midnight in Santa Rosa on Monday and then evacuated from the evacuation center around 3 am. For people, including her son, on the front line.

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California Will Keep Burning. But Housing Policy Is Making It Worse. - ProPublica

Former Gov. Chris Christie has spent five days in the hospital being treated for the coronavirus with little word on how hes doing.

Christie is one of several people who spent time with President Donald Trumps inner circle who tested positive for COVID-19 over the last week. The former New Jersey governor was admitted into Morristown Medical Center on Saturday as a precaution because of his history with asthma.

At the time, Christie said he had mild symptoms. Since then, he and his doctors have been publicly silent about his treatment and condition. A source with knowledge of the governors case said only that he is in good spirits and is getting good care.

Its unclear if Christie, 58, is still in the hospital because his condition has gotten worse or if hes being held as a precaution. In addition to asthma, Christie has weight issues, two conditions that may put him at higher risk for complications from the virus. He also is the former governor.

Obviously, VIPs get VIP treatment, said Lewis Nelson, an emergency physician and chair of emergency medicine at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.

Nelson hasnt treated Christie and doesnt know the details of his case. But he said being a VIP can be a blessing and a curse in a hospital. A high-profile patient can get top notch care and speedy access to doctors and drugs other patients might not get, as President Donald Trump did during his hospitalization for COVID-19.

But they can also be held in the hospital longer than necessary.

They do tend to get over-managed and over-tested, Nelson said.

Christie is likely receiving some of the same treatments as other coronavirus patients who were ill enough to have to be admitted to a hospital. Heres what a COVID-19 patient might experience in the hospital, according to Nelson and Anne K. Sutherland, a pulmonologist who runs the intensive care unit at University Hospital in Newark:

Evaluation: Though Christie tweeted "I checked myself into Morristown Medical Center, most people dont get to just show up at the hospital when they test positive for COVID-19 and get a room like its a hotel, doctors said.

Coronavirus patients would likely be examined by a doctor who would check for fever, breathing difficulties and a low blood oxygen level, Nelson said. If the blood oxygen reading is 94% or below, the patient would likely be given oxygen and admitted to the hospital because that may be a sign they are headed for a crisis.

Patients with high risk factors, including being overweight, having diabetes or asthma, a heart condition or a chronic health condition, would be more likely to be hospitalized, Nelson said.

Access to drugs: While in the early days of the virus doctors were unsure what, if any, drugs to use to treat COVID-19, most hospitalized patients are now given remdesivir, an antiviral. The drug was first developed to treat Ebola but has become a go-to drug for hospitalized coronavirus patients in recent months.

There is not definitive proof remdesivir works, but there is also no proof it does any harm, Nelson said. So, many doctors are using it to treat COVID-19 patients, especially those who are older, overweight or have other high-risk factors.

We tend to use remdesivir fairly liberally in these people, Nelson said.

Patients may also be treated with anti-inflamatory drugs and steroids, like the dexamethasone steroid Trump was given in the hospital. Again, doctors say there are no studies proving they work. But doctors have found them effective in many patients.

In New Jersey hospitals, some COVID-19 patients may also be asked to participate in one of several clinical trials testing the effectiveness of other new drugs and treatments.

It remains unclear whether many treatments, including the Regeneron monoclonal antibody cocktail Trump was given, are working. But many doctors and patients are willing to experiment, Nelson said.

We dont know the best answer. Thats the problem, Nelson said.

Asthma concerns: Asthma is considered one of the conditions that might raise a patients risk for having a severe case of COVID-19. But asthma sufferers, like Christie, probably would not receive any special drugs or monitoring.

They would not be treated any differently, said Sutherland, a pulmonologist and associate professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

The preliminary data has shown that having asthma doesnt increase the severity of the coronavirus or increase a patients risk of death, Sutherland said. But more extensive studies are needed. For now, doctors keep a close eye on asthma patients.

An isolated room, with the possibility of visitors: New Jersey hospitals no longer have the crush of COVID-19 patients that did in the early months of the pandemic. These days, patients will likely have their own rooms in an isolated part of the hospital in units reserved for coronavirus patients, the doctors said.

