StemCell Therapy

- APONVIE is the first and only intravenous (IV) formulation of a substance P/neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist indicatedfor PONV -

- Delivered via a single 30-second IV injection, APONVIE has demonstrated rapid achievement of therapeutic drug levels ideally suited for the surgical setting -

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Heron Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: HRTX), a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on improving the lives of patients by developing best-in-class treatments to address some of the most important unmet patient needs, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved APONVIE (aprepitant) injectable emulsion, for intravenous use for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in adults.

APONVIE is the first and only IV formulation of aprepitant for PONV prevention. Administered via a single 30-second IV injection, APONVIE reaches drug levels associated with 97% receptor occupancy in the brain within five minutes and maintains therapeutic plasma concentrations for at least 48 hours. APONVIE is provided in a single-dose vial that delivers the full 32 mg dose approved for PONV. This ready-to-use, easy to administer, innovative IV formulation ensures rapid and consistent exposure in patients undergoing surgery.

An important component of the FDA approval of APONVIE were results from two multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical studies comparing oral aprepitant to current standard of care, IV ondansetron, for the prevention of PONV in patients during the 48 hours following open abdominal surgery demonstrating that aprepitant was more effective than ondansetron in preventing vomiting. Treatment with aprepitant resulted in approximately 50% fewer patients vomiting in the first 24 and 48 hours compared to ondansetron. In clinical studies, APONVIE was well-tolerated and presented a safety profile comparable to oral aprepitant.

In a 2020 Cochrane meta-analysis, aprepitant was ranked as the most effective drug approved for PONV prophylaxis, being the most effective for the prevention of vomiting in the first 24 hours post-surgery and the drug with the fewest adverse events.

"With the approval of APONVIE our acute care portfolio now addresses the two most common concerns of patients and clinicians after surgery, postoperative pain and postoperative nausea and vomiting. This marks an important milestone for our expanding acute care portfolio and is a testament to our ongoing commitment to developing innovative solutions to help improve the overall patient experience after surgery," said Barry Quart, Pharm.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Heron. "With approximately 36 million procedures in the U.S. each year in patients with high to moderate risk for PONV, the approval of APONVIE provides an easy to use, highly effective option for these patients that fits seamlessly into our acute care franchise."

PONV are common adverse effects of anesthesia and surgery, with an estimated 30 percent of patients receiving general anesthesia and up to 80 percent of high-risk patients experiencing these symptoms, necessitating more effective preventative agents. PONV is a major cause of patient dissatisfaction after surgery, with patients frequently ranking vomiting as the most undesirable outcome of anesthesia. Additionally, PONV presents a significant risk in outpatient surgeries as patients are often discharged within hours after surgery and no longer have access to highly effective antiemetics.

"PONV is commonly experienced after surgery and may result in increased hospital stays, prolonged recovery time, and decreased patient satisfaction" said Ashraf Habib, MBBCh, MSc, MHSc, FRCA, Chief, Division of Women's Anesthesia at Duke University Hospital. "Oral aprepitant has been used to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting for more than 16 years and it is exciting to see that, with the approval of APONVIE, physicians can now offer patients a more convenient IV injection that delivers the same effective treatment, with a 48-hour duration of effect, in a rapid, consistent and reliable way, ensuring a better experience for patients postoperatively."

Conference Call and Webcast

Heron will host a conference call and webcast on September 19, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. ET. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 646-307-1963 for domestic callers and 800-715-9871 for international callers. Please provide the operator with the passcode 4538096 to join the conference call. The conference call will also be available via webcast under the Investor Relations section of Heron's website at http://www.herontx.com. An archive of the teleconference and webcast will also be made available on Heron's website for 60 days following the call.

Important Safety Information

APONVIE should not be used:

APONVIE may cause serious side effects. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have any of these signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction:

APONVIE may affect how other medicines work. Other medicines may affect how APONVIE works. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. If you take the blood-thinner medicine warfarin, your doctor may do blood tests after you receive APONVIE to check your blood clotting.

Women who use birth control medicines containing hormones to prevent pregnancy (birth control pills, skin patches, implants, and certain IUDs) should also use back-up methods of birth control (such as condoms and spermicides) for 1 month after receiving APONVIE.

Before you receive APONVIE, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. APONVIE contains alcohol and may harm your unborn baby.

Before you receive APONVIE, tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding or plan to breastfeed because it is likely APONVIE passes into your milk, and it is not known if it can harm your baby. You and your doctor should decide if you will receive APONVIE, if breast-feeding.

The most common side effects of APONVIE are constipation, low blood pressure, tiredness, and headache.

Talk to your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. Report side effects to Heron at 1-844-437-6611 or to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch.

The information provided here is not comprehensive. Please see full Prescribing Information.

About APONVIE for PONV

APONVIE (aprepitant) injectable emulsion is a substance P/neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist, indicated for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in adults. Delivered via a 30-second intravenous (IV) injection, APONVIE 32 mg was demonstrated to be bioequivalent to oral aprepitant 40 mg with rapid achievement of therapeutic drug levels. APONVIE is the same formulation as Heron's approved CINVANTI (aprepitant) injectable emulsion formulation for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). APONVIE is supplied in a single-dose vial that delivers the full 32 mg dose for PONV. APONVIE was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2022.

About Heron Therapeutics, Inc.

Heron Therapeutics, Inc. is a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on improving the lives of patients by developing best-in-class treatments to address some of the most important unmet patient needs. Our advanced science, patented technologies, and innovative approach to drug discovery and development have allowed us to create and commercialize a portfolio of products that aim to advance the standard-of-care for acute care and oncology patients. For more information, visit http://www.herontx.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Heron cautions readers that forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, the timing of the commercial launch of APONVIE; the potential market opportunity for APONVIE; the extent of the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our business; and other risks and uncertainties identified in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements reflect our analysis only on their stated date, and Heron takes no obligation to update or revise these statements except as may be required by law.

Investor Relations and Media Contact:

David SzekeresExecutive Vice President, Chief Operating OfficerHeron Therapeutics, Inc.dszekeres@herontx.com858-251-4447

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Heron Therapeutics Announces U.S. FDA Approval of APONVIE (HTX-019) for the Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) - BioSpace

Pickleball is Americas favorite emerging recreational sport at the moment. The game that was first developed on Washingtons Bainbridge Island in 1965 is taking the country by storm for its ease of access, fun, quick action, and social attraction.

Whats lost in the hype, however, is that the sport is leading to numerous injuries. An analysis of pickleball-related injuries using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found the annual estimated number of injuries rising precipitously from 2013 to 2017.

Even though the court is much smaller, and requires much less ground to cover, numbers show that pickleball-related emergency room visits are quickly catching up tennis-related traumas, especially for seniors. Using data from 2001 to 2019 (as reported by the NEISS), analysts found a weighted total of 28,984 pickleball injuries as compared with 58,836 tennis injuries.

Although pickleball-related injuries have many similarities with those associated with other racquet sports, there were various differences (e.g., increasing trend and older patient age) that may need to be considered for the prevention and management of injuries related to the sport, concluded the article.

This was especially true for seniors as 85% of medical stresses occurred in people over 60. Still, all players risk any number of athletic impairments including ankle sprains, muscle strains, tendon pulls/tears, shoulder problems, rotator cuff injuries, and lower back problems such as disc injuries and strains.

No need to stress, though. The Manual is here with a guide on how to prevent devastating pickleball injuries.

Any sport that you play, youre going to want to support that condition with cross-training. The United States Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. High-impact cardiovascular exercise includes running, jogging, and sports like basketball, or skiing. While these will work wonders for physical shape, they can be hard on limbs and joints. Lower impact activities such as biking, elliptical machines, pool walking, or swimming can promote fitness with less destructive contact with the ground and other bodies.

Sleep is key to mental and physical recovery.

The ODPHPs Physical Activity Guidelines note that moderate to vigorous activity improves the quality of sleep in adults.

You break your body down with activity, which leads to improved physical conditioning and a mental calm that encourages healthy, healing sleep. Its a beautiful system.

For optimal health, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research contends that adults should get at least seven hours of sleep. This varies, of course, from person to person and according to the sleepers age, but the body will rest as it should as long as you keep a regular schedule of proper diet and exercise. In turn, youll be actively promoting quicker recovery, better blood flow, and improved focus, all from under the covers.

Warming up is an obvious preventative step. At the same time, it can be a big pain in the butt.

Everybody remembers those half-hearted first 10 minutes of gym class and/or practice, lackadaisically limbering body parts before the real play could begin. Dedicate yourself to active stretching, and you can flip that half-assed practice and not only help avert injury, but improve performance.

Elite movement coaches have found increased athletic achievement in concert with fewer injuries with targeted, non-repetitive, and dynamic stretching before, during, and after workouts. Straining muscles by elongating instead of flexing will have the same effect: youll get better movement and stronger, more defined musculature.

In turn, this can level up your pickleball game. A broad 2010 comprehensive analysis found that warming-up enhanced athletic execution in 79 percent of the criteria examined over several studies.

Core muscles your abs, inner and outer obliques, the diaphragm on top, and pelvic floor on the bottom stabilize your body as you bend, stretch, jump, and leap toward, say, yellow Wiffle balls on the pickleball court. It stands to reason that the more control you have over your extremities, the better shape your body is going to be in at the end of the activity.

Stabilizer, mobilizer, and load transfer core muscles assist in understanding injury risk, assessing core muscle function, and developing injury prevention programs, a National Library of Medicine paper concluded. Moderate evidence of alterations in core muscle recruitment and injury risk exists. Exercise programs to improve core stability should focus on muscle activation, neuromuscular control, static stabilization, and dynamic stability.

Similar to stretching, core workouts not only can help you prevent a strained back or pulled hamstring, but they can also boost your athletic capacity.

Whacking a plastic ball with a short, wood and graphite paddle might seem easy enough to do without practice, but that repetitive, chaotic motion can take a serious toll, especially if youre not doing it right.

Tennis elbow tendinitis that flares up when you dont warm and swing your arm correctly can affect pickleball players just as much as their hardcourt brethren. Seeing as tennis elbow can linger for six to 12 months, this is a common injury youre going to want to avoid. Knowing how to properly swing your paddle is key. For new players, break into the sport easily. Its no fun waking up with sore elbow tendons that could signal stepping away from the sport for a half or full year.

Mount Sinai Hospitals orthopedic department suggests balanc(ing) your body weight without over-extending your arms, legs, or your back. Use proper footwork to help you avoid injuries to the ankle and the Achilles tendon. Play with the proper equipment for your size and ability.

Pickleball, like any sport, can be a blast. Competition fires adrenaline, endorphins, testosterone, and other critical hormones. Whats good for the body is just as good for the mind. Theres no reason to get too excited, though. Youve got a lifetime to smack balls around. Make sure that youre prepared and on point to not only prevent injury, but give the game the best you got.

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Pickleball injuries are on the rise: 5 preventive tips to keep you on the court - The Manual

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Congrats to Elizabeth Ralph, our fearless leader here at Women Rule, for being named editor of POLITICO Magazine this week! Shes our second woman editorafter founding editor Susan B. Glasserand Im so excited to see what she does with the place. Thanks to Maya Parthasarathy for your help finding and curating these interesting articles below!

On Thursday, POLITICO held its regular Women Rule: The Exchange meeting to discuss pressing issues concerning women and communities. In panels, small group discussions and interviews, we touched on everything from involving more young people in movement-building to getting more women to run for office to gender and racial inequities in health, and we also heard from White House Gender Policy Council Director Jennifer Klein and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams. (Well share more from those interviews next week.) Join us next time if you can. Here were some of the takeaways from Thursday.

How to get more young people into organizing: Many separate discussions came back to one question: How do we get young people on board with movement-building?

Young people are asking more from companies and employers, one participant said she had found. It is important for them to know a companys values.They dont want nice volunteerism anymore, the participant said. A company has to demonstrate its making progress toward corporate social responsibility goals, the participant continued.

Other participants discussed how, in their experience, a lot of young people see working in politics as a little bit dirty, or unethical, or ineffective, as one participant said. The task for others, she continued, is convincing young people that theres still power in making those decisions from inside.

Participants in one discussion were also asked what the next big social movement would be. A few answers: Refugee rights, racial equity and higher education reform.

How can technology be a better tool in social movements? I heard several times throughout the day from women who felt that technology is a useful tool, but that it could also be ineffective and shallow. Some efforts to incorporate technology more have led organizations at times to focus on vanity metrics, or how many impressions or likes posts get on social media, said one participant

Another participant in a roundtable discussion said too much of the action that technology drives on advocacy was shallow action, without real substance. Instead of just a static programmatic ad, can you have someone watch a video, and that unlocks a donation, and your company is giving out real money to a cause the person cares about? she asked.

How to get more women into the C-suite: One executive wanted to know how to get more women into the top roles of her company and asked others how to help. She outlined a story from her company where two senior employees one woman and one man had a difficult task to complete. The man eventually went to a company leader to ask for help; the woman didnt, explaining that she didnt want that leader, who was male, to think of her as incompetent. The man, who had forged a better relationship with this key company leader as a result of this collaboration and completed his task more quickly, ultimately benefited from this challenge; the woman, who did not complete the task as quickly, did not.

This story made the executive who was outlining this story at the event yesterday understand that mentorship is key to whether women advance, or dont, at a company.

