StemCell Therapy

Enlarge / A little needlework and blood has never looked better.

MaricorMaricar @ Handsome Frank

A few hours before beginning chemotherapy, a man named Chris faces his cellphone camera with a mischievous smile and describes a perfectly absurd milestone at 1:37pm on a Wednesday. There is no more beautiful moment in a mans life he says with puckish glee. Because how can you not laugh when youve been invited to bank your sperm in advance of being Godzilla-ed with chemotherapy and radiation, all just four days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at the age of 43 and given a 5 to 15 percent chance of survival?

Oh, and the fertility clinic forgot to send someone over with a specimen kit, and theyre closing in little more than 20 minutes, so you have to fire up your iPad for some quick visual stimulation to help you fill a sterile tube. Just try to ignore the legal consent paperwork all around you and the catheter thats been surgically inserted into your jugular vein.

And because there are no couriers available, your sisterwho has been running half-marathons to get in shapegamely volunteers to tuck the freshly filled tube in her sports bra to keep it at body temperature before dashing the mile to the clinic. You imagine her arriving as the window is closing, lurching towards the counter and shouting Nooooo! in the slow-mo way they do in action movies. She hands over her precious cargo in the nick of time and triumphantly exclaims, This is my brothers!

Nothing is normal about leukemia or its aftermath, and Chris Lihosit has chosen to cope by learning everything he can about the disease and poking fun at its many indignities and absurdities. While some people with cancer are reluctant to share because they see it as a sign of weakness, he knows that humour and openness have a way of breaking the ice and maintaining visibility.

On the last day of 2015, Chris received one of the estimated 40,000 umbilical cord blood transplants performed around the world to date. Cord blood contains what are known as stem cells and progenitor cells, which can give rise to oxygen-carrying red blood cells, infection-fighting white blood cells, and clot-forming platelets.

Transplanted cord blood can be used to treat or cure more than 80 conditions, from leukemia to sickle-cell disease. Based on current research exploring autism, brain injury, cerebral palsy, type 1 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, among others, the list of potential applications is likely to grow. Emerging strategies are even transforming cord blood left over after birth into a potent potion that might provide lifesaving treatments for victims of a nuclear disaster.

Stem and progenitor cells are also found in the spongy marrow within some bones and in the blood that circulates around our bodies. But cord blood, once dismissed as medical waste, is particularly rich in these cells. As researchers are discovering, it may carry other significant advantages, too.

While a cord blood transplant might save your life, though, going through the process and then starting anewyour survival down to an anonymous babyis far from easy.

The first cases of leukemia were documented some 200 years ago. The earliest known reports, by Scottish surgeon Peter Cullen in 1811 and French surgeon Alfred Velpeau in 1827, chronicled a baffling ailment marked by an enlarged spleen. Cullen described the mysterious transformation of his patients blood serum from a clear pale yellow to a milky liquid. Velpeau was just as astonished by what he likened to a thick gruel, leading him to conclude that his dead patients blood was full of pus.

As we now know, bone marrow produces cells called blasts," which take time to grow into infection-fighting white blood cells. But leukemia sends production into overdrive, filling the blood with blasts that dont develop as they should. This army of immature cells crowds out the useful ones, leaving the host highly vulnerable to internal bleeding or foreign invaders.

Although the risk factors for leukemia are only partly understood, scientists have linked it to genetic disorders such as Fanconi anaemia and Down syndrome, and to exposure to radiation or toxins like benzene. The out-of-control growth of abnormal white blood cells, though, has provided an opening for drug and radiation therapies that selectively cull the bodys fastest-growing cells. As a last resort, doctors may deliberately kill off all leukemia-riddled blood and bone marrow cells and attempt a full reset with someone elses blood-forming stem cells.

In early August 2015, Chris Lihosit fell ill with an exhausting, dehydrating, and pajama-soaking fever that mysteriously disappeared two days later. During a check-up, on his 43rd birthday, his doctor named summertime flu the most likely culprit.

Then the same thing happened again, and it settled into a disturbing pattern: midweek chills and an escalating fever that would break on Sunday. By Monday, Chris would feel fine, only to have the sequence repeat itself. He joked about it with colleagues at T-Mobile, where he works in software development, Well, I hope its not cancer!

On alternating weekends from May to October, Chris would volunteer as a backcountry ranger for the US Forest Servicea physically demanding role that involves patrolling Washingtons Cascade Mountain forests and hiking along high-altitude trails with a backpack that can weigh up to 32 kilograms. But now, even at sea level, he was getting winded just walking his two dogs around the block. What the hell was going on?

A medical appointment revealed a heart murmur and suspicions of endocarditis, an infection of the hearts inner lining. The scare triggered another series of tests that led Chris and his husband, Bill Sechter, to Emergency Room 4 at the University of Washington Medical Center.

A whiteboard checklist documented his Saturday morning: insertion of a large-bore IV as a potential conduit for antibiotics, a round of blood draws, and discussions with the ER doctor. Then the phone rang and the nurse answered, listened and responded to multiple questions in quick succession: Yes. Yes. Oh, OK. OK. Yeah. He excused himself from the room and soon returned in a full hazmat suit," as Chris describes it. Yellow.

And thats when we were like, Oh shit, its on. Something is seriously bad.

Chris learned that his level of infection-fighting neutrophil cells, normally churned out by the bone marrow, had fallen so low that his defences were in tatters. He was also severely anaemic, with roughly half the normal amount of red blood cells in his blood.

It wasnt endocarditis. And when one of his doctors performed a blood smear, she saw something on the microscope slide that shouldnt be there: blasts. These leukaemic cells, stuck in adolescence, were the harbingers of the coming horde that had so astonished 19th-century surgeons.

The doctor apologetically broke the news, and Chris and his sister dissolved into tears. In an emotional Facebook post later that day, he attached a picture of himself in a hospital gown and pink facemask and wrote: this avowed agnostic could actually go for your good juju / positive thoughts or even your (gasp) prayers.

More tests, including a bone marrow biopsy of his pelvic bone, painted an increasingly disturbing picture. He had acute myeloid leukemia, a fast-progressing cancer. The biopsy suggested that an astonishing 80 percent of his bone marrow cells were cancerous. Strike one.

Other results suggested that chemotherapy wouldnt be as effective on his form of leukemia. Strike two.

And genetic tests put him in the unfavourable risk category by revealing that his cancer cells carried only one copy of chromosome 21, a rare anomaly associated with dismal outcomes, according to recent studies. Strike three.

Chris needed to start chemotherapy immediately. But first, he had his sperm banked. Then, with family and a close friend at his side, he celebrated his impending treatment with prime rib and cheap champagne smuggled into his hospital room.

Over three days, he received multiple doses of the anticancer drugs cladribine, cytarabine, and mitoxantrone, the last a dark blue concoction often dubbed Blue Thunder." The drug turned his urine a shade he describes as Seahawks green in honour of Seattles football team. Other patients have had the whites of their eyes temporarily turn blue.

On the third night of his drug infusion, a sudden back pain grew into an intense pressure in his chest that felt like he was being stabbed. A heart attack? An emergency CAT scan instead revealed two newly formed blood clots: one in his right leg and another in his right lungnot uncommon consequences of chemotherapy.

Over the next six months, Chris would need transfusions of blood-clotting platelets whenever his level of them dipped too low, and daily injections of a blood-thinning drug whenever it rose too high. Thirteen days after being admitted into the hospital, he posted a more hopeful Facebook entry: And Im finally going home! Now the real adventure begins.