Were able to sequester people, Nelson said.

Patients who are not on ventilators are usually able to eat meals, if they feel well enough, and walk around their rooms. They are not usually permitted to walk the halls or go to other areas of the hospital.

Hospitals have lifted their bans on visitors to COVID-19 patients, so some patients are able to see their families from a safe distance.

Constant monitoring: Coronavirus patients will be hooked up to multiple monitors and have a steady stream of nurses and doctors checking on them, Sutherland said.

They will likely have a pulse oximeter checking their oxygen levels continuously and a heart monitor to check for cardiac complications. They will have their blood pressure monitored every one to four hours, along with their respirator rate.

Doctors will also be monitor patients and give them preventative drugs for blot clots in the legs and lungs, a dangerous complication found in some COVID-19 patients, Sutherland said.

Those with breathing difficulties might need supplemental oxygen or a high-flow nasal oxygen machine, a devise that looks similar to a sleep mask used by people with sleep apnea, Sutherland said. As a last resort, patients will be put on a ventilator to keep them breathing if the virus attacks their lungs.

Watching the timeline: Patients who are able to breathe on their own should not expect a long stay in hospital unless they have other complications, the doctors said.

If youre not on a ventilator ... you are usually going to be gone from the hospital in a few days, Nelson said.

Doctors who have treated many coronavirus patients say theyve spotted a pattern in people who develop severe cases. The turning point for many is between five and eight days after they get sick.

Thats when they would take a turn for the worse, Sutherland said.

Most people who make it past the 10-day mark without severe symptoms dont get any sicker, she added. But every case is different and there are no guarantees.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.

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Chris Christie still hospitalized with COVID-19: Heres the type of treatments doctors say he may be getting - NJ.com

Prevention Efforts Prove Critical With Heightened Risk Of Legionella In School Water Systems | 2020-09-28 | ACHR News This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more. This Website Uses CookiesBy closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn MoreThis website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

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Weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, facial drooping, inability to find or understand words; these are symptoms of a stroke which are typically sudden in onset. The symptoms can be subtle, or they can be severe. Regardless, rapid diagnosis and treatment is the key to recovery.

Not long ago, not much could have been done for someone as they were having a stroke. Often, we could only wait and see how the patient recovered with rehabilitation. For years, prevention was the only tool we had to combat initial and recurring strokes. Preventative measures such as blood pressure control, aspirin or other blood thinners, cholesterol control, and of course, a healthy diet and exercise remain especially important today. Thankfully, we now have a few more options.

Clot-busting medications have been a great advancement in the treatment of strokes since the mid-1990s. If administered soon enough, sometimes these clot-busting medications can work to break up a clot that is blocking blood flow in an area of the brain thus restoring circulation. This can help to preserve or at least minimize the area of the brain that would be permanently damaged.

There are risks to these meds, such as bleeding, but the chance of improving the outcome usually justifies their use. To minimize risks, the clot-busting medication must be initiated within three to four- and one-half hours following the onset of symptoms. Physicians also consider other criteria before treating with clot-busting meds, including the patients medical history, blood test results, and they must rule out a hemorrhagic stroke using CT imaging of the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke is when damage is done by a ruptured blood vessel rather than from blockage.

More recently, technological developments have changed the emergent care offered for very severe strokes. It is now possible to manually restore blood flow to the brain using minimally invasive surgery. A surgeon inserts a system of catheters and wires into an artery in the arm or groin, advances this system up through the neck and into the brain. Then, at the location of the blood vessel blockage, the blood clot is removed and the circulation to the affected area is restored.

Highly specialized, this new procedure seems almost miraculous. It has been referred to as the Lazarus procedure as it literally brings people back to life and sometimes immediate improvement is noted as soon as during the procedure.

The keys are recognition and time. Know the signs and get help quickly. Think of the acronym FAST: Face drooping? Arm weakness? Speech difficulty? Time to call 9-1-1.

Andrew Ellsworth, M.D. is part of The Prairie Doc team of physicians and currently practices family medicine in Brookings, South Dakota. For more information, visit http://www.prairiedoc.org.