She asked the other participants: How can her company encourage more such relationships for women? Some suggested formalizing the relationships with mentoring programs. Interestingly, others wondered if the organization leader, in her story, had set the proper tone for engaging with lower-level employees, pointing out that such relationships can only flourish under certain cultures. How are you creating a culture across the board that embraces things like asking questions? one participant asked. That participant pointed out that representation often flows from culture, rather than the other way around.

Has corporate social responsibility reached a high-water mark? During one discussion about boosting social impact at companies, one participant asked about the lack of progress on climate and the blowback in states to companies environmental, social and governance investments. She asked if the general push for companies to invest in meeting corporate social responsibility goals had peaked. If you look at the full picture, for sure, the needle is moving very slowly. But it comes back to building a new muscle, one participant answered. A lot of the folks whove been at these companies have never heard of these things before. Theres going to be a lag, across the board, understanding what it [corporate social responsibility] is.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS We also asked our business and impact leaders for recommendations, and they had some interesting books in particular to share. Here are their picks:

Regenerative Leadership by Giles Hutchins and Laura Storm; The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-AssuranceWhat Women Should Know by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman; The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai; The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich; The Gap and the Gain: The High Achievers Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy; Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies by Ranjay Gulati

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

A New Approach to Domestic Violence, by Joanne Kenen for Politico Magazine: Keisha Walcott started slipping through the cracks as a baby.

Separated from her mother in Jamaica and brought to the United States as an infant, Walcott was exposed to sexual abuse, sexual trauma, hospitalizations and so on and so forth, she says, from the start. She lived with her father, but it was a chaotic life. At age nine, she required surgery after a particularly violent sexual assault by a close family friend. Looking back, shes not really surprised that she got into one damaging relationship after another as a teen, then as an adult.

One day, about six years ago, she looked in the mirror and saw a stranger. I was asking the person in the mirror, Who are you? I dont know you, recalled Walcott, now 44.

That moment began her multiyear path toward escape, safety, independence and self-respect. She eventually left her husband and went to a womens shelter, which helped her enroll in a job training program. A lawyer helped her address her immigration status, enabling her to work legally. The lawyer also connected her with a health care clinic that would change her life.

Walcott went to see Anita Ravi, who runs an unusual clinic dedicated to treating women who have endured intimate partner violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. At her clinic, PurpLE Family Health, in New York City the name stands for Purpose: Listen and Engage Ravi treats these patients immediate medical needs, connects them to a network of social and behavioral health services that can help them get out these relationships if they want or need to, or help them reduce the harm if they decide to stay. All the care is free, paid for by the PurpLE Health Foundation, which Ravi also started.

Domestic violence has long been thought of as a criminal justice problem. Health care was there to patch up the wounds, maybe provide some mental health support, maybe dispense some information about shelters. But Ravis clinic is part of a growing albeit unofficial network of clinics and medical centers that are recognizing they have a crucial role to play in identifying, treating and ultimately reducing domestic violence.

Poll: Americans say politicians aren't informed enough to set abortion policy, by Elena Schneider for POLITICO: As Republicans in state capitals and Washington race to enact new restrictions on abortion following the fall of Roe v. Wade, a new poll shows that Americans have a message for lawmakers: Slow down and learn.

Seven in 10 Americans dont think politicians are informed enough about abortion to create fair policies a position held by majorities of both Democrats and Republicans, according tothe survey of more than 20,000 adults by The 19th, a news organization focused on gender and politics, and SurveyMonkey. A majority of Americans also said they think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 35 percent said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.

The data sheds new light on a top issue for both parties in the final weeks ahead of the November election. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the power to determine abortion policy back to the states, triggering new abortion restrictions across the country and juicing interest in the midterm elections among Democrats and women more broadly. Abortion has shot up as a key issue among voters, and it has partially fueled an improved outlook for Democrats in November.

Republican Graham introduces bill that would restrict abortions nationwide, by Alice Miranda Ollstein for POLITICO Graham's abortion ban stuns Senate GOP, by Burgess Everett, Marianne LeVine and Sarah Ferris for POLITICO GOP pollster warns party on total abortion bans, by Elena Schneider for POLITICO

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Rape victims can face huge hospital bills if they seek help, by Rachel M. Cohen for Vox: When victims of rape or sexual violence seek emergency medical assistance following an attack, they may be saddled with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in medical bills, a new study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine found.

These bills can further traumatize victims, the study authors warn, and deter others from seeking professional help. Only one-fifth of sexual violence victims are estimated to seek medical care following an attack.

Researchers affiliated with Harvard analyzed a nationwide data set of more than 35 million emergency room visits in 2019, the most recent year such information was available. They looked specifically at visits where doctors billed with codes related to care after sexual assault, and found more than 112,000 such patients. Nearly 90 percent of those patients were female, and 38 percent were children under 18.

When victims of sexual violence go to the ER, there are two kinds of care theyd typically receive. The first is a sexual assault forensic exam, or more colloquially, a rape kit. Thats where a medical professional collects evidence from a victim, such as conducting a pelvic, rectal, or throat exam, taking samples for a DNA test, and looking for semen or any other evidence of violent injury.

Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, the costs associated with a forensic exam are paid for with public funds, and while survivors are sometimes erroneously billed, the federal law prohibits charging victims for the cost of their evidence collection.

But VAWA does not cover the second category of care and thats therapeutic care, or whatever is medically necessary for a persons health following an attack.

So for instance, doctors frequently give victims preventative medication for STDs, like antibiotics to prevent syphilis, gonorrhea, or HIV medication if thats a possibility, said Stephanie Woolhandler, one of the lead authors of the study. ER physicians may also provide emergency contraception to victims if pregnancy is a concern, and in other cases victims may have vaginal or rectal lacerations that need to be sewn up, other injuries, or broken bones.

The researchers findings on the costs of such care are sobering. Uninsured victims, who numbered over 17,000 in 2019, faced out-of-pocket charges averaging $3,673.

What Happened After I Quit: Five women reflect on the financial fallout of their own Great Resignation, a year later, by Charlotte Cowles for the Cut

Op-Ed: Why the lack of diversity in drug industry leadership is hurting women and people of color, by Lindsay Androski for the Los Angeles Times: Dr. Lynn Seely, the female chief executive officer of Myovant, a biopharmaceutical company that develops new treatments for womens diseases, was speaking about chronic pelvic pain and painful periods associated with endometriosis. As many as 10% of women between age 15 and 45 experience it, and many of them miss school or work because of debilitating pain. Yet treatments often end with the removal of the uterus, ending hopes of childbearing.

Why, Seely asked, had pharma not developed a better treatment that didnt involve infertility?

Silence ensued.

She kept going, saying she could see the discomfort visible on the faces of many of the male leaders in this room because she was talking about womens periods and pelvic pain. Then she dropped the hammer: That is why this health problem hasnt been solved.

Her point? A lack of diversity in healthcare leadership is directly related to the lack of progress on womens health challenges.

From 'Dreamgirls' to 'Abbott Elementary,' Sheryl Lee Ralph forged her own path, by Terry Gross for NPR

Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange:

As inflation rates soar and disruptions to the global supply chain persist, all eyes are on the nations economic recovery. But getting back on track in an inclusive and sustainable way is no easy feat. POLITICO Focus connected with members of Women Rule: The Exchange to learn about the strategies and solutions that will power an economy that benefits all. Join the Conversation.

Read more here.

Jennifer Griffin will be chief national security correspondent at Fox News. She previously was national security correspondent. More from The Hollywood Reporter Sarah Matthews is now a senior adviser with Merrimack Potomac + Charles. She previously was comms director for the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Republicans and is a Trump White House alum. (h/t Playbook)

Theresa Bradley is now a speechwriter for the White House. She most recently was a freelance writer and is a Biden campaign alum. Anna Chu has been hired as executive director of We The Action. She most recently was VP for strategy and policy at the National Womens Law Center. (h/t Playbook)

Jessica Medeiros Garrison has been named president of the Land Betterment Exchange and LBX Carbon Offsets. She most recently was VP of government affairs at Clearview AI. Natalie Armijo is now a strategist with Federal Street Strategies. She most recently was a senior adviser to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Cecilia Narrett is now a development associate at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. She most recently was a humane educator at Farm Sanctuary. (h/t Playbook)

Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange:

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The next big social movement and other takeaways from our regular meeting - POLITICO

Delicious, medicinal, psychedelic, or sometimes deadly, mushrooms are equal parts fascinating and mysterious. Mushrooms and their mycelium still elude us, but weve become regular mycophiles in all aspects. The days of only finding white button, cremini, and portabello mushrooms at the grocery store are over. Its not unusual to find fresh shiitakes or oyster mushrooms among them and the farmers market brings even more varieties.

If youve ever read a recipe that uses mushrooms, you might have come across advice that you should never wash them because they absorb water. Instead, many cookbooks advise you to clean them with a damp cloth. But, the cooking magazine Cooks Illustrated advises washing them with water. While there is some absorption, the amount is negligible.

There are just over 2,000 species of edible mushroom species. This guide doesnt cover all of them, but we selected some of the most common types that youll find in the grocery store or farmers market.

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If youre familiar with only one kind of mushroom, its probably white button, or Agaricus bisporus. White button mushrooms are a type of gilled mushroom and they are actually the same as creminis and portabellaswhich well get to belowbut they are harvested at an earlier stage during their growth cycle.

White button mushrooms are practically flavorless in their raw state, but they shine when theyre used as an addition to a dish. Slice them up for a hearty vegan stew or dice them up and add them to a plant-based bolognese for a meaty texture. They are also a good addition to tofu scrambles. If you want to enjoy white button mushrooms in a purer form, slice them, then saut them in oil or dairy-free butter with minced garlic and fresh, chopped parsley.

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Also known as baby bella mushrooms, cremini mushrooms are Agaricus bisporus harvested later in their growth cycle. Due to this, they have a deeper, more savory flavor than white button mushrooms and are better suited to eating raw in salads. But, if youre an umami fiend, then cook them the same way that you would cook white button mushrooms. They can also be stuffed with a variety of fillings, such as vegan crab and dairy-free cream cheese.

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Noticeably bigger than the younger Agaricus bisporus, portabello mushrooms have a heartiness to their flavor that might make shroom-haters shirk. Its common to remove their stems and just cook the caps, either marinated or plain. They are versatile, so if a recipe calls for white buttons or creminis, you can use portabellos.

Portabellos are great stuffed, like in these spinach and mashed potato-stuffed mushrooms. But, they are also a classic veggie burger ingredienteither using the whole cap or dicing and mixing it with other ingredients such as legumes and grains to form a patty.

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Shiitake mushroomsLentinula edodesare small brown mushrooms native to East Asia that are traditionally cultivated on logs. Now available worldwide, modern shiitake mushrooms are usually grown in controlled conditions, either on logs or in an artificial substrate.

These mushrooms, which are available fresh or dried, have a deep umami flavor and can be used in a wide variety of dishes, from hot pots and stir-frys to pasta sauces and vegan BLT sandwiches. Their woody stems are typically removed before they are cooked. If youre using dried shiitake mushrooms, save the cooking liquid as a soup stockyou can do the same with the raw stems. Always ensure that shiitake mushrooms are cooked thoroughly. Theyre known to cause a rash when eaten raw or undercooked.

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Also known as hen of the woods or Grifola frondosa, maitake mushroomswhich is Japanese for dancing mushroomshave a golden brown color and grow in delicate, ruffled conks. They are polypore mushrooms, meaning they inhabit live or dead trees. Polypores help the wood rot and play a critical role in forest ecosystems.

Maitake are best when young, as they become tough and woody when left to age. They can be baked, battered and fried, sauted, grilled, or cooked and used as toppings, either on pizza or on a buttery crostini for a dinner party or a night in with loved ones.

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A staple of farmers markets, oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) are distinct from king oysters, which well get to below. These gilled mushrooms are usually white or light tan and the shelves grow in overlapping, round clusters. In the wild, these mushrooms grow on decaying trees in temperate and subtropical forests. They can even decompose plastic! Oyster mushrooms are commonly foraged, but most of the ones youll find are cultivated.

Oyster mushrooms turn slimy when cooked in a lot of liquid, so theyre not suited for soup or stew, but otherwise, they can be grilled, sauted, or friedespecially when coated with a crispy batter. They make an especially great substitute for seafood, either in a buttery linguine dish with fresh parsley or in a sandwich, like this oyster mushroom poboy.

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Flammulina velutipes, or enoki mushrooms, grow in clusters with long, slender white stems and a small pin-cushion tip. Their flavor is mild and not particularly noteworthy, but they have a pleasantly chewy texture that makes them suited to sauteing, grilling, braising, and adding to hot pots, noodle soups, and sundubu jjigae (Korean soft spicy soft tofu stew). They are also fantastic in warm, mixed mushroom salads.

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Wildly different-looking from oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushroomsalso known as king trumpet, French horn mushrooms, or Pleurotus eryngiihave thin brown caps and thick white stalks that give them a tree-like silhouette. They have a meaty, chewy texture that makes them the go-to shroom when replacing meat or seafood. The mushrooms can be cut vertically into thin slices to make vegan bacon or the stalks can be cut into coins to make a substitute for scallops. But, king oysters can also take sauting, frying, braising, grilling, as well as being cooked in soups, stews, and sauces.