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The life-saving treatment that's being thrown in the trash - Ars Technica

From research on stem cells and DNA sequencing to experiments with fruit flies and surveys of human behavior, projects funded by the National Institutes of Health aim to make Americans healthier. A new analysis finds that NIH-funded research also fuels the kinds of innovations that drive the U.S. economy.

Between 1990 and 2012, close to 1 in 10 projects made possible by an NIH grant resulted in a patent, usually for a university or a hospital.

The indirect effects were far greater: Close to 1 in 3 NIH research grants generated work that was cited in applications for commercial patents.

Over roughly two decades, 81,462 patents filed by companies and individuals cited at least one NIH-sponsored research project in their applications. Some 1,351 of those patents were for drugs that would go on to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, undergirds a point repeated frequently since the Trump administration unveiled a budget plan that proposed cutting the NIH budget by 20% in 2018: that research funded by taxpayer dollars not only improves lives and forestalls death, it creates jobs which the president has long asserted is his highest priority.

It is an argument often made in support of such scientific undertakings as space exploration, and sometimes for defense spending. But when it comes to biomedical research, public spending is frequently dismissed as a way to sustain university professors or seek esoteric answers to the mysteries of life.

It shouldnt be, said Pierre Azoulay, a professor of technological innovation at MIT and coauthor of the new analysis.

NIH public funding expenditures have large effects on the patenting output of the private sector, Azoulay said. These results should give a lot of pause to those who think these cuts are going to have no effect.

Ashley J. Stevens, a biotechnology researcher who is president of Focus IP Group in Winchester, Mass., said the new study clearly ... supports the premise that increased investment in the NIH leads directly to improved public health.

It also makes President Trumps proposal to cut the NIH budget by $1.6 billion this year and $6 billion next year to fund a border wall and increased military spending incompatible with his America first objectives, added Stevens, who was not involved in the study.

More than 80% of the NIH budget is parceled out to researchers across the country and around the world. Each year, NIHs 21 institutes award close to 50,000 competitive grants to investigators at more than 2,500 universities, independent labs and private companies. The University of California, for instance, received nearly $1.9 billion in total NIH funding last year.

Led by Harvard Business School entrepreneurship professor Danielle Li, the new research scoured 1,310,700 patent applications submitted between 1980 and 2012 in the life sciences, a category that includes drugs, medical devices and related technologies. In the footnotes, citations and supporting data, the study authors looked for references to any of the 365,380 grants the NIH funded between 1980 and 2007, as well as to research articles generated by those grants.

To capture the unappreciated indirect spillovers of knowledge that result from NIH-funded work, the authors focused especially on 232,276 private-sector patents in the life sciences.

Li, Azoulay and Bhaven Sampat, a health policy professor at Columbia University, found 17,093 patents that were assigned to universities and public-sector institutions. These patents are certainly valuable they can spur further research, support professors and graduate students and boost endowments.

But private-sector patents may reverberate more widely through the economy, generating capital, manufacturing jobs and profits. And their intellectual debt to publicly funded research is rarely counted or acknowledged outside the fine print of these patent applications.

In all, 112,408 NIH-funded research grants 31% of the total disbursed between 1990 and 2007 produced research that was cited by 81,462 private-sector patents, the team found.

If you thought this was just ivory tower stuff that has no relevance, I think we contradict that, Azoulay said.

The findings demonstrate that the broad economic effects of NIH budget cuts would not necessarily be felt immediately, since it could take years for a research paper written by NIH-funded investigators to find its way into a patent application.

These effects are going to be delayed, Azoulay said. The slowdown resulting from a cut in the NIH budget now is for President Ivanka Trump or President Chelsea Clinton to worry about.

But the study also makes clear that publicly funded research lays the groundwork for important innovations and discoveries that companies and individuals seek to patent.

Biomedical research is perhaps the most complex type of research there is, Azoulay added: These are fundamentally harder problems. There are a lot of blind alleys, experimentation that leads to nothing.

Intriguingly, the new research found that there was little difference in the economic impact of grants for basic science and applied science. Both types of grants were equally likely to be cited in patent applications if they explored fundamental dynamics of biology (such as cellular processes) or if they studied specific disease states in humans.

That distinction is important, because researchers and scientific leaders have quarreled for years over how NIHs limited budgets should be apportioned.

Scientists who study very basic biological processes, or who work with simple organisms like yeast, earthworms or fruit flies, often argue that their contributions are most valuable because they shed light on how all life including human life works.

Scientists whose research is more applied, including clinical trials and epidemiological studies, believe their work contributes more directly to improving human health.

The new study suggests that both categories contribute to commercial innovation.

Stevens called this finding remarkable.

Azoulay acknowledged that neither the progress of life sciences research nor its contribution to the economy is neat or easy to quantify.

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Drastic cuts to NIH budget could translate to less innovation and fewer patents, study argues - Los Angeles Times

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In recent years gender-fluid clothes have become more common in ads and runway shows look at Pharrell wearing a Chanel purse, Jaden Smiths collection of skirts, or Burberrys Virginia Woolfinspired September collection. Youd think this was a liberal-thinking, Western-oriented trend but its not. The most exciting line out of South Korea, Blindness, fully embraces the idea that its all about making beautiful pieces that anyone, regardless of social preconceptions of gender norms, can wear.

Designers KyuYoung Shin and JiSun Park debuted the brand in 2013, but it was their last collection that really launched their work globally. Their The Danish Girlinspired spring 2017 collection was filled with corset-inspired silhouettes, pearl trims, and millennial-pink ruffles mostly shown on men. It was enough to grab the attention of the judges behind the LVMH prize, where they finished as semifinalists.

Taking the momentum from being noticed by one of the most influential luxury-fashion conglomerates, the duo decided to go even flashier for their fall collection. This time the idea sprang from the death of David Bowie and his fashion legacy. What resulted was sparkly, eye-catching mix of puffers, dresses, cowboy boots, and yes, more pearl accents on mostly men with a few women sprinkled in.

Their choice in what each model wears down the runway feels deliberately unconventional. The two women skew more masculine while their muse, male model Jae Yong Na, at one point wears a pearl-studded crop top, while another outfit features a sequin-studded pencil skirt with knee-high red boots. Even the closing look, a silver evening dress is shown on a tough, bald-headed guy with a chest full of tattoos.

While the designers might not have a dream client, its easy to imagine seeing someone like Rihanna, Jared Leto, or Frank Ocean in the clothes. And really, given their current track record, it wont be long before we do.

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This Gender-Fluid Line From Korea Caught LVMH's Eye - New York Magazine

By Bishop Anthony B. Taylor

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily March 26.

Knowledge is light an inner light comes on when we understand something which is why we say, I see! But this seeing is insight, not just eyesight. And with insight comes power.

In todays Gospel Jesus enables a blind man to see. He starts by giving him eyesight, but by the end of the story this man also has insight. An inner light has come on regarding who Jesus is. Now not only does he see, he understands.

But not so the other people in the story. They have eyesight but no insight. They see but do not understand.

There are certain things to which we are blind, regarding which we lack insight.

n His neighbors and family see that a miracle has occurred, but they are afraid to look at what that might say about Jesus. They are cowards. They dont want to upset the powers that be, so they say they dont know how it happened, which leaves them ignorant and powerless.

We say ignorance is bliss but nothing could be further from the truth. As Forest Gump says: If youre going to be dumb, youd better be tough. Ignorance makes a persons life difficult, not easy.

n Then there are the Pharisees. Where this mans neighbors and family claim ignorance due to fear, Jesus adversaries are reduced to ignorance by hatred, which has already closed their minds to him and by pride which leads them to think they know more than they really do. They know youre not supposed to work on the Sabbath and they know Jesus did this on the Sabbath, so they conclude that Jesus cannot be from God because he does not keep the Sabbath.