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Advances in the treatment of stroke | Columnists | rocketminer.com - Daily Rocket Miner

Where has Victoria Beckham gone to recover after her spring/summer 2021 presentation in London? A luxurious house of wellbeing in Germanys Baden-Baden, of course. Villa Stphanie Baden-Baden is the exclusive hotel, spa and medical centre that Beckham swears by for its restorative mind and body detox treatments.

Postcard from our wellness week in Germany! the fashion designer wrote on Instagram on 26 September, posting a snap of herself and David staring out across a verdant landscape. Her stories showed off more green scenes from hiking with her husband of 21 years in the peaceful Black Forest, ultra-healthy broccoli-packed meals and couple shots in front of amazing sunsets.

She also took time to thank Dr Harry Koenig, a holistic naturopath and expert in preventative medicine, who owns a private clinic in Baden-Baden. Clinics like these take ones lifestyle into account from diet to stress levels and prescribe various holistic therapies off the back of that information, whether thats acupuncture or herbal tinctures.

Beckham previously told British Vogue that her first trip to Villa Stphanie wasnt initially what she expected she felt emotional and weepy since it was her first solo trip without David or her children. But, after daily meditating, hiking and bike riding, she started to enjoy just being kind and looking after me. Now, with David at her side, the exclusive wellness destination has obviously worked its magic on her once again.

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For Victoria Beckham, Fashion Week Recovery Begins At This Exclusive German Spa - British Vogue

Financially solid, younger new members, two new plans, virtual healthcare and a renewed focus on Managed Care for chronic diseases are just a few of the insights from the Bonitas 2021 product launch.

Lee Callakoppen, Principal Officer of Bonitas Medical Fund announced an unprecedented 0% increase on its BonFit Select plan and a weighted increase of 4.6% across all plans. The highest increase is 7.1%. Members on our growth options, which contribute to 91% of business, will only experience an increase on 3.9%. I think, looking at the pricing and the benefit richness we offer in comparison to the market, the changes for 2021 will be well received.

He says, The guidelines received from the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), clearly highlighted that medical schemes should limit contribution increases as far as possible. We crunched numbers and worked tirelessly to find the sweet-spot between sustainability and ensuring affordability. Not an easy task, especially in a weakened economy. We took a responsible stance, with a long-term view, to ensure that our members wouldnt have to pay the price of a low increase for 2021 in the coming years. One of our core considerations was finding ways to ensure members could get access to full healthcare cover and avoid out-of-pocket expenses and co-payments.

Pricing and technology

Seven of our current options are priced between R1500 and R3000 which is where the medical scheme market is experiencing growth currently. Member behaviour has changed significantly and demand is for innovation, accessibility and technology. This has the benefit of attracting, a younger, target audience and driving sustainability.

We cant talk about 2020 without mentioning Covid-19. Key trends that emerged from a medical schemes perspective were:

- Changes to benefit structures and PMBs

- Lower than anticipated investment income as markets slumped

- Changes in claiming patterns in terms of seasonality and volume, due to the lockdown measures that came into effect

- And a Consumer Price Index that was lower than previous years which is expected to be at around 3.9% in 2021

In an industry like ours, its challenging to be different to innovate, disruptto be better. But not impossible. The Fund needed to make short-term decisions with the long-term view and sustainability in mind.

One of the highlights over the past few years, has been the introduction of four Efficiency Discounted Options (EDOs). Plans whereby members use network healthcare providers and pay around 15% less for the same benefits. The EDOs cover over 74,000 lives and the principal members who join are around 10 years younger than the average Bonitas member.

2021 - changes, contribution increases and enhancements

Over the past five years, we have proactively driven innovative product design, actuarial modelling and constant engagement with various stakeholders. We believe we offer the ultimate split risk solution, with a comprehensive product range and diversified membership base.

To stay at the forefront of innovation we have introduced:

Edge - a new category driven by technology, intelligence and innovation, with two plans called BonStart and BonStart Plus. These are designed for economically active singles or couples, living in the larger metros.

The plans include access to: A private hospital network and full cover for emergencies; PMB chronic medicine; excellent day-to-day benefits including unlimited GP consultations; layers of virtual care, dental and optical benefits; preventative care; wellness screenings; contraceptives and more. The cost: R1452 and R1731 respectively for the principal member.