Casarsa Guru

PorciniItalian for pigletmushrooms have round brown caps and thick white stalks that grow at the base of trees. The earthy, nutty Boletus edulis is prized in Italian and French cuisine, so they are especially good in both cuisines, be it pasta, risottos, hearty soups like minestrone, and mushroom gravies. They are usually available in fresh or dried varieties. As with shiitakes, dried porcini mushrooms are typically used to elevate the flavor of stews.

Canva

One of the holy grails of mushroom foraging, the morel mushroom, or Morchella, is light tan in color with a conical, honeycomb-like cap. It is actually more closely related to truffles than they are to mushrooms. This charismatic fungi sprouts from moist soil in forests between the months of March and May. This short harvesting period means that they can be fairly expensive at $20 per pound when theyre in season.

These luxury mushrooms have a savory flavor when cooked and they add depth to any dish. Theyre suited to most forms of cooking but because theyre so pricey and distinctive, you might want to use them in a way that showcases the whole fungus.

Canva

The lovely chanterelle, genus Cantharellus, is the golden child of the mushroom-foraging world. These funnel-shaped woodland mushrooms are commonly found near hardwood trees, with which they share a strong mycorrhizal (symbiotic) relationship. Theyre also really delicious. Chanterelles emit a fruity aroma and have a peppery bite to them with notes of apricot, some say.

Chanterelles are best in simple dishes where their flavor wont be outshined. Try cooking them with gnocchi in a dairy-free garlic butter sauce with salt, pepper, fresh parsley, or thyme, and a squeeze of lemon. When you cook them, the mushrooms become tender, but maintain some firmness.

Canva

Also known as Hypsizygus tessellatus, or beech mushrooms due to how they grow from dead or dying beech trees, shimeji mushrooms are native to East Asia. These edible fungi have long, thin stems and small caps. They come in white or brown varieties. As with the mushrooms from the Agaricus bisporus family, the latter has a more obvious flavor.

These mushrooms have a somewhat crunchy texture with a mild, nutty flavor when cooked. They are good in hot pots, rice bowls, soups, and stir-frys.

Stieglitz4

Hericium erinaceus, the lions mane mushroom, is a big, white mushroom made up of long, thin strands that resemble the eponymous big cats name. Practitioners of Chinese traditional medicine have used this tree-borne fungus for centuries. Lions mane mushrooms contain substances that stimulate the growth of brain cells, and studies show they may improve cognitive function and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

When cooked, this mushroom is said to taste similar to crab or lobster meat. So, its best browned in a little bit of olive oil with salt, pepper, and minimal seasoning.

Canva

Wood ear mushrooms, also known by their scientific classification, Auricularia heimuer, are a crinkly type of fungus with a color that ranges from light to dark brown. The wild variety grows on deciduous trees, but is also cultivated for commercial purposes on sawdust logs.

Popular in Chinese cuisine, they have a gelatinous texture and mild flavor. Typically, they are sold dried and must be rehydrated before cooking. Use wood ear mushrooms in hot pots, soups, and stir-frys.

Canva

The coveted chicken of the woods mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) is easily spotted by its overlapping goldenrod-colored shelves, ruffled edges, and large size. Foragers can find these saprotrophic (feeds on dead trees), parasitic mushrooms at the base of dead or dying hardwood trees. They grow in North America and Europe and there are seven varieties in the former.

Chicken of the woods gets its name from its flavor, which people say is reminiscent of chicken meat and lemon. In vegan cooking, you could use it to replace chicken in chicken piccata or saut it in olive oil and add it to a pasta dish, like this angel hair pasta with dairy-free feta, kale, and lemon.

This list is just a snippet of the flavors and textures of the edible fungus world. Youre likely to find rare varieties at the farmers market. If you do, ask the seller how best to cook them.

For more on vegan cooking, read:5 Meaty Swaps That Arent Vegan MeatThe Comprehensive Guide to Vegan Butter10 High-Protein Vegan Recipes

Kat Smith is a Queens, NY-based freelance writer and editor who loves cooking and discovering local vegan hidden gems.

Original post:
15 Mushrooms and How to Use Them in Vegan Cooking - VegNews

Introduction

Cancer is among the leading causes of death globally, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in the year 2020, or nearly one in six deaths (Ref. WHO, 2022). Globally, nearly 300,000 children aged 017 are diagnosed with cancer every year.1 Chemotherapy has been reported to be efficient for such conditions.2 One of the potential limitations for chemotherapy drugs is that they do not only act on malignant cells but also on normal cells,3 which may lead to oral mucositis (OM), especially in paediatric patients. In severe cases, OM development can increase mortality by almost 40%.4 The OM is an acute inflammation of the oral mucosa with haemorrhage, erythema and edema.5 The development of such inflammatory conditions is higher (up to 4580%) in paediatric cancer patients compared to adult cancer patients.4 Moreover, children have differed from adults in relation to compliance, acceptance, and reaction to various preventive agents6 due to their compromised immune system. These conditions are dose-limiting, and high-cost effectiveness, which may result in undermining the ideal cancer treatment plan for patients, and ultimately decreasing the chances of survival.7 Keeping in mind, the facts management of OM in children is particularly critical. OM conditions are treated with some mucosal coating agents, analgesia, and cryotherapy in adult patients; nevertheless, paediatric patients have a limited choice.8 Nevertheless, cryotherapy was previously indicated to be performed only on older and cooperative pediatric patients.9 Honey has attracted the attention of medical care in the past decades because of its tissue healing, antibacterial and antioxidant properties,10 and has been shown to be an acceptable traditional medicine (Natural Product) globally.11 Based on the present knowledge, honey is efficiently used to treat chemotherapy-induced OM.12 Honey comprises ~200 substances, including water and carbohydrates, along with other vitamins and enzymes.13,14 Previous studies have indicated that honey enhances tissue healing (conditions: wound, burn, surgical site and ulcer) by stimulating monocytes, which helps to release cytokines.15,16 The inclusion of honey or its products could be optional for chemotherapy-induced OM in cancer patients.17 Several studies reported that conventional honey, including natural honey and commercially available marketed honey, could be effective only for chemotherapy-induced OM but also on radiation- and chemoradiation-induced OM.13,1719 In contrast, although evidences have demonstrated that Manuka honey has healing properties, four published studies reported on Manuka honey have shown negative results on prophylaxis and treatment of OM.1821 The reasons for this negative effect remain uncertain, and it may be because that Manuka honey contains unusually high content of methylglyoxal, which is considered a cytotoxic agent.22 Moreover, the intervention for OM requires high compliance; however, the peculiar taste of Manuka honey, which is bitter taste and lower water content, could be likely the reason for a high dropout rate (57.4%) in the trial conducted by Hawley et al.20 Given the lack of intervention for prophylaxis and treatment of OM in children, this report highlights proven evidences of honey in paediatric care to prevent and treat chemotherapy-induced OM. Summarizing pieces of evidence for paediatric clinical practice and the use of honey may open avenues for further studies in this field.

In this study, we selected published studies based on oral care with honey or honey products in the treatment and prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced OM in child patients. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled studies (NRSs) of honey or honey products that treat or prevent chemotherapy-induced OM in paediatric patients.

For searching English literature, we used the following keywords: honey, stomatitis, oral mucositis, oral ulcer, child, paediatric, pediatric, adolescent, and chemotherapy. We used the CINAHL, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and MEDLINE PubMed as our healthcare search databases from April 2010 to April 2020. Data were analyzed using GraphPad PRISMA-8 California, USA. Thus, the present review included a 27-item checklist, which was performed to assess the quality of included studies, which were described earlier.23 The checklist was divided into five sections: reporting, external validity, internal validity-bias, internal validity-confounding (selection bias), and power. The score ranges of Downs and Black were given the following corresponding quality levels: excellent (2628); good (2025); fair (1519); and poor (14).

The population was defined as children and adolescents with cancer aged 117 years with chemotherapy-induced OM or during the phase of chemotherapy treatment. Interventions: Honey-made products as therapy interventions include natural honey, commercially available marketed honey, and honey ice cube, all these product types were included in this review, whereby, honey was applied between the 7th day and the 14th day after the initiation of chemotherapy treatment when OM peaked or developed. For prophylaxis therapy, honey was applied before the start of chemotherapy and the development of OM.

The primary outcomes were the recovery time and the severity of OM. Various types of outcome measurement can cause clinical heterogeneity. Thus, only studies using National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) Table S1 and scales developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) were included and the details of the scales were presented in Table S2.24

The present report includes studies comparing the effect of honey, routine mouth care, no treatment, or any other treatment for the prophylaxis and treatment of OM. Data (published scientific evidences) of all children and adolescents with cancer aged 117 years with chemotherapy-induced OM or during the phase of chemotherapy treatment, were included in this review. Studies were selected by whether they meet the inclusion criteria for the studies outlined as follows: RCTs and NRSs that investigated the effectiveness of honey products for patients with chemotherapy-induced OM in preventative or curative groups compared with control groups were included. All studies were in English language, full-text and released before April 2020.

Patients who were aged less than 1 year and over 17 years, had no capacity for oral feeding, were allergic to honey, with evidence of confirmed co-infection, and were diagnosed with diabetes were excluded. Details of exclusion criteria are shown in Table 1. In addition, studies that used Manuka honey as an intervention were excluded due to its taste and high content of methylglyoxal.22

Table 1 Detailed Exclusion Criteria for the Present Study

Data were extracted from a database that met the objectives of the study and presented in a Microsoft Excel format Table S3. The key extracted data is based on basic information, study characteristics, study design, participants, intervention, and outcomes. The mini-review was performed to integrate each sample to review the effects of treatment compared to the other, especially in RCTs; a large number of patients allow to be included, and thus the smaller, but clinically significant differences may be identified.22 In addition, compare to the short review, we have performed the narrative synthesis is essentially more subjective. Therefore, to avoid potential bias, the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) (2009) suggested that the method applied should be transparent and rigorous.25 However, there was heterogeneity within and between studies, including not only the methodology but also the cancer type, OM cause, control arm, assessment scales, and study design. Therefore, data synthesis as part of this study adopted narrative synthesis that would be more appropriate to describe the results. A framework for narrative synthesis is the developing a preliminary synthesis of the findings of included studies; the researcher brought extracted data together and organised and described the findings. Exploring relationships within and between studies the relationship between characteristics and findings of individual studies, and the findings of different studies were explored, and assessing the robustness of the synthesis it was the end of the data synthesis process, and the related analysis resulted in a comprehensive assessment of the quality of the evidence.

All experimental groups in the studies used honey as an intervention, two studies used natural honey,26,27 two studies used commercial honey,12,28 and one study used honey and tulsi in ice cubes as an intervention.28 Tulsi is a herb that has robust evidences supporting its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-stress effects and can protect the bodys DNA against radiation. Except for one study that divided patients into three groups, all studies divided patients into experiment groups and control groups.27 The ice cubes study did not mention the application of routine mouth care,29 all experimental groups in the other three studies received routine mouth care along with honey,2628 and instead of performing routine mouth care, one study performed the routine practice of analgesic and antiseptic gel application along with honey.12 The control groups in three studies performed the same protocols as the experiment groups but did not use honey.12,26,28 The other two studies performed Benzocaine 7.5% gel27 and plain ice cubes29 as comparisons. Except for the ice cube study that used honey 5 minutes before receiving the MTX treatment,29 all studies performed the honey more than three times a day.12,2628 The experiment group in two studies received 0.51g honey/kg,26,27 one study received 12mL each time,12 and the rest of the two studies did not mention the dose of honey.28,29

All studies used OM scales to assess the grade of OM and evaluated the effectiveness of honey in treatment and prophylaxis from different angles. It is difficult to conclude due to numerous variables being involved. In terms of recovery time, four studies reported it, which is defined as the number of days from the beginning of treatment until all ulcers have healed completely.12,2628 Among them, instead of reporting the recovery time, one study reported the duration of hospitalization.28 In terms of the severity of OM, Bulut and Tfekci assessed the severity of OM before each session of chemotherapy and on the 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 21st days after chemotherapy.26 Mishra and Nayak focused on the occurrence of OM from the initiation of MTX administration.29 Thus, the severity of OM was assessed on the 5th and 15th days of the administration of ice cubes. In the study of Al Jaouni et al, OM was assessed before and after chemotherapy, as well as a week after the initiation of chemotherapy.28 Singh et al evaluated OM every other day from the first day of enrollment until OM had healed completely.12

All included studies were in the fair range based on the Down and black (1998)23; the scores for Singh et al and Abdulrhman et al were 16 and 18,12,27 and another 3 studies were 17.26,28,29 Table S4, presents the detail of the quality assessment of each included study. All studies failed to describe how patients were selected, it is not possible to determine whether the chosen participants were representative of their population12,27,29 Bulut and Tfekci and Abdulrhman et al included almost all source populations that met the inclusion criteria26,27; Mishra and Nayak recruited almost all participants who were receiving MTX chemotherapy due to few numbers of children with MTX chemotherapy in the Hematology and oncology department.29 Therefore, it cannot be determined whether the participants of the above three studies are representative or not because this appears to be a convenience sampling. Only two studies12,26 blinded the people who assessed the outcomes of the intervention to avoid personal bias.30 Moreover, all studies failed to blind participants to the intervention they received which may have an impact on the reliability of their results.12,2629 In addition, only three studies in this review were RCTs, and the participants were randomized into groups.2729 However, none of the studies mentioned whether randomized intervention assignments were concealed from health-care staff and patients.