Of course by now they were just looking for an excuse to get rid of him. They were blinded by hatred and pride, which deprived them of insight into who Jesus is and why, therefore, in his case the normal rules of logic simply do not apply.

n By contrast, the man born blind is open to Jesus and is courageous, but there is one odd thing about this miracle: He never asked to be healed!

Almost all of Jesus other miracles of healing follow a similar pattern. The person asks for healing, Jesus asks if they believe in him, they say yes and then he works the miracle because of their faith. Thats not what happens here: Jesus cures this man without being asked, saying instead that the reason for this miracle was so that the works of God might be made visible so we can see that Jesus is the Light of the World, so we could have insight and not just eyesight. And while this miracle doesnt fit the usual pattern, the end result is the same: the blind man puts his faith in Jesus.

You and I are like the people in this story: There are certain things to which we are blind, regarding which we lack insight. Sometimes this is willful blindness due to fear we see this in the actions of our government regarding immigration.

Sometimes our lack of insight is due to ignorance, bad information, strong feelings but little knowledge, which keeps us from seeing how in certain matters just like in todays Gospel the normal rules simply do not apply. Sometimes we are blinded by hatred or pride.

But it need not be that way. Jesus is the Light of the World and he invites us to be like the man he heals in todays Gospel: open and courageous, trying our best to live in the light ourselves making sure we have good information, all the facts and then striving courageously to bring the light to others.

After all, ignorance is not bliss. It can actually be very destructive. And its also no excuse.

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Blindness can be caused by fear, ignorance, hatred - Arkansas Catholic

The government is set to change a four-decade-old definition of blindness to bring it in line with the WHO criteria and ensure the Indian data on blindness meets the global estimates. The change in definition will bring down the number of blind persons by 4 million in India.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines blindness as visual sharpness of less than 3/60, or a corresponding visual field loss to less than 10 degrees in the better eye, even with the best possible spectacle correction.

The National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) in India, on the other hand, defines blindness as vision of 6/60 or less and a visual field loss of 20 degrees or less in the better eye, after spectacle correction.

This means a person unable to count fingers from a distance of six metres is categorised as blind in India, against the WHOs stipulation of three metres.

With the NPCB definition, we will be addressing an extra 4 million individuals, blind due to refractive errors. By adopting the blindness criteria of the WHO, India can achieve the Vision 2020 goal, said Dr Praveen Vashist, in-charge of community ophthalmology at Dr RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS.

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Under Vision 2020, India has to reduce the prevalence of blindness to 0.3% of the total population.

India projects a higher number of blind people at international forums because of its definition. India currently has around 12 million blind people against 39 million globally -- which makes India home to one-third of the worlds blind population.

We will bring the definition of blindness at par with the WHOs criteria. Because of the current definition, we project a higher figure of blind people from India at any international forum. Thus India gets presented in a poor light compared to other countries, said NPCB deputy director general Promila Gupta.

Also, she said, the data we generate under the programme cannot be compared with the global estimates as other countries are following the WHO criteria.

Uniformity in the definition across various regions of the world is a pre-requisite for facilitating collection of population-based data on prevalence of blindness and estimating its global burden, Gupta said.

The health ministry is also planning to change the nomenclature of NPCB to the National Programme for Control of Visual Impairment and Blindness.

The idea is to further strengthen the programme by focusing not only on the blind persons but also those with some kind of visual impairment, Gupta added.

(With agency inputs)

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Number of blind to come down by 4m as India set to change blindness definition - Hindustan Times

Miami Herald

Cutting-edge gene therapy provides hope for patients with inherited eye conditions Miami Herald Imagine stepping out into a bright South Florida morning and literally being so sensitive to light that it causes painful blindness. Imagine, too, being unable to discriminate between colors and slowly (and reluctantly) adapting to losing your sight ...

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Cutting-edge gene therapy provides hope for patients with inherited eye conditions - Miami Herald

Prana Biotechnology Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:PRAN)

Prana Biotechnology Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:PRAN) shares have been up over 80% on large volumes. PRAN closed yesterday at $2.48, gapped up to open at $2.95, reached an inter-day high of $4.58, and are now trading around $3.60 for an inter-day gain of over 45%. The nano-cap Australian-based biotech firm has, prior to todays action, an average daily trading volume of just over 59,000 but, by 10:30 AM EST, PRAN shares had already traded over 7.1 million times. A review of news services reveals that no news has been reported by the company or an analyst that could account for todays price action.

Prana Biotechnology Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:PRAN) is a clinical stage biotechnology firm that develops therapeutic medicines. Prana has developed PBT-2 for the treatment of Alzheimers disease. PBT-2 is currently in a Phase IIa clinical trial. Pranas PBT-2 is also being investigated for applications involving other therapeutic applications including age-related cataracts, Huntington disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Motor Neuron disease, age-related macular degeneration, cancers, Parkinsons disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

When PRAN is adjusted for dilutive effects, the shares high came in early 2014 when PRAN was trading near $80/share. However, by the end of 2014, PRAN shares would end up down over 74%. Dilution, EPS losses, and weak sales figures have plagued the shares. Prana Biotechnology Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:PRAN) have reported sales of $100,000 every year since 2012 except for 2014 when the company reported a figure of $300,000. EPS losses have been noteworthy. In 2012 the EPS loss for shares holders of PRAN was -$5.00, followed by annual EPS losses of-$6.31, -$8.55, -$3.21, and -$3.98 in 2016. There has also been consistent dilution for PRN shareholders. In 2012 the number of outstanding shares was 800,000 and that number grew annually and in 2016 the number was 1.48 million. Given Prana Biotechnology Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:PRAN) market cap of only $23 million and its lack of sales, no analysts have reviewed the companys share ratings since 2014.

I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 96 hours. All information, or data, is provided with no guarantees of accuracy.

About the author: Marc has a degree in economics and a MSc. in Finance. Over his 20-year career, Marc has worked for global investment firms in Europe and the United States as an analyst, fund manager, and consultant.

Marc Anderson is a pseudonym. Marc has a degree in economics and a MSc. in Finance. Marc worked for global investment firms in Europe and the United States as an analyst, fund manager, and consultant. View all posts by Marcus Anderson

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Prana Biotechnology Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:PRAN) Gains are ... - StockNewsUnion

By Mayo Clinic News Network

Joint protection is a proven strategy to help you manage rheumatoid arthritis pain and perform daily activities more easily.

Arthritic joints can't tolerate as much stress as healthy joints. Pushing, pulling or twisting motions can be painful. Think about ways you can avoid unnecessarily stressing your joints.

Don't be tempted to work through your rheumatoid arthritis pain. You might make the pain worse and increase your risk of developing joint deformities.

If an activity causes joint pain, change the way you do that activity. Continuing the activity despite pain can damage your joint. Forgoing the activity altogether can lead to joint stiffness through lack of use.

As a general guideline, if pain persists for one hour after you do an activity, consider changing how you do it. For example:

Large joints are stronger than small ones. Save your smaller, weaker joints for the specific jobs that only they can accomplish, and favor large joints when possible.

For example:

Spare your fingers as much work as possible. Try to:

If you position yourself correctly and use the muscles best suited to a task, you can minimize the stress on your joints.

Proper body mechanics allow you to use your body more efficiently. Try to:

Arranging your work area wisely also can make a big difference:

Don't give your joints the chance to become stiff -- keep them moving. Try these tips:

Organizing your time and tasks can help eliminate steps that strain your joints. Try to:

Excess weight puts a strain on your body, especially your lower back, hips, knees and ankles. Losing weight can help decrease your pain and increase your energy.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/in-depth/arthritis/art-20047954

Original post:
Rheumatoid arthritis and tips for protecting your joints - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3

GREEN BAY, Wisc. (WBAY) An update on a group of elderly women, some in their 90s, who learned in January their long-time arthritis exercise class through St. Mary's Hospital fell victim to budget cuts.