Managed Care

One of the leading trends worldwide is the rise in non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and oncology. In fact, during this global pandemic, the impact lifestyle diseases and comorbidities had on Covid-19 patients was put in the spotlight. 20% of our members have multiple comorbidities which means, even without the pandemic, we need a stronger focus on preventing and managing lifestyle behaviours. Poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise are the three lifestyle factors that contribute to over 80% of chronic conditions.

Managed Care continues to be a focus to empower members to take charge of their health and support them along the way.

Home-based care

During Covid-19, home-based care received renewed interest and focus. This dovetails with our strategy to move more care to the home and out of hospital. As an example, post-surgery or mild pneumonia, treatment can be effectively provided at home through the assistance of nurses. Not only is home-based care a cost effective delivery of care but it also promotes healing. Studies show that patients recover faster in their comfort of their own home.

Day hospitals

We believe the use of day hospitals and clinics should be encouraged, where possible. Some procedures such as cataract surgery, circumcisions and scopes are better suited to be performed in day hospitals or clinics versus larger hospitals. There is minimum disruption to members, speedier recovery times, less risk of infection and day hospital are also a more cost effective alternative.

Technology

One of the key learnings has been adapting to a new way of working with virtual technology at the forefront. The WhatsApp channel we introduced has the most room for potential. This platform is convenient for members and allows them to manage their medical aid through live chats.

Virtual Care

There was a positive response to the launch of the new Bonitas Member Mobile App and free virtual care for all South Africans. This provided access to GP consultations for a range of conditions, including Covid-19, as well as free delivery for chronic medicine.

At the heart of the model is the GP. This aligns to our care coordination initiatives, ensuring members receive the right level of care and support in managing their conditions. It allows access to a virtual nurse, advice in an emergency, auxiliary and home- based care, ensuring members have comprehensive support for any condition, in any circumstance, through our virtual based model.

Were pleased to announce that this model is unique and will guarantee a further level of differentiation for Bonitas.

Mental health

Is fast becoming the next pandemic and is a significant Managed Care risk. Studies show that around 20 -25% of patients with pre-existing mental health issues feel they are coping badly or deteriorating due to the pandemic. We predict that depression and post-traumatic stress, which has historically been on an upward slope, will increase further in time.

We have built a resource hub on our website to help people understand the condition and steps they can take to remain mentally healthy. The app also has a screening tool to help identify warning signals of mental distress. For those who need medical treatment, the focus is on ensuring that care for the mental illness is provided effectively.

The Wellness Extender

Is one of our key benefits as it provides access to another layer of care paid from risk. In 2021 the Wellness Extender can be used to pay for up to three months subscription fees for Run/Walk for Life to help our members get healthier.

Conclusion

We are looking forward to new and innovative ways of empowering members to manage their health in 2021 and beyond. Our focus is on more primary healthcare, utilisation of preventative care benefits, digitally enabled solutions and self-help facilities for members who want access to their benefits 24/7. Our goal is to improve integration of care, enable more access to out-of-hospital services, clinical information and benefits via various solutions.

We have listened to our members needs and will be rolling out various tools and services to provide additional clinical support, an easier claims process and access to various helpful tools on our website. We are a medical aid for South Africa and our commitment of providing quality care, connecting with our customers and driving innovation is unwavering.

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Bonitas announces the lowest increase in 10 years - from 0% - Bizcommunity.com

Two community health centers on the Big Island will receive additional federal funding to support efforts in mitigating disparities among Pacific Islanders affected by COVID-19.

The University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa will receive $3.4 million in federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services to support efforts to expand testing and outreach programs to Waimanalo Health Center on Oahu; the Bay Clinic Inc. and Hmkua-Kohala Health Center on Hawaii Island; and the Molokai Community Health Center.

We must use every public health intervention available to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our vulnerable populations, and especially to reduce the disparities weve seen in the Pacific Islander community, said US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). By expanding access to COVID-19 testing and teaching preventative practices to students in rural areas, this grant will help us keep more Hawaii families safe. Im proud that UH is leading this effort to bring additional resources to areas that need it most.