All included studies confirmed the effectiveness of honey in the prophylaxis and treatment of OM among child patients with chemotherapy.12,2629 The actual results will be presented by narrative synthesis due to the existing clinical and methodological heterogeneity that was explained in the Methodology section. P-value is a statistical approach that was used for measuring the effect of honey application in this mini-review. The characteristics of the experimental and control groups of each study are presented in Table 2. The overall data on recovery time and the OM status can be seen in Table 3.

Table 2 Detailed Characteristics of Participants Included in the Present Studies (Experimental and Control Groups)

Table 3 Characteristics of Recovery Time and the Severity of OM

A total of 51 original studies were recorded from the electronic databases by performing PRISM-8 (Figure 1). Among which 8 results were obtained from CENTRAL, 9 from MEDLINE, 12 from CINAHL, 12 results from EMBASE and 10 from Web of Science. After the analysis of each article, 16 studies that included adults or non-cancer patients, and used propolis as intervention, were excluded due to the inconsistency with the predefined inclusion criteria for this short review. Furthermore, 7 studies were excluded due to the following reasons: three studies investigated the effectiveness of radiation-reduced OM, one piece of grey literature did not report results, two studies were published in the symposium without sufficient information and one study has no full-text access S5.

Figure 1 The study selection process is presented as PRISMA flow diagram.

Notes: Adapted from: Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71. Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode).33

A total of 51 studies were included, which was published so far. The detailed data are present in Table 2. All participants did not suffer from OM in the phase of prophylaxis; participants in the treatment phase had varying grades of chemotherapy-induced OM that are present in Table 2. Instead of only reporting chemotherapy, two studies reported the specific chemotherapy drugs that patients were undergoing, which was methotrexate (MTX). Moreover, one study enrolled participants who were treated with chemo/radiotherapy; the limitation of this study was that they failed to report the ratio of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Three studies assessed the effectiveness of honey by investigating the recovery time. One study focused on the duration of hospitalisation for OM patients.28 In the study of Abdulrahman et al, in grade II OM, the recovery time was 3.60.8 days in the honey group, and 4.60.9 days in the control group, which is a statistical significance between the honey group and control group (P=0.0017).27 In grade III OM, the recovery time between the honey and control groups, which were 5.41.11 days in the honey group, and 8.61.0 days in the control group, differ significantly (P=0.0001). It shows significantly faster healing in the honey group compared to the control group. Combining grades II and III, the recovery time was 4.251.25 days in the honey group and 6.202.47 days in the control group, which shows honey can produce faster healing compared with the control group (P=0.0005; with a statistical power of 96.2%). Bulut and Tfekci reported that the recovery duration in the honey group was 4.8694.341 days before OM developed and 14.8572.905 days after OM developed, which was shorter than the control group was 19.2821.805 days.26 The recovery duration differs significantly between the two groups (p=0.000). Al Jaouni et al compared the duration of hospitalization between the honey group and the control group.28 The duration of hospitalization for OM children was significantly reduced in the honey group (mean 73 days) as compared to the control group (mean 135 days) (p<0.001). The study by Singh et al (2019) compared the duration of OM between the honey group and the control group. The median duration of OM in the honey group was 4 days (IQR: 46 days) and was 6d (IQR: 68 days) in the control group. All the above findings show significantly faster healing in the honey group (p<0.01).

Four of the five included studies assessed the effectiveness of honey by investigating the severity of OM.12,26,28,29 One study set two honey groups.26 The OM degree decreased gradually in the honey group (patients with grade III and V OM) after the fourth follow-up day (p<0.001). The severity of OM was higher in the honey group compared to the control group on day 4 (3.580.47 vs 1.791.08, p=0.000); however, the OM degree was noticeably lower on day 21 (0.140.36 vs 1.761.03, p= 0.000). And, 92.9% of the children achieved full recovery and 7.1% at a mild level in the honey group. In the control group, only 5.1% of the children obtained full recovery and the rate of mild-level OM was 71.8%; the remaining 23.1% of the children experienced severe OM. However, none of the children developed severe OM in the honey group after the eighth follow-up day. Recovery status differs significantly between the two groups (p<0.01), which indicates honey can reduce the severity of OM. Meanwhile, the severity of OM was significantly lower in the other honey group (patients without OM and before chemotherapy was initiated) compared to the control group (0.430.58 vs 1.791.08, p=0.000) on day 4 and day 21 (0.170.38 vs 1.761.03, p= 0.000). The OM grade increased gradually on the 4th, 8th, and 12th days and slightly decreased on the 16th and 21st days in the control group, and a significant difference in OM degree on the different follow-up days (p<0.001). Also, 82.6% of the children achieved full recovery and 17.4% at a mild level in the honey group before OM occurred. In the control group, only 5.1% of the children obtained full recovery and the rate of mild-level OM was 71.8%; the remaining 23.1% of the children experienced severe OM. However, none of the children developed severe OM in the honey group. Recovery status differed significantly between the two groups (p<0.01).

Al Jaouni et al recruited participants before OM was developed.28 The prophylaxis and treatment were not investigated separately, and participants were receiving honey before OM occurred, and when the children experienced OM with grades III and V. Compared with the control group, the incidence of grade III and V OM was significantly reduced in the honey group (20% in honey versus 55% in control; P=0.02). Mishra and Nayak enrolled participants before OM occurred.29 The incidence of OM was considerably lower in the experimental group (honey and tulsi ice cubes) as compared to the control group (plain ice cubes). Forty percent of the children experienced OM (mild-moderate) in the experimental group and 90% (65% mild-moderate OM and 25% severe OM) in the control group on day 5 (p<0.001). As well as the assessment on the 15th day showed that all OM was at mild-moderate grade, and the incidence of OM was 15% in the experimental group and 80% in the control group (p<0.001). The severity of OM was significantly reduced in the experimental group compared to the control group (0.40.50 vs 1.750.96, p=0.001) on day 5 and day 15 (0.150.36 vs 1.10.71, p= 0.001). The severity of OM was significantly reduced on follow-up days in the honey group compared to the control group (p<0.01), and 12% of the children achieve a recovery on the third day in the experiment group. The rate of the grade 0 differs significantly between both the groups, which was 50% on the 5th day and 92% on the 7th day in the honey group, and 8% on the 5th day and 54% on the 7th day in the control group (p<0.01). All children recovered from OM on day 9 in the honey group and on day 13 in the control group.

We focused on the effect of oral care treatment with honey products in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced OM in paediatric patients. Based on the evidence reported in our study, honey products have a beneficial effect on the treatment and prophylaxis of OM. Honey significantly decreased the OM grade and provided faster healing for OM in included studies. Honey can treat grade I, II, and III chemotherapy-induced OM, and prevent patients from developing severe chemotherapy-induced OM in children. To the best of our knowledge, no data was reported on the disadvantages of conventional honey in OM patients except for Manuka honey, which failed to show positive results. Our report represents the recovery time of OM and the severity of OM was different from lab to lab or hospital to hospital. However, in terms of treatment, the recovery time of OM was reported in four studies and showed statistical significance between the honey group and the control group.12,2628 Concerning grades of OM, very limited data is available. The present report reflects that honey treatment in grade V OM may not be significant compared to grade I, II, and III OM.12,2628 However, the severity of such conditions may decrease during chemotherapy.12,2629 So far co-infection has not been considered by any researcher except Al Jaouni et al and the results of this study showed a statistically significant reduction of bacterial and fungal infections among paediatric cancer patients undergoing chemo/radiotherapy who are receiving honey as an intervention for OM.28 Honey + Tulsi (ratio not reported) showed the best effect as compared to cryotherapy.29

The potential limitation of our present search is the limited number of data, while no data are available on chemotherapy drugs used in recovery. Moreover, yet to explain the effectiveness of honey products in the prevention and treatment of OM, authors accept scientific flora carry out further investigations that are needed. Honey as a more economical treatment enables it to be the intervention of choice for OM.31 Honey shows a significant effect without sex disparity.32 Globally, studies have proven that radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of both can cause OM.22

Honey reduced the recovery time and the stage of OM, which made it an effective intervention in the prevention and treatment of OM in paediatric oncology patients. Furthermore, not only has been shown to have the capability for healing injured tissues but it is also a more economical treatment, and it has fewer side effects compared to synthetic drugs.

In conclusion, this study suggests that honey must be included as one of the treatments or prevention of choice for the grade I, II, and III chemotherapy-induced OM. However, further studies on the treatment and prevention of chemotherapy-induced OM in children are needed due to the different pathomechanism between radiotherapy and chemotherapy and the characteristics of OM in children healing faster than in adults.

All data files mentioned in this manuscript are available.

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee, Shenzhen Childrens Hospital, Reference number: 2018 (013) on dated 2018/09/03.

Due to the retrospective nature of the study, the Ethics Committee of Shenzhen Childrens Hospital, Shenzhen determined that patients consent was not required. Data were kept confidentially and in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

We would like to thank Prof. Liu from the Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Childrens Hospital and Samantha Toland from Birmingham City University for their constant support.

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and also agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

This work was supported by Shenzhen Fund for Guangdong Provincial High-Level Clinical Key Specialties (No. SZGSP012) and Shenzhen Key Medical Discipline Construction Fund (No. SZXK034).

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in relation to this work

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29. Mishra L, Nayak G. Effect of flavoured (honey and tulsi) ice chips in reduction of oral mucositis among children receiving chemotherapy. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2017;43(107):2528.

30. Hrbjartsson A, Thomsen ASS, Emanuelsson F, et al. Observer bias in randomized clinical trials with time-to-event outcomes: systematic review of trials with both blinded and non-blinded outcome assessors. Int J Epidemiol. 2014;43(3):937948. doi:10.1093/ije/dyt270

31. Ravleen N, Deepa JP, Supreet J, Shashikant S. Natural agents in the management of oral mucositis in cancer patients-systematic review. J Oral Biol Craniofacial Res. 2017;8(3):245254. doi:10.1016/j.jobcr.2017.12.003

32. Yusof HM, Manan MA, Sarbon NM, et al. Gender differences on the effects of honey and black seed mixture supplementation. J Sustainability Sci Management. 2017;1(3):119134.

33. Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71

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Use of honey in the management of Chemotherapy | CMAR - Dove Medical Press

Michael Ringel, PhD, JD, Managing Director & Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), ... [+] presenting at the 9th Aging Research and Drug Discovery meeting organized by the University of Copenhagen and Insilico Medicine. Presentation title "The Emerging Commercial Landscape for Aging Biology-Based Therapeutics"

While I had very high expectations traveling to the 9th Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) forum, the largest five-day annual gathering of the longevity biotechnology industry organized by the University of Copenhagen, the event did not fail to impress. I can spend endless hours covering the lectures of top-tier academics, pharmaceutical industry leaders, and venture capitalists, but these would be better covered in the conference proceedings. However, one lecture titled The Emerging Commercial Landscape for Aging Biology-Based Therapeutics by Dr. Michael Ringel, captivated even the most experienced industry executives and the established aging researchers.

Dr. Michael Ringel at the 9th ARDD conference

The sheer fact that Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the worlds most venerated consulting firm specializing primarily in strategy and management consulting, became a knowledge partner of the ARDD indicates that the meeting has reached a certain level of credibility and longevity biotechnology is a clear trend. BCG is known for being very impartial, knowledge- and experience-driven, and providing valuable strategic insights to the boards and CEOs of the worlds largest corporations. The firm is used by governments all around the world when they want to get deep industry insights or when they want to formulate a national strategy around a specific trend. From what I know, BCG was used by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to help formulate their famous Longevity Strategy, which resulted in the creation of the $1 Billion a year non-profit, Hevolution Foundation.

Dr. Michael Ringel, BCG presenting at the 9th ARDD in Copenhagen

One differentiating feature of BCG is the quality of its slides. They often manage to turn a very complicated story into a set of visually appealing, easy-to-comprehend slides that provide a clear problem definition, recommendation, situation assessment, and alternatives. These slides are rarely shared by the customers as they usually represent a substantial investment and intellectual property.

Therefore, when during his 30-minute talk, Dr. Ringel went through over thirty of these valuable slides, those of us who understand the value made sure to get the recording of the lecture.

Here are some of the top takeaways from Dr. Ringels presentation that Im able to share:

Michael Ringel, PhD, JD, Managing Partner, BCG, presenting at the 9th Aging Research and Drug ... [+] Discovery meeting

I knew Dr. Michael Ringel prior to the ARDD as a well-known strategy and management consultant in the pharmaceutical industry. After almost 25 years at BCG in healthcare practice, he is on a first-name basis with every pharma CEO, board member, investor, and government official, and is a walking encyclopedia who also knows most of the emerging technologies and their applications.

From left to right: Eric Verdin, MD, CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Mehmood Khan, ... [+] MD, CEO, Hevolution Foundation, Michael Ringel, PhD, JD, Managing Director, BCG, Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO, Insilico Medicine

Here, I asked Dr. Ringel a few questions to get his perspective on longevity biotechnology and the future of this exciting new field:

Alex Zhavoronkov: Michael, I know that aging biology is not only your professional focus but also your personal interest. What made you interested in this field?