A new location is now offering them the chance to forget about their aches and pains.

Their exercises mirror their range of emotions since the moment the women wondered if they would ever be together again.

"We had no indication this was going to happen, it was a complete shock," says Diane Zimmer from Green Bay.

"It was a horrible thought, I thought what am I going to do because it has helped me, I have an arm and shoulder problem," adds Angeline Haferman, 95, from Green Bay.

"What do we do now, we need this exercise, we want to stay together," recalls Zimmer.

Determination to find a new home for their decades-old exercise class, a lot of phone calls and plenty of visits around town led the group to the 9th Street Wellness Center.

After just a few classes, owner Karen Stoehr realized she was hosting a sisterhood.

"They get along together, they take care of each other, they help each other and they've having a quality of life," says Stoehr.

"It's mostly something to look forward to doing because at our age we don't have any friends left, people we used to golf and bowl with, they're just not around any more," says Dotty Reeners from Hobart, who turns 90 next month.

The women are again cherishing their time together, exercising and socializing every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

"They're here and they're going through with either their walkers or canes, doesn't make any difference, they're here rain or shine," says Stoehr.

"We always felt like we're family and here we're living it up again," adds Reeners.

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Arthritis class finding a new home - WBAY

GETTY

Methotrexate is a drug taken, often over long periods of time, to limit or prevent joint damage and disability.

People who take methotrexate are often advised to abstain from alcohol as both methotrexate and alcohol are known to increase the risks of liver damage.

However, it is not known whether drinking modest amounts of alcohol is safe during methotrexate therapy.

The new study by The University of Manchester has looked at the medical records of almost 12,000 people with rheumatoid arthritis taking the drug who had a record of the levels of alcohol they drank and who had routine blood monitoring test results.

The researchers found that increased use of alcohol did indeed correspond to increased liver damage, but at 14 units or fewer there was no heightened risk.

GETTY

We know that methotrexate can be an effective drug for treating arthritis, said Dr Natalie Carter, head of Research Liaison and Evaluation at Arthritis Research UK.

As it can interact with other medicines and alcohol it is important that people with arthritis have information about their medication in order to manage their arthritis safely and effectively.

Arthritis Research UK invests in exceptional science to find treatments and information that let people push back the limits these conditions cause.

This research adds to the knowledge we have around methotrexate and its effects in people with rheumatoid arthritis, which can help people make informed decisions about their treatment.

Getty

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GETTY

We know that methotrexate can be an effective drug for treating arthritis

Dr Natalie Carter

We would recommend that people who take methotrexate to speak to their rheumatologist for advice about drinking alcohol whilst on this drug.

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Dr Jenny Humphreys, an NIHR Clinical Lecturer at The University of Manchesters Arthritis Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, led the study.

She said: In the past theres not been clear guidance on what effects different amounts of alcohol have on these people, so doctors often err on the side of caution and recommend abstinence.

As a result, some people choose to decline methotrexate so they can continue to enjoy a drink, thereby missing out on the possible benefits of the medication.

Alternatively, some people may go totally without alcohol after starting methotrexate: if they like to drink in moderation, the quality of their life may be affected.

With a pint of 5.2 per cent ABV beer containing three units and a 250ml glass of 14 per cent ABV wine containing 3.5, the findings show that people can drink in moderation, while still benefitting from the drug.

The data used in the study came from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a UK general practice database.

The researchers identified 11,839 people with rheumatoid arthritis who were taking methotrexate and had at least six liver function test results per year. Of these, 530 developed abnormal liver function tests.

Although there was no increased risk associated with drinking 14 units or less compared to people who drank no alcohol, people who drank 15-21 units had a 33 per cent increased probability of liver damage and this rose to 81 per cent in the group that drank more than 21 units.

GETTY

Professor Will Dixon, Director of the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Epidemiology at The University of Manchester, believes that the results can provide important guidance for doctors who are prescribing methotrexate.

He added: This is the first study to provide estimates of risk of liver damage for different levels of alcohol consumption in this drug.

It also quantifies the risk for doctors so they can be clear about the extent to which different levels of alcohol will cause problems across a population of patients taking methotrexate.

The research was published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases and funded by Arthritis Research UK.

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Rheumatoid arthritis: Taking THIS drug with too much alcohol could be dangerous cocktail - Express.co.uk

WideCells is aiming to be a major supporting player through its development of a stem cell storage business and, having only listed in London last July, its newsflow so far looks to be pointing the way

With stem cell therapies tipped to be the next great advances in the treatment of a range of ailments and conditions, shareholders in PLC () look to be in a good position to benefit.

WideCells is aiming to be a major supporting player through its development of a stem cell storage business and, having only listed in London last July, its newsflow so far looks to be pointing the way.

In the groups maiden full-year results statement today, WideCells chief executive Joao Andrade pointed out that it has made significant progress in the commercialisation of our stem cell services; the roll out of our revolutionary stem cell insurance product CellPlan has now commenced in collaboration with the UK's largest stem cell storage facility, Biovault.

He added that discussions with multiple other facilities are advancing rapidly; delivery of our first stem cell processing and storage facility in Manchester is on track for Q2 2017.

He also noted that the group recently appointed the former head of Education, Alan Greenberg, as a non-executive director and vice president of the WideAcademy to devise a strategy that makes it the thought leader in the stem cell industry.

The WideCells boss said, "Our activities during the period have ideally positioned us to start generating revenues in 2017 from all three WideCells divisions, which work together to create the world's rst end to end service solution focused on making cord blood stem cell treatment accessible and affordable globally.

Like most developing companies, the group - which raised 2mln when it floated on the main market - only had revenues of 25,000 for the full-year to December 31 2016, down from 50,644 a year earlier, while its loss for the year increased to 1.361mln, up from 213,056 a year earlier reflecting higher administration costs following flotation.

But Widecells had cash and cash equivalents of 1.149mln at the year-end, up from 33,753 a year earlier.

When the firm announced last November that its CellPlan subsidiary had signed a non-binding letter of intent to offer its stem cell treatment insurance to clients of the human tissue storage facility Biovault Technical, Andrade called the deal transformational.

Biovault has a register of over 25,000 customers which WideCells will have access to for an initial five year term.

While stem cell storage costs a few thousand pounds, the cost of the treatments that use them can run into the hundreds of thousands.

For an average premium of 150 per year, CellPlan provides insurance for up to 1mln of treatment, travel, accommodation and repatriation costs.

CellPlan is to be based in Porto, Portugal, which gives it access to the wider European stem cell market and from where licences will now be arranged for a rapid roll-out.

Aside from the CellPlan deal, WideCells opened up a second revenue stream in December when it inked a letter of intent with a California-based medical device company that could be worth up to 100,000.

Qigenix agreed to pay the sum in three stages so it can use Widecells' Institute of Stem Cell Technology (ISCT) in Manchester to undertake some research.

WideCells third revenue stream comes from its blood banking operations, for which the group inked two more outlying deals at the end of January to take it into the rapidly expanding Brazilian umbilical cord cell storage market.

Between them, the two new reputable storage and processing facilities had more than 5,000 high net worth clients on their books.

The Brazilian cord blood banking market is projected to be worth almost US$450mln by 2023, making it the largest in South Americas booming stem cell industry.

In all, there are 500 of these banks dotted around the world; however, the top ten banks store around half the samples.

These three strands provide the roots for the optimism of WideCells boss although the share price looks to have failed to respond yet to the opportunities he sees.