The program is already successfully implemented at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center on Oahu. The additional funds will be used by UH to increase COVID-19 testing and disseminate COVID-19 educational curriculum to schools in rural and underserved communities in effort to reach Hawaiis vulnerable populations, including Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

Hmkua-Kohala Health Center

At the same time, UH will disseminate COVID-19 educational curriculum to community schools to empower students and families to implement preventative practices, encourage testing, and help reduce infections.

We are pleased to address an issue of such great importance to our state and one which disproportionately impacts Hawaiis vulnerable populations. This partnership with community health centers and scientists across our great university represents a great opportunity to proactively and uniquely contribute to the health of Hawaii, said Jerris Hedges, Dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, and Dr. Noreen Mokuau, former Dean of the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work.

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2 Big Island Clinics to Receive Federal Funding to Expand COVID Testing, Education - Big Island Now

Tuesday, 29 September 2020, 6:04 amPress Release: The Heart Foundation

TheHeart Foundation today announced $4.2 million dollars offunding for heart research and specialist training for NewZealand cardiologists, bringing the total awarded by thecharity since its formation in 1968, to more than $78million dollars.

We have a long and proud record ofresearch investment, which has improved the heart health ofall New Zealanders for more than 50 years, but we still havemuch more work to do, says Heart Foundation MedicalDirector, Dr Gerry Devlin.

Heart disease is NewZealands single biggest killer. With our ongoingcommitment to supporting research, we can keep saving livesand improve the quality of life for the 170,000 NewZealanders living with heart disease.

This year theHeartFoundation has awarded research grants across thebench-to-bedside spectrum, including new treatments,structural interventions and prevention.

The HeartFoundation is supporting so much exciting research in 2020.Research that will make a real difference to so manyKiwis, says Dr Devlin.

The Heart Foundation isproud to support leaders across all areas of medicine inAotearoa, such as neonatal paediatrician Dr Sarah Harris,whose work will investigate the link between prematurebabies and heart disease.

Emerging evidence showsadults who were born prematurely, and mothers who give birthto a premature baby, are at increased risk of cardiovasculardisease but neither are included in our national guidelinesfor cardiovascular risk screening, says DrHarris.

The birth of a premature baby may be anopportunity to review cardiovascular risk for both motherand baby and to initiate an earlier programme of risksurveillance, health education and preventative care thatcould have intergenerationalbenefit.

This year a new grant tosupport nurses in the field of cardiology has also beenintroduced.

The new Nurse PractitionerTraining Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease, has beenawarded to Edel Schick, enabling her to develop patienteducation and focus on disease prevention in thecommunity.

The Heart Foundation is especially proud tomake these announcements on WorldHeart Day and, with the support of SkyCity, to be ableto light Aucklands Sky Tower red this evening, joiningwith our global heart community and paying tribute to allwho have lost a loved one to heart disease.

Wevecome a long way, with a 75 per cent reduction in deaths fromheart disease since we started our work. But heart diseasestill claims more than 6,000 lives in New Zealand each yearand one preventable death is one too many, says DrDevlin.

The 2020 awards include 6 ProjectGrants, 2 Overseas Training and Research Fellowships, 6Research Fellowships, 2 Mori Cardiovascular ResearchFellowships, 4 Small Project Grants and 3 SummerStudentships.

* Heart disease is New Zealands singlebiggest killer, claiming the lives of more than 6,700 NewZealanders every year thats one person every 90minutes.

* More than 170,000 New Zealanders arecurrently living with heart disease.

* The HeartFoundation funds cutting-edge research and specialisttraining for cardiologists, while our education andprevention programmes address heart disease head-on in thecommunity.

* The Heart Foundation is NewZealands heart charity that is leading the fight againstheart disease.

* As a charity we rely heavily onthe generosity of everyday Kiwis to support our life-savingwork.

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FULL INTERVIEW: Staying safe at the polls during the presidential election

A physician with the Infectious Diseases Society of America discusses how to safely vote during the 2020 election.

LOS ANGELES - The United States is still in a pandemic as the 2020 presidential election draws near, leaving many worried about voting safely during the COVID-19 crisis.