Dr. Michael Ringel: Alex, thanks so much for having me. It truly is a pleasure to sit down with you. One disclosure before we start the discussion. One of the investors in your company, Insilico Medicine, is B Capital Group. My company, BCG, is a partner to B Capital Group, and so I have an indirect and small financial stake in your company that we need to mention.

As to my interest in the field, Ive spent my career working in healthcare, trying to help companies bring better medicines to people. And when I found out there is an area of biology that underpins not just one, but the majority of the chronic diseases that burden us, I realized the impact it might have on human health. Preventing multiple diseases with one intervention is a potential game-changer, if you can make it work. The key word being *if*. But when you dig into the science, you find out in fact theres really good evidence to support the notion. We just have to do the work to translate what weve seen in the lab to humans.

Alex Zhavoronkov: You have been in biopharma for over 25 years and you have seen everything. You saw Geron, Sirtris, ResTORbio, Unity, and many other companies in this area. How do you see the field of aging biology evolving and propagating into the biopharma industry and how did the field change over the past decade?

Dr. Michael Ringel: Understanding a new area of science can sometimes take a long time and then sometimes there are these great leaps forward. In my youth in the 70s we knew about caloric restriction, which is still one of the best-validated interventions. But we didnt know much about how it works. That began to change in the 90s, kicked off in part by Cynthia Kenyons seminal work in worms, as we began to understand the biological pathways involved. We saw the first pharmaceutical intervention proven to work in a mammal, in mice, just over a decade ago with the NIHs Interventions Testing Program. Today there is a small but growing pipeline of drug candidates in clinical testing. I believe we are on the cusp of the first demonstrated effective intervention in humans, which I believe will be one of those great leap-forward moments that galvanize interest in the field.

Alex Zhavoronkov: In your opinion, how long will it take the pharmaceutical industry to buy into the concept of utilizing aging biology as a platform for drug discovery for a range of therapeutic areas?

Dr. Michael Ringel: We are already seeing activity. We know from publicly available information that many companies have external partnerships or internal units, including AbbVie, Novartis, Regeneron, and others. For instance, UCB has partnered with your own company, Insilico Medicine. So it has already started. I believe that over the next decade, we will see a burgeoning pipeline focused on various pathways of longevity biology, and once the first clinical studies demonstrate proof-of-concept, we will really see interest grow.

Alex Zhavoronkov: Of course, you can not talk about Saudi Arabia and Hevolution since these are clients but I was one of the key opinion leaders interviewed for this project in 2019, and BCG was clearly involved. Why is longevity biotechnology so important for any emerging economy and do you think other countries should prioritize longevity in a similar way?

Dr. Michael Ringel:I cant give opinions on specific companies or foundations and would refer you to their leadership for questions about them. But as to the general point of why this matters all over the world, in developed and emerging economies, it is because it has the promise of being such a powerful way to improve human health. Weve seen that just throwing more money at the current healthcare system has not improved lifespan or healthspan, and we even have had retrograde motion in some areas, with lifespans declining. In part, that is due to the growing burden of metabolic disorders like diabetes. What we need is a better way, more focused on prevention an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And thats where longevity biology is critical. It is, at heart, a preventative approach. And the core pathways are the very same ones that are implicated in the metabolic disorders that are a growing issue all over the world.

Alex Zhavoronkov: What is your advice to the young entrepreneurs in this nascent longevity biotechnology industry?

Dr. Michael Ringel: Theres a lot that you need to do as an entrepreneur you need to figure out funding, build a team, set up operations, choose your preclinical and development plans, develop partnerships, and a million other things Im always incredibly impressed by how much thesel young entrepreneurs can accomplish, juggling all these things at once. But the sine qua non, the thing you cannot do without in biotech, is good science. All the rest of the work is built on the foundation of a good idea, a new way to help people. So my advice is make sure youre investing your time and energy getting as deep into the science as you can.

Alex Zhavoronkov: Finally, how did you like the ARDD conference, what were your major takeaways, and will you come again next year?

Dr. Michael Ringel: To me ARDD is a unique conference in longevity, bringing a heavyweight mix of the most impressive scientists in the field together with the most promising start-ups and a great set of investors. For anyone already in the field, it is the place to be, and for anyone looking to learn more, I cannot think of a better place to get a crash course. Particularly the large pharmaceutical companies would benefit by bolstering their attendance to get deeper into this field.

The 9th Aging Research and Drug Discovery meeting, Grand Hall, University of Copenhagen, September ... [+] 2022

Michael Ringel, PhD, JD, Managing Director and Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group

Michael Ringel, PhD, JD, is Boston Consulting Group's global leader for innovation analytics and research and product development, and is a core member of the firms Corporate Finance & Strategy practice. Michael is a frequent contributor to industry journals, including Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, and has coauthored numerous BCG reports on innovation, R&D, and corporate strategy. He received a BA in biology from Princeton, a PhD in biology from Imperial College London, and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Read more:
Celebrity Strategy Consultant Predicts What Will Be The Most Impactful Area In The Pharmaceutical Industry - Forbes

A team of researchers from the University of Oviedo has deciphered the genome of the immortal jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii, and has defined various keys that contribute to extending its longevity to the point of avoiding its death, an advance that could make it possible to find answers to diseases associated with aging in humans.

According to the director of the study and professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Carlos Lpez-Otrn, this work does not pursue the search for strategies to achieve the dreams of human immortality that some announce, but to understand the keys and limits of the fascinating cellular plasticity that allows some organisms to be able to travel back in time. Thus, he warns, the objective is to find better answers to the numerous diseases associated with aging thanks to research on a jellyfish of just a few millimeters in length that reverses the direction of its life cycle towards an earlier asexual stage called a polyp and rejuvenates while The vast majority of living beings, after the reproductive stage, advance in a characteristic process of cellular and tissue aging that culminates in death.

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The sequencing of the genome of Turritopsis dohrnii, together with that of its deadly sister Turritopsis rubra, and the use of bioinformatics and comparative genomics tools have allowed researchers to identify genes that are amplified or have differential variants characteristic of the immortal jellyfish. These genes are associated with DNA replication and repair, telomere maintenance, renewal of the stem cell population, intercellular communication, and reduction of the oxidative cellular environment, and affect processes that in humans have been associated with longevity and healthy aging.

In addition, the study of changes in gene expression during jellyfish rejuvenation has revealed gene silencing signals mediated by the so-called Polycomb pathway and increased expression of genes related to the cell pluripotency pathway. Both processes are necessary for specialized cells to dedifferentiate and become capable of becoming any type of cell, thus forming the new organism. These results suggest that these 2 biochemical pathways are fundamental mediators of the cyclical rejuvenation of this jellyfish.

For the postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and first author of the article together with Dido Carrero, Mara Pascual-Torner, rather than having a single key to rejuvenation and immortality, the various mechanisms found would act synergistically as a whole, thus orchestrating the process to ensure the success of the jellyfishs rejuvenation.

Researchers from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of Oviedo, the University Institute of Oncology of the Principality of Asturias, the Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias and the Marine Observatory of Asturias.

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Scientists Decipher the Genome of the Immortal Jellyfish, which Is Capable of Reversing Its Life Cycle - The Costa Rica News

The UC Davis VMTH client portal allows online access for clients to handle all aspects of their pets appointments and invoices. Register today for our new UC Davis VMTH client portal!

Once registered, VMTH clients can easily:

Please log into theClient Portalto create your account

Welcome to the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California,Davis, a unit of the #1 ranked School of Veterinary Medicine. The hospital is equipped with cutting-edge, modern technology and services, allowing our board-certified faculty veterinarians to provide the best care possible and continue to be innovators of the some of the latest advancements in veterinary medicine, all while training the next generation of general practitioners and veterinary specialists.

The UC Davis veterinary hospital is accredited by theAmerican Animal Hospital Association, the only organization to accredit companion animal veterinary hospitals. AAHA-accredited hospitals are recognized among the finest in the industry because they voluntarily choose to be evaluated on more than 900 quality standards that go above and beyond state regulations, ranging from patient care and pain management to staff training and advanced diagnostic services. Less than 15% of animal hospitals in the United States and Canada achieve AAHA accreditation.

Explore jobs available at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

Beyond the main hospital on the Davis campus, the SVM also has two satellite clinical facilities:

UC Veterinary Medical Center - San Diego

UC Veterinary Medicine Teaching & Research Center - Tulare

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Veterinary Hospital | School of Veterinary Medicine

The American Association of Feline Practitioners and EveryCat Health Foundation announced on Sept. 1 that they have released the 2022 AAFP/EveryCat Feline Infectious Peritonitis Diagnosis Guidelines.

These guidelines, published in the September issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, provide veterinarians with the information necessary to diagnose FIP in cats.

First recognized over 50 years ago, feline infectious peritonitis has been one of the most important infectious diseases and causes of death in cats, especially affecting young cats less than two years old, said Dr. Vicki Thayer, co-chair of the guidelines task force, in an announcement about the new resource. Further, FIP can be challenging to diagnose in some cases and is often considered an enigma by the veterinary profession. Today, diagnosis relies upon evidence from signalment, history, physical examination findings, and diagnostic testing. The 2022 AAFP/EveryCat Feline Infectious Peritonitis Diagnosis Guidelines serve as a critical resource for veterinary practitioners diagnosing FIP in their cat patients.

According to the guidelines: FIP was once considered a terminal diagnosis. Research has demonstrated efficacy of new antivirals in FIP treatment, but these products are not legally available in many countries at this time, which includes the United States. The guidelines encourage veterinarians to review the literature and stay informed on clinical trials and new drug approvals.

Given the fact that FIP is fatal when untreated and nearly every small animal veterinary practitioner will see FIP cases, the ability to obtain a correct diagnosis is critical. FIP can be challenging to diagnose because of the lack of clinical signs or laboratory changes. The guidelines provide veterinarians with information to assist their ability to recognize cats presenting with FIP.

These Guidelines were written with the intent of providing the most current knowledge available in one comprehensive format combined with extensive supplemental resources all in one location, said Dr. Susan Gogolski, co-chair of the task force, in the announcement. The Guidelines will be an invaluable resource to veterinary teams around the world as a clinician builds the index of suspicion of FIP brick by brick.

The 2022 AAFP/EveryCat Feline Infectious Peritonitis Diagnosis Guidelines were developed by a task force of experts in feline clinical medicine. Tips, clinical images and tables, and algorithms are included throughout the document. In addition, the guidelines feature 16 supplemental online resources, such as videos, figures, instructions, and a client questionnaire.

The FIP diagnosis guidelines and supplemental resources are available here. Resources for cat caregivers can be found here.

Original post:
AAFP, EveryCat release guidelines on diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis - American Veterinary Medical Association

Specialty: Dermatology

Webcast: Chronic Proliferative Otitis Prevention, Not Surgery!

Date/Time: September 29 a 7:00 PM EST

Sponsor: Nextmune

Missed last months live webinars? These are available on-demand via dvm360 Flex

Webcast: Urine Culture Shock! - Updates on the Diagnosis and Treatment of UTI in Dogs and Cats

We will take a uropathogen centered approach to gain a better appreciation for the bacteria that cause UTI and the drugs that can kill them! A review of the results of a study entitled Comparison of a Chromogenic Urine Culture Plate System (UTid+) and Conventional Urine Culture for Canine and Feline Specimens will also be included.Faculty: Stephen Cole VMD, MS, DACVM

Sponsor: Vetrimax

Webcast: Phosphate Binders: The Good, The Bound and the Ugly

This presentation will focus on the history of Phosphate Binder Medication development, dating back to the late 1960s, with an overview of each class of Phosphate Binder product manufactured, as to the designed commitment of its efficacy in the control of Hyperphosphatemia, and its ability to match the clinical assignment of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism regulation.

Faculty: Jerry A. Thornhill, DVM, DACVIM

Sponsor: Nutramax

Webcast: Debunking Pet Insurance

Recommending pet insurance for your clients can be overwhelming for both you and your client. Learn the various types of pet insurance providers, policy types, and benefits for pet owners and the veterinary practice, including the resources you need to make the best recommendation for your clients.

Faculty: Matthew McGlasson DVM, CVPM

Sponsor: Nationwide

Webcast: Non-antibiotic Therapy in Diarrhea

Antibiotics are no longer commonly used for treatment of acute and chronic diarrhea due to their adverse effects on the gut microbiome and risks for propagating antimicrobial resistance. We will focus on causes for acute/chronic diarrhea and the use of diet, probiotics/synbiotics, immunosuppressive therapy (with intestinal biopsy), as well as other novel treatment options in managing these patients.

Faculty: Karin Allenspach, DVM, FVH, PhD, Dipl. ECVIM-CA, FHEA, AGAF

Professor of Internal Medicine and Translational Health, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Sponsor: Vetoquinol

Join us this October 10-12, 2022, in Atlantic City, NJ for the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference. Hear from our inspiring keynotes, Craig Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), Niccole Bruno, DVM BLEND Founder, and Fred Wininger, VMD, MS, DACVIM (Neurology).Choose from over 146 continuing education credits in 38 tracks of practical veterinary medicine, including companion animal, exotics, hands-on labs, and technician CEs. Plus learn more about the latest products from over 100 exhibitors and so much more. During your stay, network and unwind during the evenings at the casino shows and restaurants, the Boardwalk, or Absecon Lighthouse all within walking distance. Register early for the best rates.