WideCells floated at 11p per share in July, since when the share price has fluctuated, hitting a peak of 16.25p in the middle of October, but this year it has drifted sitting at around 12.25p currently.

According to sources, there was plenty of interest in WideCells unique story at flotation, meaning the IPO was oversubscribed. Among the shareholders who came on board at float was Miton Group, which stumped up 500,000.

But it looks like the story needs to be wider known, which is probably where the appointment of the former head of Education comes in.

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Link:
Shareholders in WideCells in good position to benefit from stem cell therapy advances - Proactive Investors UK

On this episode of The 100, "God Complex," Abby and the others deal with a crushing blow, Clarke prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice, and Jaha finds new evidence that leads him and Kane in search of the Second Dawn.

Nobody on the island (with the exceptions of Emori and Murphy) feels good about experimenting on Baylis. But the killer "death" wave of radiation is due to hit in ten days. Luna's stem cells grafted successfully, and Baylis is generating Nightblood on his own, so it's now or never. Clark remains the most vocal supporter of turning the guy into a deep-fried Twinkie. Murphy reminds everyone that the black rain already killed 18 people in Arkadia, so if the Nightblood is going to help him survive the next storm, he's ready to find out.

Epic Fail

Things start out promising with Baylis showing no ill-effects, but the experiment eventually goes south with Baylis being scorched, screaming in pain and vomiting up blood. He dies in the chamber. This is a huge bummer since the Nightblood was the only plan, and they tortured and killed a man for no good reason.

From the Ashes

Back at Arkadia, the survivors of the black rain hold a memorial for the dead. Jasper remains footloose and fancy free, showing no concern about what lays ahead. He decides to ditch and go on a walkabout, and Bellamy, worried about his friend's ambivalence about possibly dying at any time, decides to tag along.

Niyah performs her own little ritual, stating "From the earth we will grow. From the ashes we will rise." Jaha overhears Niyah and asks where she heard that phrase. She tells him he'll have to ask a Flamekeeper. All she knows is that's whatGrounders sayto ready their dead for the fire.

Jaha goes to Kane. He's now convinced that the bunker Clarke, Bellamy and himself found was a decoy, meant for members of the Second Dawn who hadn't yet ascended to level 12. It was a way to prevent the real bunker from being overrun. Jaha believes there's a reason "From the ashes we will rise" became a Grounders' prayer. Just like a corporate logo became a sacred symbol.

Jaha's theory is enough of a reason for Kane to decide to reach out to Indra to try and find out Gaia's whereabouts. Jaha is eager to assemble a team, but Kane warns him Polis is a war zone, and they won't be welcome. Jaha plans to travel light, and this mission calls for thinkers, not warriors.

First Survival Then Humanity

At the lab, Jackson figures out what may have caused their experiment to fail. They can try again, but they need another test subject. Luna isn't down with going out to hunt for another Grounder, pointing out that even Baylis honored the dead by wearing the stones of his Rock Line ancestors. After putting the pieces together, Clarke realizes the man wasn't Baylis after all and asks Emori who they just killed. Emori yells to Murphy to destroy the machine and tries to flee but is held by Roan.

The others lock up Emori and Murphy, but Raven isn't okay with the prospect of putting Emori in the radiation chamber. Clarke doesn't know what else to do, and Roan says they don't have a choice. Raven believes there has to be another way to solve their problem that doesn't make them murderers, but the only thing Abby knows for sure is if they do nothing, everyone dies.

Abby orders Jackson to prep Luna for another extraction, but she refuses. She won't let her blood kill anymore innocent people. She's set to go out into the black rain so nobody can follow, but Roan won't allow her to leave. Luna questions if there's any line they won't cross in order to survive. Roan responds that survival requires sacrifice. If Emori dies saving the world, that's a good death.

Luna is wounded from the bone marrow biopsy, and Roan doesn't want to fight her, but she leaves him no choice. Luna isn't much of a match, and Roan renders her unconscious. Raven is mortified that Abby plans to strap Luna down and forcibly take her marrow and equates Clarke and the others with the scientists at Mt. Weather.

Roan gives Clarke a pep talk. She's filled with doubt about whether they're doing the right thing. Roan says that certainty is a luxury leaders can't afford. Clarke may not be a king, but she's a born leader, and she doesn't back down when things get hard. Roan is certain one day people will thank her for what she's doing on the island. Clarke doesn't think Murphy or Emori will, but Roan thinks they will if it works. Clarke worries what happens if it doesn't, but then it's kind of a moot point since they'll all be dead.

The time comes to put Emori in the chamber, and Murphy begs Clarke not to do it. When that doesn't change her mind, Murphy promises Clarke that if Emori dies, she's next. Abby can't bring herself to inject Emori with the Nightblood, leaving it up to Clarke to do her dirty work. But, instead, Clarke injects herself.

Abby refuses to let Clarke go in the chamber, telling her daughter she had a vision that Clarke would die, just like Raven's vision of the rocket. Abby destroys the chamber, smashing it so until it's useless.

It's the End of the World and Jasper Feels Fine

Bellamy and Jasper wander into the forest, and Bellamy grows tired of Jasper's jokes about the end of the world. Jasper tells Bellamy he's trying to help him. The clock has been ticking since they landed on Earth. They're all living on borrowed time. Bellamy wonders if that's what Jasper truly believes, why is he wasting it, but Jasper remains steadfast that he's not, it's Bellamy who is.

Bellamy keeps beating himself up about all the terrible things that he's done, and even if he thought he had good reasons, in the end, nobody gives a damn about Bellamy's reasons. No matter how much Bellamy punishes himself, it won't bring anyone back. Jasper says they can spend their last days wallowing, or they can do whatever they want.

Bellamy and Jasper return to Arkadia, and everybody's partying. Jasper's brought back some "magic beans" (hallucinogenic nuts) to amp up the festivities. Bellamy makes a half-hearted effort to be a buzz kill, but peer pressure wins out.

The 12th Seal

Kane, Jaha and Monty arrive in Polis and discover the black rain fell there too, leaving a number of casualties. They are also greeted by a small army ofTrikru led by Indra. Kane thanks her for meeting with him, but she punches him in the face. Indra's not interested in pleasantries, she just wants to know why Kane is in Polis. As the ally of her enemy, he and Skaikru are now her enemies as well.

Kane tries to explain that Skaikru is still trying to save everyone, but all Indra sees is that they made a truce with Azgeda, seemingly leaving Trikru to fend for themselves. Kane emphasizes that they must all work together, and he needs to see Gaia since she could be the key to saving them all.

Luckily, Gaia is in Polis, and Indra takes the men to see her. Monty spots a tattoo on her shoulder, and it's the same symbol on theseal that Jaha took from the bunker. According to Gaia and Indra, it's the holy symbol of their order. Gaia reveals the symbol adorns the crypt of the first Commander, Becca Pramheda.

The crypt is located in a temple controlled by the Azgeda. Indra is ready to fight to get in, but Kane says they have the royal seal/medallion (given to them by Roan) and don't have to, especially since Azgeda is Skaikru's ally. Indra thinks Kane is foolish to assume Azgeda will honor the medallion. The closer they get to Praimfaya, the less alliances mean.

They arrive at the temple, Kane shows themedallion and they are given permission to pass. But Indra guns down all of the guards anyway. If there is a bunker, she's determined Azgeda will never see the inside.

They head inside the temple, and Gaia shows them the symbol which is located beneath the alter. Jaha and Kane try to figure out how to open the crypt, and they don't have much time with more Azgeda returning to the temple. Monty figures out that "From the ashes we will rise" isn't just a motto, it's instructions. They drop theseal into fire, and it becomes the 12th seal. They open the crypt and find a staircase. At the bottom, there's another bunker.