Many public health experts agree that voting by mail is the safest method to avoid the risk of transmission of COVID-19, but how can people who want to vote in person stay safe?

Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, a physician with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and an assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina, said each state has its own rules and regulations regarding the handling of polling places on election day. IDSA is advocating for a variety of measures be put into place to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.

Hispanic voters go to the polls for early voting at the Miami-Dade Government Center on October 21, 2004 in Miami, Florida

For people who cant vote [mail-in], theres certain steps that they can take to mediate the risk of getting coronavirus, Kuppalli said.

Wear a mask and disinfect

Kuppalli suggests bringing personal preventative items with you to your polling place, such as your own mask and hand sanitizer.

Kuppalli said this will not only help reduce the risk of obtaining or transmitting COVID-19, but it will let people around you know that you are doing the best that you can to protect yourself and others.

IDSA is also advocating for election sites to have items such as masks and hand sanitizer available, and is urging that routine disinfection be done at polling places.

Maintain a good physical distance

We recommend that people stay at least six feet apart, Kuppalli said. Weve [IDSA] also recommended that, one of the things that election officials and voting places to do is to mark that distance, so people know they are maintaining that distance.

RELATED:Mail-in and absentee ballots: How to ensure yours is properly filled out and doesnt get rejected

Fill out a sample ballot before arriving

Kuppalli recommended filling out a sample ballot before arriving at your polling destination.

By knowing who you are voting for ahead of time, you can be quicker and more efficient at your polling site, Kuppalli added.

However long we are exposed to the coronavirus, that increases our risks of getting it. So, the less time we have to wait in line at the polls, that will be hugely important, Kuppalli added.

Head to the polls at off-peak hours

Kuppalli suggested heading to the polls when there are less people.

Weve recommended that people try to show up early on election day, and if possible to show up at off peak voting times so that might mean early in the morning, Kuppalli noted.

She also recommended going alone to vote if that is possible the less people gathered at the polls, the safer the process will be.

In addition, IDSA is advocating for more polling places, which would reduce the density of people at each location. Then there wouldnt be as many voters at one particular site and people would not need to wait in as long of lines.

Try to reduce your risk of transmission leading up to the 2020 election

Continuing to follow CDC guidelines, such as wearing a mask, washing hands and maintaining social distance leading up to the election, will help reduce potential spread of the coronavirus, Kuppalli said.

RELATED:Election officials, experts and USPS urging voters not to wait until state deadlines to mail in ballots

Kuppalli said IDSA is also advocating for free testing after the election.

Were recommending that free testing be available for people in the aftermath of the election, because we want to make sure that people who may be exposed be able to get tested. Thats all very important, Kuppalli said.

What if I have been exposed to COVID-19?

IDSA has advocated that polling places have contingency plans set up, because as much as we plan people may be coming to the polling sites sick, Kuppalli said.

Here are some options for those who find themselves wary of the U.S. Postal Services ability to deliver their ballot on time.

IDSA advocated that all polling places have contingency plans in place such as curbside voting, which would decrease the risk of exposure for both voters and poll workers.

Kuppalli suggested checking in with your local election officials to find of your countys contingency plan, because every locality will have different plans in order.

Is it safe to volunteer to be a poll worker?

This is the year that we need everybody who can be a poll worker to please come out and volunteer to be a poll worker, Kuppalli said.

IDSA is advocating that people in younger age groups, who have less risk of serious illness, choose to volunteer on Election Day.

RELATED:USPS launches website providing resources and information on mail-in ballots ahead of 2020 election

If you have questions about your risk in being a poll worker, Kuppalli said you should check in with your health care provider.

Utilize mail-in voting if possible

Theres no such thing as zero risk, Kuppalli said. Theyre all things that we can do to mitigate our risk.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is pushing states to ramp up their mail-in voting efforts for the 2020 election, but the rules vary from state to state.

Kuppalli said that mail-in voting is still the safest way to vote in terms of reducing risk for coronavirus transmission.

If people can do mail-in voting, then they should. Its the safest way from a COVID transmission standpoint to decrease their risk of getting COVID, Kuppalli said.