Watch our latest dvm360 Live! episode!

Spectrum of care and meeting client expectations with empathy

Ryan E. Englar, DVM, DABVP joins this segment ofdvm360 Live!to explain how empathy and "unconditional positive regard" can help clinicians better serve patients when they cannot afford the gold standard of care for their pets. She shares her personal experiences with Adam Christman, DVM, MBA and discusses the concept of "spectrum of care.

A new sedative for dogs, endangered antelope born, and more

Check out the latest news and trending headlines, brought to you by Adam Christman, DVM, MBA.

Tune in to your favorite podcast channel and listen to a variety of these animal health care topics!

Have ideas for future continuing education opportunities or wish to educate fellow colleagues as one of our faculty? Tell us more at rlewis@mjhlifesciences.com.

Excerpt from:
Don't Fall Behind on Your Continuing Education this Autumn! - DVM 360

Although Sarah S le Jeune trained in Western veterinary medicine, she added acupuncture to her practice after experiencing the benefits for her own back pain.

Acupuncture had amazing effects on me, so I decided to explore how it might have application for my horses, said le Jeune, a board-certified equine sports medicine and rehabilitation specialist and surgeon with the University of California Davis.

She studied and earned certification in acupuncture through Chi University in Florida and began integrating it with conventional modalities to treat a range of conditions, often in conjunction with chiropractic.

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society describes acupuncture as the insertion of fine needles into specific points on the body to produce a healing response. There are about 150 acupoints on a horse in areas associated with a high density of free nerve endings, mast cells, which are part of the immune system, small arterioles, which help regulate blood flow and pressure, and lymphatic vessels.

Typically, needles are inserted in five to 50 acupoints during a single session and rotated manually or stimulated by a weak electrical current sent by attaching electrodes, le Jeune said. Depending on where the needles are placed, they stimulate nerves, improve circulation, relieve muscle spasms, and trigger the release of hormones, including endorphins, one of the bodys pain control chemicals, and cortisol, a natural steroid.

Acupuncture has diagnostic as well as therapeutic value, le Jeune said, and is especially helpful in relieving pain.

Sarah S le Jeune believes acupuncture has diagnostic and therapeutic value and helps relieve pain in horses.

Any time pain is a component, acupuncture can be an adjunct and I stress adjunct modality, she said. It basically modifies the perception of pain, in how the nervous system processes pain. I use it in horses with back, neck and sacroiliac problems, any kind of muscular pain, and chronic lamenesses. It also can lower blood pressure, improve gastrointestinal motility, address endocrine and immune conditions, and reduce inflammation. They all seem to benefit from this modality.

Although equine acupuncture dates to ancient China, where horses were used in agriculture and battle, it has been practiced in the United States since the 1970s, and has become increasingly popular in recent years. While the earliest acupuncture likely was performed using sharp stones and more akin to acupressure, le Jeune said, modern acupuncture uses ultra-fine needles, 0.5 to 3 inches long and made of flexible stainless steel.

Trainers like acupuncture because they are limited in the drugs that can be given to horses that compete, and because they see results with very few negative side effects. Back pain is a fact of life for hunter jumpers and dressage, said le Jeune. For them, acupuncture and chiropractic work together fantastically. Ill treat horses with both in-between shows.

For older and retired equines, acupuncture can be an effective component of palliative care. If a horse has chronic, degenerative joint disease that causes pain, nothing will make the joints appear normal, but if you address the pain, quality of life improves, le Jeune said, noting that acupuncture can string out the time between more invasive interventions.

When used after surgery, acupuncture can speed healing by promoting blood flow and reducing inflammation.

Acupuncture has a calming effect because it triggers the release of beta-endorphins, serotonin and other neurotransmitters, le Jeune said. Its similar to the release we feel when we take a hot bath, listen to music, or eat chocolate.

Although it generally is considered safe, because acupuncture is an invasive procedure, it must be performed by a licensed veterinarian board-certified in acupuncture. As part of the process, practitioners typically will begin by examining the horse, palpating the body to locate areas of discomfort, and then gauging the horses sensitivity.

Acupuncture is very individually tailored, so you care very much how sensitive the individual is on a scale of one to five, said le Jeune. The more sensitive the horse, the less stimulation is needed; the more stoic, the more stimulation required.

Most, but not all, equines accept acupuncture, she said. You have to gain their trust. But if a horse is needle shy, it might not be the right modality for them. If the horse resists the procedure, I back off.

Le Jeune avoids using sedation during treatment because it would inhibit interacting with the horse and monitoring its responses, she said.

Acupuncture is also not usually a one-time treatment. The more chronic and severe the condition, the more acupuncture is needed, she said. Ill space it out to every other day and then weekly.

Veterinarian Carlos Jimenez of Complete Equine Health Service in Coatesville, Pennsylvania has practiced acupuncture for 30 years, having been introduced to the modality when one of his own horses a young hunter-jumper prospect developed problems during training.

He was being trained near Pittsburgh, and when we went to visit him, we saw that he wasnt moving right, Jimenez said. A veterinarian at the University of Pennsylvania New Bolton referred Jimenez for corrective shoeing to a well-known farrier who, in turn, suggested that Jimenez consult with a veterinarian certified in acupuncture and chiropractic.

The difference was night and day, Jimenez said. The horse went from not being able to turn his neck to the right to being able to touch his back hip with his nose after both the chiropractic adjustments and the acupuncture. Thats what got me started in integrative therapies in my own practice.

Acupuncture and chiropractic are almost exclusively what Jimenez practices now, with patients ranging from Amish buggy horses to dressage and racehorses.

Besides effectively treating sports-related injuries, acupuncture, especially electro-acupuncture, can help horses with colic, he said. Ill put needles into horses on either side of the spinal cord where they will innervate the intestines. By the end of treatment, I will start to hear gut sounds where there were none before. If the horse has a displaced large intestine, acupuncture may prevent it from turning into a volvulus that would require surgery.

Jimenez has used acupuncture on dying horses to help them peacefully transition, he said.

Kristin Edwards, of Dallas, Pennsylvania, is a small-animal veterinarian and horse owner who added acupuncture to her practice 23 years ago. She became interested when a client gave her a book on the modality, and she realized a calling to pursue training and certification.

Her equine acupuncture patients range from retired performance horses to endurance athletes.

Professional trainer Stephanie Kleinbauer of Laceyville, Pennsylvania, has Edwards perform acupuncture on her four horses once a month to stay ahead of, and even diagnose, problems.

If multiple visits show recurring pain in a particular spot it can be an indication that an injection or some other treatment might be needed, she said. Kristin helped find a problem with Quest, my 23 year old Norwegian Fjord gelding. He seemed so stiff when I went to ride him it was as if his whole body was involved. Through acupuncture, Kristin was able to narrow it down to a tear in his right pectoral muscle, and recommended massage therapy.

Kleinbauer is typically present when Edwards treats her horses and said the release of tension is often visible.

Helping horses to let go of anxiety and stress associated with pain or discomfort is one of acupunctures most fascinating benefits, Edwards said.

I love looking at the emotional component of disease in animals, and acupuncture lets me get into their emotions and help them release whatever issues they are holding onto. Acupuncture enables owners to see the emotions their horse is expressing. It helps them to have a closer relationship.

Horses respond quickly, which is gratifying to her as a practitioner, she said. Their eyes will soften and theyll lick and chew. They want to be helped and feel better, which makes it fun for me.

Lancaster Farmings Mid-Atlantic Horse tells the stories of horses and their people. Big and small horses; fast, slow, harness, carriage and farm horses; wild horses, donkeys, mules, mustangs and more. Mid-Atlantic Horse covers the wide world of the genus Equus. And for every horse story, there are many more about the people who live so closely with their horses.

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Using Acupuncture to Pinpoint The Source Of A Horse's Problem - Lancaster Farming

The harassment began five years ago with a piece of hate mail, sent to Kenneth Fandrichs Oregon City home. It was disguised as a letter from his union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Then, someone broke into Fandrichs truck and left a condom wrapper under a pair of his wifes work gloves.

By the time the Clackamas County bomb squad arrived to remove a large suspicious device from underneath his truck, Fandrich, 56, claims he was well aware of the identity of the culprit.

He filed for a series of stalking orders against 55-year-old Steve Milner, an animal surgeon. In court filings, Fandrich says Milner is responsible for all the incidents, which followed the end of an affair Milner was having with Fandrichs wife.

Fandrichs attorney filed a lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court onSept. 12 for $245,000, and police have filed criminal charges against Milner in Clackamas County for allegedly planting a GPS tracker on Fandrichs truck, again, and violating the stalking order.

WW could not reach either man for comment. Milners attorney declined to speak about the case. Michael Fuller, who represents Fandrich in the civil lawsuit, provided WW with legal documents outlining both sides arguments. They were filed in court following Fandrichs request for a stalking order.

The bizarre saga is noteworthy because of the reluctance of police to intervene. According to the documents, the latest legal actions are the culmination of years of threats by both menand futile pleas for law enforcement to step in.

As recently as 2016, Fandrichs wife worked with Milner at his Oregon City veterinary hospital. (Milner recently retired.) There, the two had an affair, according to a statement Fandrich made to police. It was documented in a report that was included in the legal filings. That affair ended, Fandrich said, and the stalking began.

That police report was a result of a 911 call made by Fandrich on March 2, 2022, after Milner allegedly followed him all the way from Oregon City to Cornelius Pass Road in Hillsboro.

After being pulled over by police, Milner admitted to following Fandrich, according to the police report. Milner told the officer that Fandrich beat his wife, and he wanted to talk with him about it. Milner was taking the issue into his own hands because the police werent doing anything about it, he told the officer.

The officer then talked to Fandrich, who sounded terrified, according to the report. Milner, he said, was going to cut me up into little pieces because he is a surgeon. Milner is a doctor of veterinary medicine and operates on pets. Fandrich told the officer that he and his wife did have marital problems, but that she had been arrested for domestic violence, not him.

Fandrich told the officer that hed been trying to get the police to do something about Milners stalking for years, but they hadnt. He claimed, according to the report, that police [had] advised it was not against the law to place a GPS tracker on someone elses vehicle. (It is, if the owner does not consent.)

Neither the Oregon City Police Department nor the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office immediately responded to a request for comment.

The Hillsboro police officer noted that Milner did not seem receptive to the officers warnings that hed end up in jail if he kept up the harassment. Milner was not cited or arrested.

A few weeks later, Fandrich applied for a stalking order against Milner, who he said is trying to kidnap me and possibly kill me or disfigure me, Fandrich wrote in his application.

Milner unsuccessfully fought the order in court. His attorney, Ross Denison, filed a legal document arguing that the conduct was neither malicious nor undertaken in bad faith. Milner, Denison argued, engaged in the conduct with the sole motivation of protecting his intimate friends[Fandrichs] wifesphysical safety.

Denison played a recording for the court in which Fandrich threatened Milner. He used multiple hateful racial slurs and said he would put a bullet in his head, according to a legal filing that described the recording.

Even with the stalking order, the harassment did not end, prosecutors allege. Last month, Milner was finally arrested for an incident that prosecutors say happened in April. Milner was charged with violating the stalking order for unlawful use of a global positioning system device.

The complaint in Fandrichs recent civil lawsuit includes a still image from a video, allegedly showing Milner placing a tracking device on Fandrichs truck. The lawsuit accuses Milner of invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional harm, trespassing and negligence.

That video, reviewed by WW, shows someone crawling under the vehicle and then running away in the night.

Milner has been released from custody pending a Clackamas County court date next week. In the meantime, hes been ordered to have no contact with Fandrich or Fandrichs wife.

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Stalking Allegations Against Retired Oregon City Veterinarian Lead to $245,000 Lawsuit - Willamette Week

GOSSELIES, Wallonia, Belgium, September 19, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

TheraVet (ISIN: BE0974387194 - ticker: ALVET) (Paris:ALVET), a pioneering company in the management of osteoarticular diseases in pets, announced today its participation in the annual congress of the European Society of Veterinary Orthopaedics and Traumatology (ESVOT) which will be held from 21 to 24 September at the Acropolis in Nice, France.

With nearly 1000 participants, this event is the largest specialised congress in veterinary orthopaedics and traumatology in Europe, bringing together high-quality international speakers and therefore represents a prime showcase for the Company. ESVOT is chaired by Pr. Marc Balligand, who is also the President of the Scientific Advisory Board of TheraVet.