Who will go into the bunker? Who will be left out? Is there still a chance Abby will find another solution? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

(Image Courtesy of The CW)

Read more:
'The 100' Recap: Jaha Searches for the Second Dawn - BuddyTV (blog)

Before I start criticizing anyone, let me start with this: I appreciate any Republican who stands up to criticize this sorry excuse for a president. Two such anti-Trump Republicans are the NYTs Ross Douthat and David Brooks. My appreciation for their efforts notwithstanding, they both managed to mangle the same topic in recent columnsAmerican national identity.

In a piece titled Who Are We? Douthat put the back of his hand to his forehead (just do it and youll see what I mean) and lamented that liberalism has crafted a narrative of the American story too focused on oppression, one that ignores the traditionally understood elementsthe heroic founders-and-settlers narrative of which it once consisted. He recognizes that that traditional story stopped making as much sense and that we needed to correct it. Douthats no extremist on this, hes not running around waving a red #MAGA cap. He says we need a unifying story that includes both heroism and the truth about what befell blacks and Indians and others in order to bury Trumpism (as opposed to just beating Trump). Clearly, Douthat supports that goal, so I take his call as a sincere one.

Similarly, just this week, David Brooks called for the revival of something weve lost, namely our unifying American story. This, he says, is the Exodus story, a narrative that unites us around a common multigenerational project, that gives an overarching sense of meaning and purpose to our history. He cited Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Reinhold Niebuhr and Langston Hughes (America never was America to me/And yet I swear this oath/America will be!) as all having embraced this narrative.

Brooks blamed the loss of our common story on radical secularists [who] expunged biblical categories and patriotic celebrations from schools, and closed by calling out for somebody who can tell us what our goal is, and offer an ideal vision of what the country and the world should be. Like Douthat, he also wants to bury Trumpism, and slammed the jingoistic chauvinists who measure Americanness by blood and want to create a Fortress America keeping the enemy out. Good on him.

Heres the thing, gentlemen. Both of you have just described the exact narrative of our history and our national identity that Barack Obama has spent the last dozen years preaching on the national stage.

First, lets talk about the individuals Brooks cited. President Obamas approach bears the strong influence of Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, and Brooks knows it. In fact, he wrote two different opinion pieces about the influence of Niebuhr on Obama (here, and here). For what its worth, Douthat wrote one too. On the other people cited, Ive written extensively about the influence of Rev. King on Obama.

More broadly, Obama has repeatedly offered precisely the unifying story Douthat and Brooks assert our country needs, one that includes both the traditional heroes from the older narrative Douthat says appeals to many, as well as figures representing a much broader cast of characters, i.e., those excluded from the older narrative, and who are pretty heroic as well. The 44th president wove all their stories into a single history of a diverse, yet unified people working to realize the ideals laid out at the founding. Obamas story of America is, in fact, just what Brooks called for: a progressively realized grand narrative.

To the chagrin of some, Obamas Americarightly, in my viewrejects both the whitewashed narrative that was predominant in the 1950s and the overwhelmingly negative vision Brooks criticized, one steeped in American tales of genocide, slavery, oppression and segregation. To be sure, no one could be elected president running around talking about America in such a negative. Furthermore, anyone demanding that a progressive candidate must do so in order to earn their vote is only helping elect candidates who espouse the opposite understanding of America. Obamas narrative describes our progress as uneven, yes, but nonetheless moving toward the goal we as a people set for ourselves.

Of dozens of examples in which Obama lays out his conception of American history and national identity, here are a few that span his time on the national stage. From his 2006 book The Audacity of Hope, heres one that offers a unifying narrative paralleling what Brooks says we need:

On the night he won the 2008 Iowa caucuses:

From the first day of his second term:

In his eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, one of the nine African Americans murdered by a white supremacist in a Charleston, South Carolina, church:

And from his farewell address:

Maybe the blindness of writers like Douthat and Brooks isnt blindness at all, but instead strategy. Maybe they feel like theyll lose their ability to reach anti-Trump Republicans if they acknowledge that Obama has already done what they are calling for someone to do. Part of me can understand that thinking. But another part of me says that the strategic value of a Republican saying: if its a choice between Trumpism and Obamaism, Ill take Obamaism would be far better. Plus, just tell the damn truth if you know what Obama has been doing.

Giving Obama credit for putting forth a balanced, inclusive conception of national identity wouldnt mean endorsing the whole of the Democratic policy platform. Even on the national narrative itself, if Douthat and/or Brooks want to say that Obama hasnt been effective enough in selling the vision he (and they) have described, thats a point we can debate as well. But if they honestly believe that he hasnt been putting that vision out there time and again for years, well, then they just havent been listening.

See the original post:
The Blindness Of Anti-Trump Republicans - Huffington Post

Phoenix, Ariz., Mar 29, 2017 / 11:01 am (National Catholic Register).- When a Phoenix mother lost her eyesight due to a rare medical condition, she feared she would never be able to see her four children again. But then St. Charbel came to her aid.

Dafne Gutierrez suffered from benign intracranial hypertension (BIH), a condition that causes increased pressure in the brain. In 2012, the increased pressure caused her to lose vision in her right eye. Three years later, in November 2015, the Catholic mother lost sight in her left eye, as well.

Phoenixs local CBS affiliate, KPHO, quoted Gutierrezs plea to God:

For me, I was like, Please God, let me see those faces again. Let me be their mother again. Because I feel like [my kids] were watching me, taking care of me 24/7.

For more than a year, Gutierrez struggled to adjust to her disability, which now included occasional seizures, as well as blindness. Then, in January 2016, when Phoenixs St. Joseph Maronite Church announced that the relics of St. Charbel Makhlouf (also spelled Sharbel) would be visiting the church, Gutierrezs sister encouraged her to visit and to pray for the saints intercession.

Although she is not a member of the Maronite rite, Gutierrez visited the church Jan. 16, prayed before the relics, went to confession and was blessed with holy oil by the pastor, Father Wissam Akiki. Gutierrez recalled that, immediately afterward, her body felt different.

The following morning, she rose and returned to the church for Sunday Mass. Again, she experienced a different sensation.

And early in the morning Jan. 18, Gutierrez awoke with a searing pain in her eyes. She remembers how much they burned. And when her husband turned on the lights, she said the brightness hurt her eyes. She claimed, at 4 a.m., that she could see shadows; but her husband insisted that was impossible because she was blind. He later described what he called an odor of burned meat coming from her nostrils.

According to The Maronite Voice, the newsletter of the Maronite Eparchies of the U.S., That morning she called her ophthalmologist, and she was evaluated the next day. Her exam showed that she was still legally blind, with abnormal optic nerves. Two days later, she saw a different ophthalmologist, and her vision was a perfect 20/20, with completely normal optic nerves. Subsequently, she saw her original ophthalmologist one week later, and her vision was documented to be normal, with completely normal exam.

No Medical Explanation

Dr. Anne Borik, a board-certified internal medicine physician who later testified regarding Gutierrezs healing, was called in by the Church to review the case. Earlier this month, Borik a member of St. Timothys Roman Catholic parish nearby, but who attends St. Joseph Maronite frequently talked by phone with the Register about her findings. She explained that the brain condition Gutierrez suffered from causes the optic nerve to constrict. Once the optic disc the spot at which the optic nerve enters the eyeball is damaged, its too late to fix. Because, when the pressure in the brain reaches high levels, as it did in Gutierrezs case, the optic nerves become strangulated.

Unfortunately, once the blindness occurs, said Borik, its irreversible.