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Election 2020: How to protect yourself at the polls amid COVID-19 pandemic - FOX 10 News Phoenix

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) Summit Biosciences Inc., a Lexington-based pharmaceutical company focused on nasal spray medicines, is expanding its operation at the University of Kentucky Coldstream Research Campus with a more than $19 million investment expected to create up to 78 full-time jobs.

The project has grown significantly since it originally was announced in 2016 as a $7.9 million project that would create 21 jobs.

We need companies like Summit Biosciences more than ever, and I could not be happier to see its tremendous growth in Lexington, Gov. Andy Beshear said. This company has represented what it means to be part of Team Kentucky during this pandemic, donating personal protective equipment to the local community and working on an urgently needed treatment for coronavirus. Summit Biosciences is a company with a bright future in Kentucky.

The expansion, which is nearing completion, brings the companys footprint to 44,000 square feet with increased manufacturing, laboratory and warehouse space.

The additional space will support clinical and commercial production of several new nasal spray medicines, including one for COVID-19.

In May, Atossa Therapeutics Inc., a Seattle-based pharmaceutical company, awarded Summit a contract to accelerate the development of a nasal spray medicine for preventing and/or mitigating a COVID-19 infection.

The proposed product is being developed as an at-home, easy-to-administer preventative or treatment option for patients and is among a very limited number of medicines or vaccines that will rely on intranasal delivery.

Atossa selected Summit for its specialized capabilities, industrial-scale infrastructure and proven track record in nasal spray medicines.

We are excited and honored to have been entrusted by Atossa Therapeutics to aid in the development of a product that could potentially be used in the global fight against the coronavirus, said Greg Plucinski, president and COO of Summit. Our dedicated, high-performing team has taken this immense responsibility and worked extremely hard to deliver products for the start of human clinical studies in record time.

Summit was founded in Lexington in 2009 by Edwin Cohen. The company develops and manufactures prescription nasal sprays for other pharmaceutical companies to commercialize and distribute throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Having grown steadily since its inception, Summits expansion has ramped up in recent years. Since December 2016, its staff has grown from 45 to 125 employees.

State Rep. George Brown, of Lexington, expressed gratitude for Summits work during a time of great need.

This announcement is both great news for our community and for our frontline role in trying to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Rep. Brown said. I want to thank Summit Biosciences for investing further here in Lexington and creating these much-needed new jobs, and I also appreciate the hard work by our local and state officials to help make this possible.Heres hoping this work bears positive fruit and quickly.

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton noted the companys local roots and steady growth.

If you want to understand the strength of our economy, take a look at Summit Biosciences, Mayor Gorton said. The story starts with University of Kentucky brainpower in pharmaceuticals. Next, an investment from the citys Jobs Fund and from the state to get this UK start-up off the ground.

By 2016, the company employs 45; then 100 in 2018; and now 125. Similarly, Summits facility has continued to expand, from 7,850 square feet in 2018 to 44,000 square feet today. Summits success story is also our communitys success story in growing good jobs. I recently visited their offices in Coldstream Research Campus. Summit Biosciences, congratulations! Gorton continued.

Bob Quick, president and CEO of Commerce Lexington Inc., said the company has been an ideal community partner.

To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in July gave final approval to a modified 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $1.5 million in tax incentives based on the companys investment of $19 million and annual targets of:

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Summit can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives.

For more information on Summit Biosciences visitSummitBiosciences.com. For a video message from Summit Bioscience,click here.

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More than a high BMI, an obese heart is a silent risk: New research shows that fat tissue around the heart releases molecules that alter heart rhythm, identifying potential new targets for preventative therapies for heart disease By Professor Lea Delbridge, University of Melbourne and Dr James Bell, La Trobe University and University of Melbourne.

More than two thirds of Australians are now overweight or obese.

More than just a statistic, this figure is concerning because obesity is associated with a number of long-term health issues including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, musculoskeletal disease, disability and has recently emerged as a risk factor in COVID-19 morbidity.

Of these, heart disease is Australias biggest killer. And irregular heart rhythms, known as atrial fibrillation (AF), are an early phase of heart disease, which can lead to stroke, heart failure and, eventually, death.

AF is also associated with accelerated dementia and depression.