The Company will be particularly well represented with 3 scientific communications. The results obtained through close collaborations with renowned veterinarians will be presented during this conference, proof of the growing interest of the veterinary community in the Company's products:

"Percutaneous cementoplasty as a palliative treatment for dogs with osteosarcoma using a new self-setting bone substitute"Thursday 22 September 2022 at 8:00 pmPoster presentation by Dr. A. Villamonte Chevalier (DVM, PhD), Vet Technical Manager at TheraVet

"Microwave ablation as part of limb sparing multimodal therapy in dog with appendicular osteosarcoma"Saturday 24 September 2022 at 12:10 pmOral presentation by Dr. D. Jacques (DVM, DIPL. ECVS) Clinique Vtrinaire Occitanie, France

"Efficacy and safety assessment of a self-setting bone substitute (alpha-TCP) as an efficient alternative to autografts"Saturday 24 September 2022 at 5:30 pmOral presentation by Dr. G. Ragetly (DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, DIPL. ECVS), CHV Frgis, France

The Company will also have a strong commercial presence for its BIOCERA-VET products, including:

- Drylab sessions allowing veterinarians to test and evaluate the performance of the products,- Videos demonstrating the use of the products in real clinical cases,- Coupons, promotional documents

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About TheraVet SATheraVet is a veterinary biotechnology company specialising in osteoarticular treatments for companion animals. The Company develops targeted, safe and effective treatments to improve the quality of life of pets suffering from joint and bone diseases. For pet owners, the health of their pets is a major concern and TheraVets mission is to address the need for innovative and curative treatments. TheraVet works closely with international opinion leaders in order to provide a more effective response to ever-growing needs in the field of veterinary medicine. TheraVet is listed on Euronext Growth Paris and Brussels, has its head office in Belgium (Gosselies) with a US subsidiary in Texas.For more information, visit the TheraVet website or follow us on LinkedIn / Facebook / Twitter

About BIOCERA-VETIn close collaboration with an international scientific board, THERAVET has developed a new line of calcium-phosphate and biological bone substitutes, BIOCERA-VET. BIOCERA-VET is a full range of innovative, easy-to-use, efficient & cost-effective bone substitutes indicated in bone surgeries where a bone graft is required and as a palliative alternative in the management of canine osteosarcoma. Based on extremely promising clinical results, this line offers the possibility of a better, more convenient and more efficient orthopedic surgery.

BIOCERA-VET is declined in different lines:

BIOCERA-VET BONE SURGERY RTU, ready-to-use highly injectable self-hardening calcium-phosphate cement

BIOCERA-VET SMARTGRAFT, a naturally osteoconductive bone graft

BIOCERA-VET GRANULES, an affordable biocompatible calcium-phosphate bone substitute

BIOCERA-VET OSTEOSARCOMA RTU, a ready-to-use highly injectable calcium-phosphate bone substitute for cementoplasty

For more information, visit BIOCERA-VET website.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220918005014/en/

Contacts

TheraVet Chief Operating OfficerSabrina Enainvestors@thera.vet Tel: +32 (0) 71 96 00 43

Chief Corporate OfficerJulie Winandinvestors@thera.vet

NewCap Investor Relations and Financial CommunicationsTho Martin / Hugo Willeferttheravet@newcap.eu Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Press RelationsArthur Rouilltheravet@newcap.eu Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15

NewCap Belgique Press RelationsLaure-Eve Monfortlemonfort@thera.vet Tel: + 32 (0) 489 57 76 52

Excerpt from:
TheraVet Announces Its Participation in the 2022 ESVOT Congress With 3 Scientific Communications - Yahoo Finance

A committee in the U.S. Senate has finally set a nomination hearing to consider Jose Emilio Esteban for the U.S. Department of Agricultures top food safety job.

Nominated on Nov. 12, 2021, by President Joe Biden, Esteban is scheduled to go before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Sept. 22. The committee has not offered any reason why the nomination hearing has been delayed so long, except for a comment from Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI. At one point she said there was paperwork needed from the White House.

Also set to testify before the Ag Committee are Alexis Taylor, the long-awaited nominee for undersecretary for trade and foreign agriculture affairs at USDA, and Vincent Garfield Logan who is nominated to serve on the Farm Credit Administrations board.

One nominee not scheduled for a confirmation hearing before the committee is Stacy Dean, who is nominated to be the undersecretary of food, nutrition and consumer services. Republicans have kept Dean under scrutiny for her handling of the Thrifty Food Plan reauthorization, which increased SNAP benefits, previously known as the food stamp program. Dean headed up that initiative after it was authorized in the 2018 farm bill.

As for Esteban, he has been waiting for confirmation while working at USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) as the agencys chief scientist. There he provides scientific advice to support agency policies, including microbiology, chemistry and pathology.

It is his fourth position at FSIS, all within the Office of Public Health Science. Before his current assignment, he was Executive Associate for Laboratory Services, the Scientific Advisor for Laboratory Services and Research Coordination, and the Laboratory Director for the Western Laboratory.

Before joining the USDA, Esteban worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Staff Epidemiologist, and Assistant Director of the Food Safety Office.

Outside the U.S. federal government, Esteban is the Chair for the Codex Alimentarius Commission Committee on Food Hygiene. This committee sets definitions for international food hygiene standards for international trade.

Esteban was trained as a veterinarian in Mexico and supplemented his training with an MBA, a masters degree in preventive veterinary medicine, and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of California-Davis.

To fill the gap while Esteban has been waiting for his confirmation, the White House named Sandra Eskin on March 17 as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety. Deputy jobs do not require Senate confirmation and Eskin went to work shortly after being named to the No. 2 food safety job.

Read this article:
Senate committee sets nomination hearing for top food safety official - Food Safety News

Experts offer advice on identifying and managing feline OA and discuss the latest treatments for this painful condition

As veterinary medicine improves and cats live longer, they experience more complications associated with old age, including osteoarthritis (OA), a progressive degenerative joint disease. The median age of cats with OA is 10.2 years,1 and approximately 90% of those over 12 have been found to have OA.2

In an interview with dvm360, Elizabeth Colleran, DVM, DABVP, medical director at Chico Hospital for Cats in Chico, California, offered veterinarians and clients tips for detecting and managing the disease in cats.

According to Colleran, identifying osteoarthritis can be more difficult in cats than in dogs. Cats are secretive, she says, because hiding their emotions is to their advantage. As solitary hunters, they dont have [a] great repertoire of emotional signs on their face...but they do show what they think and how they feel.

One should look for a cat whose lifestyle [has] changed, she explained; for instance, a cat that used to sleep with the owner... [but] isnt sleeping with the owner anymore, that used to climb up to a high point on a cat tree...[but] doesnt do that anymore, or even a cat that is sleeping more than usual.

At the April 2022 Fetch dvm360 conference, Colleran mentioned other signs of OA: avoidance of other household members, increased grumpiness, decreased grooming, restlessness, changes in elimination behavior, clumsiness, and reluctance to jump.3

Pet parents can also use the Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index, a validated pain score, to check their pets more closely. The Index asks questions about specific indicators of OA that reveal the intensity of a cats pain.

A visual assessment of the cats gait is important, but the environment mustbe carefully controlled. According to Colleran, a quiet, low-stress atmosphere is essential, and the cat should be given time to acclimate to the room. The veterinarian should then gently palpate the joints, even though cats not experiencing joint pain will also be averse to this.

Because OA is complex and usually affects various joints, it can be challenging to stage. Staging is best accomplished by examining the overall impact on the cat. Based on activity and mobility, OA stages are as follows.

When it comes to addressing the disease, its important to tell clients that it cant be treated, only managed to improve mobility and quality of life. A multimodal approach is the most beneficial, Colleran pointed out, because it combines traditional medication, adjunctive therapies, and environmental modification.

On the pharmacological side, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be used. There are also some really helpful adjunctive therapies, like laser therapy [and] acupuncture, she said. Assisi Loop is a favorite of mine because the cats dont mind it at all, she added, and then there are...supplements like omega-3 fatty acids.

Environmental modification includes making the cats space more comfortable so that it can get around more easily and providing it with a warm bed to soothe its joints.

Environmental modification means that were changing the environment to accommodate...something thats going on with the cat. For example...a lot of my clients will build stairs or ramps for the cats to get up to really high places where they like to sit and watch the world go by or watch the birds outside.

At the 2022 convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association,4 Alonso Guedes, DVM, PhD, an associate professor of anesthesia at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, talked about the newest kid[s] on the block: anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibodies.

Guedes explained that nerve growth factor (NGF) is synthesized and active on many types of cells: various cells secreteand are affected byit. NGF signaling is upregulated during the chronic inflammation associated with OA, which results in central and peripheral sensitization and hyperalgesia. In patients with OA, the secretion of NGF increases, sensitizing the periphery and central terminal of the neurons in the spinal cord.

The NGF also will activate immune cells, and these...cells will then secrete their mediators, [which]...will then amplify inflammation...so it seems like a good idea...[to use] a nerve growth factor neutralizing antibody to block NGF's many effects, and then the nervous system is able to return to its normal [state]. It is [a] pretty nice concept, Guedes added.

References

Read more here:
Helping osteoarthritic cats live their best lives - DVM 360

Progress made over decades to control overpopulation of dogs and cats through high-volume spay-neuter surgeries is at risk thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a team of UF researchers conclude in a new study.

The impact felt both at community shelters and veterinary clinics includes sharp declines in spay-neuter surgeries after the initial pandemic-triggered lockdowns, followed by staffing shortages in clinics and shelters, overcrowding and lagging pet adoption rates. All of these problems are compounded by a nationwide shortage of veterinarians, which has been felt even more acutely in shelters and spay-neuter clinics, the researchers say in a study that appears today (Sept. 13) in Frontiers of Veterinary Science.

Progress made over decades to control overpopulation of dogs and cats through high-volume spay-neuter surgeries is at risk thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a team of UF researchers conclude in a new study.

The study focused on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volume of surgical procedures performed by spay-neuter clinics, said Simone Guerios, D.V.M., Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor of shelter medicine at UF and the studys lead author.

The team drew its research from 212 clinics nationally, all of which make use of the cloud-based clinic management software program Clinic HQ, which is specifically designed for facilities that focus on spay-neuter and preventive health care services.

The high level of spay-neuter achieved over the past five decades is the single most important driver of reduced pet overpopulation and euthanasia in animal shelters, Guerios said. The rise in subsidized spay-neuter access helped drive the euthanasia of shelter pets in the United States from an estimated 13.5 million in 1973 to 1.5 million in 2019.

Using 2019 as a baseline, the UF team aimed to determine the impact of the pandemic on the volume of spay-neuter procedures performed in 2020-2021 at the 212 clinics, which collectively performed more than 1 million surgeries per year and were on track to increase surgeries by 5% over the previous year.

But in the 24 months from January 2020 through December 2021, 190,818 fewer surgeries were performed at the clinics studied than would be expected had 2019 levels been maintained, the researchers found.

If a similar pattern was experienced by other spay-neuter programs in the United States, it would suggest there is a deficit of more than 2.7 million spay-neuter surgeries that animal welfare organizations have yet to address, said co-author Julie Levy, D.V.M., Ph.D., the Fran Marino Endowed Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at UFs College of Veterinary Medicine.

All the impacts of the pandemic combined have the potential to undermine progress made in controlling pet populations and euthanasia in shelters, Levy added.

Currently, shelters are in crisis mode, with overcrowding and lagging adoptions, Guerios said. Pet overpopulation seems to be increasing, leading to increased shelter euthanasia for the first time in many years.

The UF College of Veterinary Medicine is responding to societal needs by increasing class size and remodeling its surgical training facility to enhance surgical skills development. The college also offers four courses and clerkships specifically designed to provide students with real-world spay-neuter experience, Levy said.

As part of these hands-on learning opportunities, UF veterinary students spay and neuter thousands of cats and dogs in their local communities, she added.

Through our recent expansion of class size to meet the increasing demand for veterinary graduates, along with unique certificate programs and shelter medicine internships, our college is taking proactive action to address these disturbing trends in animal healthcare and well-being, said Christopher Adin, D.V.M., chair of UFs department of small animal clinical sciences, which oversees the colleges shelter medicine program.

Read more:
Research shows what is driving shelter overpopulation - Vet Candy

Its been known for decades that astronauts immune systems become suppressed in space, leaving them vulnerable to disease, but the exact mechanisms of immune dysfunction have remained a mystery now a Cornell undergraduate has found a potential solution.

A biological and mechanical engineering double major in the College of Engineering, Rocky An 23 published his theory, MRTF May be the Missing Link in a Multiscale Mechanobiology Approach toward Macrophage Dysfunction in Space, Sept. 12 in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.

An reviewed the last 20 years of literature on the behavior of macrophages key cells in the bodys immune response in space and recent research about how macrophages respond to forces in normal gravity, identifying a transcription factor that could prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle.

I just kept asking questions about how the data is presented, An said. There are these two really important papers, in particular, one a review of how macrophages are suppressed in microgravity, and another about the mechanobiology of macrophages. I was able to connect these two papers, and that's when the idea came to me. I was really excited, as it was kind of a eureka moment for me.

In space, the lack of gravity changes the shape of the immune cell, and scientists have suspected that changes to the cytoskeleton, the filamented infrastructure of the cell, were involved in immune dysfunction. Recent studies in normal gravity have shown that disturbing the cytoskeleton of macrophages reduces the transport of a particular protein, a transcription factor important for immune response, to the nucleus.

By comparing the studies of cells in microgravity and analyzing the modes of study and associated timescales whether macrophages were actually studied in space, or on a parabolic airplane, or in a simulation of microgravity in the lab An was able to point to this protein, Myocardin-Related Transcription Factor (MRTF), as a probable culprit in immune system dysfunction.

I think its a pretty convincing argument that MRTF is a big part of the problem, An said. I hope it will inspire future studies that really focus on that one protein and the cytoskeleton, and maybe it could be the first step towards a spaceflight immune treatment.

The paper suggests that MRTF could be implicated in the stress on the cardiovascular health of astronauts as well. An also points to other factors that may play a role in immune dysfunction and notes that further research is needed to understand how MRTF interacts with the macrophage nucleus in microgravity.