Images of Gutierrezs optic disc revealed significant damage: We have pictures, said Borik, to confirm that the optic disc was chronically atrophied. There was significant swelling, or papilledema.

But after Gutierrezs vision returned, Borik reported, there was no evidence of the aberrations that were evident on earlier images. In the post-healing pictures, Borik said, her optic disc is back to normal. Her vision is completely restored. She has no more seizures. That is why I, as a medical doctor, have no explanation.

A medical committee, led by Borik, undertook a thorough review of Gutierrezs medical records, as well as repeated examinations. The committee wrote, After a thorough physical exam, extensive literature search and review of all medical records, we have no medical explanation and therefore believe this to be a miraculous healing through the intercession of St. Charbel.

Unexpected Healing Strengthens Faith

Borik is enthusiastic about the healing, telling the National Catholic Register, It has changed my practice! It has changed how I relate to patients. Now, she said, referring to her relationship with those entrusted to her care, prayer is such an important part of what we do.

Father Wissam Akiki, pastor of St. Joseph Maronite Church, had a devotion to St. Charbel, and he installed a large picture of the saint in the parish shortly after his arrival in 2014. Then, in 2016, he arranged to bring St. Charbels relics to his parish as part of a U.S. tour.

Father Akiki remembers when Gutierrez showed up to venerate the relics. Father Akiki approached her. I heard her confession, he told the National Catholic Register. We prayed together, and I said to her daughter, Take care of your mom, and your mom is going to see you soon. Then, in only three days, she called the church to report that she could see.

Father Akiki acknowledged that Gutierrezs healing has strengthened the faith and changed the face of St. Joseph Maronite Church. People are coming here to pray, traveling from Germany, Bolivia, Canada, Australia, Jerusalem.

Following the healing, Father Akiki planned to erect a shrine to St. Charbel at his parish, with a two-ton sculpture of the saint cut from a single stone and imported from Lebanon. The shrine will be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Father Akiki expected that the dedication of the shrine March 26 would draw crowds, including Maronite Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted and many local dignitaries.

Bishop Zaidan attributed Gutierrezs recovery to the intercession of St. Charbel. May this healing of the sight of Dafne, he wrote in The Maronite Voice, be an inspiration for all of us to seek the spiritual sight, in order to recognize the will of God in our lives and to act accordingly.

Cristofer Pereyra, director of the Hispanic Office of the Phoenix Diocese, told Fox News that Bishop Olmsted spoke with the doctors and reviewed the case. The bishop wanted to make sure there was no scientific explanation for the miraculous recovery of Dafnes sight, Pereyra reported.

The greatest change, of course, has been for Gutierrez and her children. Since her eyesight was restored, Dafnes life has changed dramatically: She can once again check her children's homework, watch them at play with friends, and manage her household chores without extra assistance.

Her prayer was answered.

Who Was St. Charbel?

Born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf in the high mountains of northern Lebanon in 1828, St. Charbel (also spelled Sharbel) was the youngest of five children in a poor but religious family. His baptismal name was Joseph; only when he entered a monastery at the age of 23 was he given the name Charbel, after an early martyr. He studied in seminary and was ordained a priest in 1858. For 16 years, Father Charbel lived with his brother priests; theirs was a communal life of prayer and devotion to God.

In 1875, Father Charbel was granted permission to live a hermits life. In his rugged cabin, for the next 23 years, he practiced mortification and sacrifice often wearing a hair shirt, sleeping on the ground, and eating only one meal a day. The Eucharist was the focus of his life. The holy priest celebrated daily Mass at 11 a.m., spending the morning in preparation and the rest of the day in thanksgiving.

Father Charbel was 70 years old when he suffered a seizure while celebrating Mass. A priest assisting him was forced to pry the Eucharist out of his rigid hands. He never regained consciousness; and eight days later, on Christmas Eve in 1898, Father Charbel died. His body was interred in the ground without a coffin and without embalming, according to the monks custom, dressed in the full habit of the order.

For the next 45 nights, a most unusual event occurred: According to many local townspeople, an extraordinarily bright light appeared above his tomb, lighting the night sky. Finally, after the mysterious light persisted, officials at the monastery petitioned the ecclesiastical authorities for permission to exhume Charbels body. When the grave was opened four months after Charbels death, his body was found to be incorrupt. Twenty-eight years after his death, in 1928, and again in 1950, the grave was reopened, and his body was also found to be without decay.

Numerous medical researchers were permitted to examine the remains, and all confirmed that the saints body was preserved from decay. For 67 years, the body remained intact, even when left outdoors unprotected for an entire summer although it consistently gave off a liquid that had the odor of blood. Finally, though, Charbels body followed the natural course. When the tomb was again opened at the time of his beatification in 1965, it was found to be decayed, except for the skeleton, which was deep red in color.

The inexplicable restoration of Dafne Gutierrezs eyesight is not the first healing credited to St. Charbel. Dr. Anne Borik reported that there have been hundreds perhaps thousands of miracles attributed to the saint.

Pope Francis is said to have a deep devotion to St. Charbel. Last Christmas, Borik reported, the Holy Father asked to have a relic of St. Charbel sewn into the hem of his vestments.

This story was originally published at the National Catholic Register.

Link:
Phoenix mother: St. Charbel cured my blindness :: Catholic News ... - Catholic News Agency

Technology and biotechnology stocks once again top our list of momentum charts to watch.

Achaogen Inc. AKAO, +7.49% had an important snapback session on Tuesday, gaining $2.12, or 9.7%, to $23.90 on over 2 million shares traded. The move came on news that venture capitalist Robert Duggan disclosed a 5.7% stake in the late-stage biopharmaceutical company. Volume was the strongest on an up-day all year, and the stock has now bounced off rising trendline support after a 10-day pullback from the top of the channel to the bottom. If the stock can get through resistance, which is now up around Tuesdays high at $24.46, it could challenge recent highs around $26.75-$27.75 on the way to the top of the channel at over $30.

Cara Therapeutics Inc. CARA, +6.08% had a nice follow-through on Tuesday, jumping 94 cents, or 5%, to $19.09, on 7.6 million shares traded. The biotech company reported positive results in a trial of a treatment for uremic pruritus, or UP. The stock reached $20.24 intraday, the highest its been since September 2015. It came down in the afternoon and didnt close great, but from the standpoint of the daily pattern as well technicals and volume, the stock looks strong. It has climbed nicely off rising trendline support toward mid-channel in the past two weeks. The stock needs to hold lateral support at around $17.50. A move through Tuesdays high could lead to $23 short-term and $27 intermediate-term.

Kopin Corp. KOPN, -0.37% maker of wearable technologies and display products, had nice action on Tuesday, especially in the afternoon when it ran from about $3.90 to $4.19, backing off a little at the close. Net on the day, it gained 8 cents, or 2%, to $4.11 on strong volume of 643,000 shares. Volume has been strong in general in the past few weeks, indicating possible accumulation, and Tuesday saw the stock edge above its breakout point at around $4.09. Watch for $4.75 and then $5-$5.25 as targets.

Nektar Therapeutics NKTR, +1.13% had a breakout session on Tuesday, up 55 cents, or 2%, to $23.93 on 1.7 million shares. The company announced on Monday it has begun dosing in a Phase 1 study of its new biologic therapy to treat auto-immune diseases and inflammatory disorders. The move broke the stock out of a week-long consolidation zone that followed its nearly 50% gap up on March 20. The move came on only average volume. Nonetheless, watch for a run at $26 short-term.