In Australia, one in 11 deaths are linked to atrial fibrillation with an economic cost of more than $A1.25 billion per year. Described as a silent killer, many people with AF have no symptoms and it is often difficult to diagnose.

It has been known for some time that obesity is a critical risk factor for AF. Each unit increase in body mass index (BMI) increases AF risk by four to five per cent.

So, developing new preventative therapies for treating AF is crucial to reducing the public health and economic burden of this disease.

Our latest study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has highlighted that the build-up of fat around the heart is especially dangerous for heart health showing a link between the fat deposit on the surface of the heart muscle with atrial fibrillation.

The Framingham Heart Study first identified an important, but poorly understood link between accumulation of fat around the heart and the risk of the most common form of irregular heart rhythms atrial fibrillation.

This then culminated in a new collaboration, between pre-clinical researchers and clinical cardiologists at the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Biomedical Precinct.

Our group has been researching the role of cardiac adipose (fat tissue) in regulating heart muscle contraction and heart pump function for a number of years.

And our partners, Drs Jon Kalman and Chrishan Nalliahs team from the Department of Medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, have been investigating the effects of patient obesity on the electrical abnormalities which provoke AF.

During the project, while patients were still undergoing surgery, we could rush heart tissue fragments (removed as part of the surgical process) into the research lab and work on them immediately.

The most common irregular rhythms of the upper chambers of the heart atrial fibrillation are more prevalent in aged and obese populations. One in three people will develop AF beyond the age of 55 and the risk accelerates with increasing age.

People are often unaware they have AF and the first sign could be tragic: a stroke due to blood clot traveling to the brain or the danger of a sudden blackout with dire consequences.

Silent progression to heart failure is common, with AF only detected when the symptoms of heart failure emerge.

Changes in heart rhythms

Most people dont realise that there is a lot of fat adipose tissue around the heart muscle. In extreme cases the amount of fat has been found to be up to 50 per cent of the entire heart weight.

Our research has shown that the adipose tissue around the heart produces biochemical factors which changes the way electrical signals move through the heart muscle tissue to generate the heartbeat.

The cell-to-cell communication is disrupted, and the transfer of the electrical signal between cells (which creates the heart beat) is delayed. These factors have a potentially major role in causing disruption of electrical activity which underlies atrial fibrillation.

And although BMI increases the risk of AF, it is the cardiac adipose burden (and not BMI) that is most important in electrical and structural disruption.

There are no general screening processes, no preventative treatments and AF and AF complications are associated with hospitalisation rates of up to 40 per cent.

It is also likely that AF is under-diagnosed in women.

Men often undergo cardiac surgery to unblock coronary arteries where AF is then often detected. Heart disease with major artery involvement is much less common in women, so AF often remains undetected until the disease is dangerously advanced.

Potential new treatments

Understanding the basic causes, early intervention and developing new preventative therapies is crucial.

Current treatments for those diagnosed with AF are limited and lack effectiveness. They are designed to abolish the irregular heart rhythms without addressing the underlying cellular causes.

Drug therapies can actually make arrhythmias worse and the common atrial ablation catheter procedure only works for a limited time and repeat procedures are common.

By showing that the fat around the heart drives these rhythm irregularities, our study identifies potential new targets for developing preventative therapies that may reduce the catastrophic health consequences.

Our research suggests that more proactive management to measure the heart adipose load should be undertaken as part of a risk assessment.

It also raises the possibility that a surgical approach to reduce cardiac adipose (fat) tissue could be an intervention to consider in future and identifies molecular signalling which may potentially pave the way for targeted drug treatment.

A link to living in a time of Covid?

Obesity has emerged as a major risk factor for morbidity in COVID-19 patients, with cardiovascular complications a major underlying cause of death.

The causes underlying this are poorly understood. It is possible that the fat surrounding the heart is implicated.

Our study shows that factors released from the heart can have potentially catastrophic effects on how the heart muscle functions but the extent to which this underlies the cardiovascular component of COVID-19 mortality or morbidity has yet to be further explored.

Research support for this work was provided by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

This article first appeared in Pursuit.

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An obese heart is a silent risk - The Hippocratic Post