While An worked independently on the publication, he credits his Cornell professors (including Mingming Wu, professor, and Minglin Ma, associate professor, both of biological and environmental engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Brian J. Kirby, the Meinig Family Professor of Engineering; and Donna Cassidy Hanley, senior research associate in the College of Veterinary Medicine, among many other teachers) for modeling an interdisciplinary approach and encouraging inquiry.

Even before enrolling at Cornell, An had contact with the lab of Theodore Clark, professor of microbiology and immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, where An has engaged in research since his freshman year. He also credits his experience on the Cornell iGEM (Genetically Engineered Machines) Project Team, with advising from Jan Lammerding, professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, as helping him develop as a scientist.

The biggest help has been the professors and the way theyve taught my classes, An said. And then with research in the lab and my project team, there have been a lot of opportunities to learn independently and ask our own questions.

An also gained valuable experience in summer internships. In 2021, he was chosen as a research associate for NASAs Space Life Sciences Training Program, where he studied the impact of microgravity on cells and co-authored his first paper, an optimization of a modeling framework for studying cells in microgravity.

An then spent the summer of 2022 as an Amgen Scholar at Harvard Universitys Wyss Institute, where he worked in the area of mechanical immunotherapy, exploring therapies that work by manipulating cells structure.

Ive always been interested in cells, but also the mechanics, how cells react to forces, An said. I like this approach because its somewhat new, and I think it's very different from what you generally learn in biology, where everything's a series of chemical reactions. I really enjoy the interaction between the two fields.

Support for Ans publication came from the Cornell Open Access Publication Fund.

The rest is here:
Undergrad publishes theory on immune dysfunction in space | Cornell Chronicle - Cornell Chronicle

September 19, 2022

Contact:Thonnia Lee, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing

TUSKEGEE, Alabama-- Tuskegee University has been named a Fulbright Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Institutional Leader for 2022.

For the third consecutive year, the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is recognizing selected HBCUs strong engagement with the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program. Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders have demonstrated noteworthy support for Fulbright exchange participants during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years and have promoted Fulbright program opportunities on campus. Tuskegee University is new to the list this year.

The announcement of the 19 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders was made by the State Department as HBCU leaders prepare to gather in Washington, D.C., and virtually for the White House Initiative on HBCUs National HBCU Week Conference, and Fulbright opportunities will be highlighted in events such as the career and recruitment fair during this week.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield commended the HBCUs receiving the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader designation this year, noting that HBCUs are an important part of the American and global higher education communities, providing life-changing exchange opportunities for American and international students, faculty, and administrators alike. I hope that these institutions success encourages all HBCUs to engage further with Fulbright and with the State Department.

This is an exceptional note of distinction, said President Charlotte P. Morris. We have always known the caliber of students and faculty whose vigorous academic work influences our society in a variety of areas. This acknowledgment will help our students and the broader community see the enormous value our university brings.

On Nov. 3, a Fulbright HBCU Virtual Workshop will feature representatives of Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders sharing best practices for HBCUs to leverage Fulbright Program engagement to support students and faculty, increase campus internationalization, and build global networks. This event is open to the public and is specifically designed for HBCU faculty, staff, and stakeholders.

Our goals for academic excellence mapped out in our Strategic Plan are confirmed once again by this acknowledgment, said Provost Dr. S. Keith Hargrove. We are providing academic tools for scholars and researchers to develop and contribute their best work. By supporting this kind of academic brilliance, it confirms our commitment to remain an HBCU that attracts and maintains a strong community of global scholars.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program. Since its inception over 75 years ago, the Fulbright Program has given over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad, exchanging ideas, and contributing to finding solutions to important international problems.

Each year, the U.S. Congress appropriates funds to the U.S. Department of State to sponsor the Fulbright Program. Many foreign governments contribute substantially as well. Additional funding and in-kind funding is provided by U.S. and foreign host institutions, non-governmental organizations, private organizations, corporate partnerships, and individual donors.

Over the years, we have had faculty and student Fulbright awardees representing Tuskegee around the globe, said Dr. Rhonda Collier, director of the TU Global Office, Fulbright Faculty Liaison and Fulbright Program Advisor. Im so proud of the work were doing to support their study and research.

Over many years the Fulbright Program has designed and implemented a wide range of initiatives to increase participant diversity and inclusion. The program strives to ensure that its participants reflect the diversity of U.S. society and societies abroad. Fulbrighters come from all backgrounds and are selected through an open, merit-based competition, regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Information on the Fulbright Programs diversity and inclusion initiatives is detailed on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website.

For more information on the Fulbright Program, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.

Stories about the positive impact of the Fulbright Program over its first 75 years can be found at: https://fulbright75.org

Follow the Fulbright Programs social media accounts and websites for highlights on HBCUs and Fulbright:

2022 Tuskegee University

Continued here:
Tuskegee University is named HBCU Institutional Leader by Fulbright Program - Tuskegee University

News Release

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Gene augmentation rescues cilia defects in light-sensing cells derived from patients with blinding disease.

Researchers from the National Eye Institute (NEI) have developed a gene therapy that rescues cilia defects in retinal cells affected by a type of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a disease that causes blindness in early childhood. Using patient-derived retina organoids (also known as retinas-in-a-dish), the researchers discovered that a type of LCA caused by mutations in the NPHP5 (also called IQCB1) gene leads to severe defects in the primary cilium, a structure found in nearly all cells of the body. The findings not only shed light on the function of NPHP5 protein in the primary cilium, but also led to a potential treatment for this blinding condition. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Its so sad to see little kids going blind from early onset LCA. NPHP5 deficiency causes early blindness in its milder form, and in more severe forms, many patients also exhibit kidney disease along with retinal degeneration, said the studys lead investigator, Anand Swaroop, Ph.D., senior investigator at the NEI Neurobiology Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory. Weve designed a gene therapy approach that could help prevent blindness in children with this disease and one that, with additional research, could perhaps even help treat other effects of the disease.

LCA is a rare genetic disease that leads to degeneration of the light-sensing retina at the back of the eye. Defects in at least 25 different genes can cause LCA. While there is an available gene therapy treatment for one form of LCA, all other forms of the disease have no treatment. The type of LCA caused by mutations in NPHP5 is relatively rare. It causes blindness in all cases, and in many cases it can also lead to failure of the kidneys, a condition called Senior-Lken Syndrome.

Three post-doctoral fellows, Kamil Kruczek, Ph.D., Zepeng Qu, Ph.D., and Emily Welby, Ph.D., together with other members in the research team collected stem cell samples from two patients with NPHP5 deficiency at the NIH Clinical Center. These stem cell samples were used to generate retinal organoids, cultured tissue clusters that possess many of the structural and functional features of actual, native retina. Patient-derived retinal organoids are particularly valuable because they closely mimic the genotype and retinal disease presentation in actual patients and provide a human-like tissue environment for testing therapeutic interventions, including gene therapies. As in the patients, these retinal organoids showed defects in the photoreceptors, including loss of the portion of the photoreceptor called outer segments.

In a healthy retina, photoreceptor outer segments contain light-sensing molecules called opsins. When the outer segment is exposed to light, the photoreceptor initiates a nerve signal that travels to the brain and mediates vision. The photoreceptor outer segment is a special type of primary cilium, an ancient structure found in nearly all animal cells.

In a healthy eye, NPHP5 protein is believed to sit at a gate-like structure at the base of the primary cilium that helps filter proteins that enter the cilium. Previous studies in mice have shown that NPHP5 is involved in the cilium, but researchers dont yet know the exact role of NPHP5 in the photoreceptor cilium, nor is it clear exactly how mutations affect the proteins function.

In the present study, researchers found reduced levels of NPHP5 protein within the patient-derived retinal organoid cells, as well as reduced levels of another protein called CEP-290, which interacts with NPHP5 and forms the primary cilium gate. (Mutations in CEP-290 constitute the most common cause of LCA.) In addition, photoreceptor outer segments in the retinal organoids were completely missing and the opsin protein that should have been localized to the outer segments was instead found elsewhere in the photoreceptor cell body.

When the researchers introduced an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector containing a functional version of NPHP5 as a gene therapy vehicle, the retinal organoids showed a significant restoration of opsin protein concentrated in the proper location in outer segments. The findings also suggest that functional NPHP5 may have stabilized the primary cilium gate.

The study was funded by the NEI Intramural program. Patient samples were collected at the NIH Clinical Center.

NEI leads the federal governments efforts to eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision researchdriving innovation, fostering collaboration, expanding the vision workforce, and educating the public and key stakeholders. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and to broaden opportunities for people with vision impairment. For more information, visit https://www.nei.nih.gov.

About the NIH Clinical Center:The NIH Clinical Center is the worlds largest hospital entirely devoted to clinical research. It is a national resource that makes it possible to rapidly translate scientific observations and laboratory discoveries into new approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. Over 1,600 clinical research studies are conducted at the NIH Clinical Center, including those focused on cancer, infectious diseases, blood disorders, heart disease, lung disease, alcoholism and drug abuse. For more information about the Clinical Center, visit:https://www.cc.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Kruczek K, Qu Z, Welby E, et al. In vitro modeling and rescue of ciliopathy associated with IQCB1/NPHP5 mutations using patient-derived cells. Stem Cell Reports. Sept 8, 2022.

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NIH researchers develop gene therapy for rare ciliopathy - National Institutes of Health (.gov)

Repeated muscle injections with Engensis (VM202), Helixmiths investigational non-viral gene therapy, were generally safe and well-tolerated in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to top-line data from a Phase 2a clinical trial.

While the sample size was too small to determine the therapys efficacy, muscle biopsies were collected and will be examined to further evaluate the underlying mechanisms of Engensis.

These data suggest that high dose, repeated treatments of Engensis, were safe and well tolerated, providing a great deal of flexibility in designing dosing schemes for future clinical studies, Helixmith stated in a company press release.

Trial analysis will continue once the full dataset is available, and the company plans to present such findings at a future conference. The next steps for Engensis development will be determined at that time.

Engensis is a non-viral gene therapy that uses Helixmiths proprietary small circular DNA molecule to deliver the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene to cells in the muscle environment.

HGF provides instructions to produce a protein of the same name that helps the body form new blood vessels, prevents muscle loss, and promotes the growth and survival of nerve cells. The therapyis delivered via intramuscular (into-the-muscle) injections.

Helixsmith believes that by increasing HGF production, Engensis has the potential to promote nerve cell and muscle regeneration, thereby countering the progressive loss of motor control that characterizes ALS.

The therapy has been granted orphan drug and fast track designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, both of which are intended to speed its clinical development and regulatory review.

A previous open-label Phase 1/2 trial (NCT02039401) found that four once-weekly intramuscular injections of Engensis (to a total dose of 64 mg) were safe and well-tolerated among 18 ALS patients. Signs that the therapy could slow disease progression were also observed.

These promising findings prompted the launch of a placebo-controlled Phase 2a trial, called REViVALS-1A (NCT04632225), which began patient enrollment last year. A total of 18 ALS patients experiencing motor symptoms in their limbs for four years or less were recruited at four sites in the U.S. and one in Korea.

Participants were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive three cycles of either Engensis or a placebo: at studys start, at two months, and at four months. Each cycle consisted of two days of injections to upper and lower limb target muscles, spaced two weeks apart (64 mg total of Engensis or a placebo).

This meant that Engensis-treated patients received a total of 192 mg of medication over the four-month period. All participants were monitored for six months from the studys start.

The trials main goal was to assess the safety and tolerability of Engensis, while efficacy measures were included as exploratory outcomes. These included changes in disability, muscle and lung function, survival, ALS-specific health-related quality of life, and the levels of muscle shrinkage biomarkers.

Top-line data showed that the investigational treatment was generally safe and well-tolerated, with no difference in the frequency of adverse events observed between the Engensis and placebo groups (83% for each).

One case of bronchitis a condition characterized by inflammation in the main airways of the lungs due to infection was observed in the Engensis group but was determined unrelated to treatment.

Injection site reactions were reported by 50% of Engensis-treated patients and 66.7% of those in the placebo group. Most of these reactions were mild or moderate in severity and temporary; no participant discontinued treatment due to the number of injections.

According to Helixmith, efficacy was unable to be evaluated due to the fact that four participants dropped out early from the small study.

Still, muscle tissue biopsies were obtained from injection sites to undergo analyses of muscle atrophy (shrinkage) biomarkers and others.

Since data on Engensis underlying mechanisms have been largely based on animal models, these results are expected to provide valuable information on the understanding of the mechanisms of actions of Engensis, and its effects on the [activity] of human genes, which will greatly help in the development of innovative medicines, the company stated in the release.

Helixmith greatly appreciates the generous and eager participation of the ALS patients, the company added.

Engensis is also being investigated across a range of conditions associated with deficits in circulation, and nerve and/or muscle damage, such as diabetic neuropathy, coronary artery disease, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

More than 500 patients have been treated with Engensis to date across 10 clinical trials and six different diseases, according to Helixmith. Data from these studies have also supported the therapys favorable safety profile and its ability to increase HGF production.

Read more from the original source:
Engensis Gene Therapy for ALS Found Safe in Small Phase 2a Trial |... - ALS News Today