Western Digital Corp. WDC, +1.66% is on the move. Stock in the data-storage company has been up five days in a row since its March 21 close at $73.22. Investors appear to have been encouraged by Micron Technologys MU, -0.66% strong quarterly forecast late last week, and optimism about memory and storage chip demand. On Tuesday, WDC gained $1.99, or 2.5%, to $80.56, on nearly 4 million shares traded. The stock is right at a lateral resistance level, and a pop through there could get it to $86-$87 and then the channel top near $95.

See Harrys video chart analysis on these stocks.

Harry Boxer is founder of TheTechTrader.com, a live trading room featuring his stock picks, technical market analysis, and live chart presentations.

Original post:
Harry Boxer's five technology and biotechnology stocks to watch ... - MarketWatch

Share This Article: Crowds enter the BIO exhibit hall near the California booth in 2014. Photo by Chris Jennewein

The BIO International Conventionreturns to San Diego after three years, bringing more than 16,000 to the San Diego Convention Center in June.

The event from June 19 to 22is expected to attract many of the top business and scientific leaders in the life sciences industry. There will be 1,800 exhibitors, and former British Prime Minister David Cameron is scheduled to give a keynote address.

BIO last held its convention in San Diego in 2008 and 2014. The 2014 event drew 15,667, including nearly 2,500 company CEOs,from all 50 states and 70 countries.

BIO is pleased to return to San Diego, one of the worlds largest and most innovative centers for biotechnology development, said Jim Greenwood, BIO President and CEO. This event provides biotech leaders with opportunities to showcase their breakthrough innovations, partner with C-level executives and network with the global biotech industry.

San Francisco was the location of last years convention, and Greenwood said its not surprising for the state to host two in a row because it remains the world leader in life sciences.

Biocom welcomes BIO 2017 to San Diego, where the sun reflects on our citys astonishing breadth and depth of life science innovation and success, said Joe Panetta, President and CEO of the trade group BIOCOM.

Discounted, advanceregistration for the conference ends on April 10.

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Giant Biotechnology Convention Returns to San Diego in June - Times of San Diego

A Little Vertex Goes a Long Way For Biotechnology - Barron's Barron's Healthcare stocks are the second-best performing, behind just the information technology sector year-to-date. Healthcare stocks have gained 8.3%, while the ... and more »

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A Little Vertex Goes a Long Way For Biotechnology - Barron's - Barron's

KARACHI: Pakistani agro-scientist should expedite their research activities in agro-biotechnology in order to create significant impact in enhancing agriculture production in the country.

Talking to the Daily Times, agro-biotechnology experts and agriculturists on cotton, maize, corn and other crops said Pakistan should follow the developed world and developing nations like The Philippines and India who have already made significant economic progress by adopting the latest agri-technologies.

Though Pakistan has been conducting regulatory field trials and research on ground for biotech cotton and corn but there was the need to exploit more avenues introduced in the modern agro-base technologies in the world.

The concerned government departments and ministry should also allocate more funds in this sector in the upcoming annual budget, they opined.

"Cotton has remained a vital cash crop and country needs above 16 million bales every crop season, as cotton related textile sector feeds a large number of direct and indirect employment besides textile export stands number one on five prime exporting sectors", President of Sindh Agriculture Forum, Shakeel Ahmad said.

The positive impact of biotech crops around the world is evident in reducing pesticide usage, which is subsequently a positive for the environment, he added.

Cotton, corn and wheat would continue to be important crops for our economy and farmers therefore we must continuously apply better technologies.

Water availability for agriculture is going down and while this will require major decisions, biotechnology can help in growing crops, which utilise less water and fertilizers.

Ahmad said there was dire need of biotechnology induction especially in major crops, as textile sector bore around $15-$20 billion on imports annually.

Greater velocity in research activities will help in improving rural farm incomes and bring positive economic impact to people in the traditional corn and cotton belts as well the northern parts of the country, cotton expert and patron-in-chief Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, Rana Abdul Sattar said.

Pakistan should focus on attaining sustainable higher yields and better water management to avert food shortages in the coming two decades.

An expert on Life Sciences, Punjab University described biotechnology benefits for farmers and outlined the achievements in attaining enhanced maize and corn yields by farmers.

Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) maize and corn provides excellent season-long protection against the target pests like corn borer and stalk borer.

Corn contains a natural occurring protein (Bt) that helps protect plants from specific lepidopteron insect pests. They said with a growing population it is imperative that Pakistan should focus on attaining sustainable higher yields and better water management to avert food shortages in the coming two decades.

We need to be more focused and take quick decisions. The 21st century has begun with a population of 6.2 billion and likely to increase to 9.2 billion by 2050.

Continue reading here:
Scientists asked to expedite research in agro-biotechnology - Daily Times

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Biotechnology Innovation Organization's Amicus Brief in Sandoz v. Amgen - JD Supra (press release)

Deb Constien was 13 when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects joints and sometimes blood vessels and vital organs.

Despite having the sometimes debilitating condition, for which she takes about 10 medications, Constien graduated from college, got married and with husband Tim had a son, Jacob, now 18.

Constien, 47, is active with the Arthritis Foundation. She is board chair and advocacy chair for the organizations upper Midwest region, based in Madison. She went to Washington, D.C., this month to advocate for people with arthritis. Through Arthritis Introspective, she leads a support group in Madison.

The Sun Prairie resident also volunteers with the groups CreakyJoints, Global Healthy Living Foundation and International Foundation for Autoimmune Arthritis.

How were you diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 13?

I went in for benign foot surgery, to remove a bunion, as a freshman in high school, and my life changed overnight. My surgery was a trigger (for the rheumatoid arthritis). Its one of the theories, and it fits. Everything swelled up. I got hit with a level of pain I had never experienced before. Everything hurt. My knees blew up like big balloons. I couldnt squat down. My fingers were swollen. My hips hurt.

I had been a very active 13-year-old. I was on the swim team. I played the flute. Most of that came to a crashing halt. My friends would ask me to do things, but I was so fatigued, I often said no. Then they stopped asking. You feel isolated. Nowadays, there are camps, like Camp MASH (Make Arthritis Stop Hurting) in the Wisconsin Dells.

What was it like to raise your son with your condition?

It was hard. I had to be protective of my joints. I had a hard time changing him. I couldnt pull a onesie off of him. My shoulders wouldnt allow that. I had to lay him down and wrestle with him. We tried for a second child, which meant being off most of my medications. But I wasnt very healthy. My rheumatologist said I needed to go back on my meds. He said I wasnt healthy enough to get pregnant again. We thought we might adopt a second child. But as my disease progressed, the thought of that became overwhelming.

What activities are difficult and what activities can you do?

I never run. I dont do stairs if I dont have to. Sometimes its hard to sleep. Its my shoulders, my hips. Im constantly rotating and trying to find comfortable positions. I garden, but my husband helps me maintain my garden. He does the tilling and a lot of the weeding. With housework, I do it until I reach my wall and Im done. My husband will finish the laundry and put everything away. I love to cook. I plan ahead and make double when Im feeling good, and I keep emergency meals in the freezer for the bad times.

What do people misunderstand most about arthritis?

They think its only an old persons disease. Its an invisible disease. When you look at me, you wouldnt guess that I have severe arthritis until you look at my hands. Growing up, I liked that. Now, some people try to offer advice. They say I just need to exercise more or get more fresh air. It gets frustrating.

What did you do in Washington, D.C., this month?

I went with two other people, from La Crosse and Milwaukee. We met with staff of both Wisconsin senators and our three representatives. We had three asks from the Arthritis Foundation: to join our caucus and become more educated about arthritis; to support a bill that would dedicate $20 million from the Department of Defense for arthritis research; and to protect several pieces of the Affordable Care Act.

Interview by David Wahlberg

Read more here:
Know Your Madisonian: Advocate seeks to help others with arthritis - Madison.com