StemCell Therapy

Nov. 5, 2020 09:00 UTC

BOSTON & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Synthace Ltd and Ipsen, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on innovation and specialty care, have partnered to accelerate development of novel biotherapeutics targeting multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, endocrinology, pain management, regenerative medicine and rare diseases. Ipsen has automated design and construction of therapeutic candidates using Synthaces integrative software platform, Antha. The process aims to speed up biotherapeutic candidate entry into the screening pipeline and shorten development time for treatment of diseases via targeted secretion inhibition.

Ipsen has developed novel biotherapeutic molecules, called Targeted Secretion Inhibitors (TSIs). TSIs are a fusion of select parts of the botulinum neurotoxin with another protein domain to redirect its mode of action, resulting in a unique targeted therapeutic. The design and construction of TSIs is both labour intensive and manually complex, typically taking 30 days to develop between 24-48 constructs which then go on to therapeutic screening.

The Ipsen R&D team required a solution to increase throughput and efficiency of its TSI generation and screening pipeline, while utilizing its Type IIs construct assembly method. They looked to fellow innovators Synthace, whose flexible and integrative software Antha has built-in workflows for automating processes such as Type II construct assembly, bacterial transformation, plating, data generation and analysis.

Synthaces Antha platform allowed the Ipsen team to plan, simulate, and test their assemblies in silico before executing the protocol. The partnership of Antha and Ipsen produced approximately 90 constructs five times faster than previous methods, substantially increasing the number of molecules entering the screening cascade. Antha was also able to increase efficiency by re-using core DNA building blocks for multiple construct assemblies, resulting in a 10-fold reduction in costs associated with DNA synthesis.

Dr. Karen Bunting, Director of Protein Science at Ipsen said, The development of novel biotherapeutics like TSI is key to treating debilitating illnesses across multiple therapeutic areas. The first step in this is generating and screening high quality molecules as therapeutic candidates. Using Antha, our team increased throughput at this crucial step, allowing us to design, construct, and screen novel TSI candidates rapidly and helping to advance our therapeutic solutions.

Drug discovery is a costly and laborious process where thousands of candidates are generated, screened and validated, but only a select few are chosen to move forward in the pipeline. Pharma companies are turning to automation and software to aid in the design, construction and screening of these compounds, reducing costs and increasing efficiency without compromising on quality.

To achieve this, biopharmaceutical companies like Ipsen are partnering with specialists in integrating the digital and physical aspects of R&D, providing an easy-to-use interface between scientists, design software, automated devices, and data handling downstream. This flexible, integrated approach to the discovery process has clear advantages in boosting efficiency at the earliest stages of drug development, with the ultimate goal of making more effective treatment options available to patients sooner.

Dr. Tim Fell, CEO of Synthace concluded, We are thrilled to see our Antha platform applied to develop new biotherapeutics. Antha has accelerated Ipsens TSI construction and screening programme while reducing costs and the time scientists spent in the lab. Automating processes like these allows scientists to focus on experimental design and data analysis rather than liquid handling, enabling them to create more beneficial therapeutics for patients,.

To learn more about automating drug discovery and development protocols, visit: https://www.synthace.com/customers/case-studies/detail/construct-assembly-for-the-development-of-new-therapeutics-with-ipsen/

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About Synthace Based in London, UK and Boston, US, Synthace is accelerating biological discovery & optimization through computer-aided biology. Our cloud software platform, Antha, empowers biologists by enabling them to flexibly program their lab automation without the need to code. The graphical user interface has been designed by biologists for biologists, intuitively enabling them to automate their whole experiment from planning to execution, data collection and analysis. Antha is the cornerstone of the lab of the future, seamlessly connecting the digital realm of data with the physical of lab automation and wet-lab biology, automatically collecting and structuring data to accelerate biological understanding.

Synthace is unlocking the potential of biology for humankind and our environment. Synthace works with biopharmaceutical companies, and in 2016 was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer that is helping shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and in 2018 as a cool vendor by Gartner.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201105005418/en/

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Synthace and Ipsen Partner to Accelerate Novel Therapeutic Development Through Automation - BioSpace

CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --At the 2020 Concierge Medicine Forum (CMF), Terry Bauer, CEO of Specialdocs Consultants, a pioneer in concierge medicine transitions and management, along with a group of the company's outstanding physician-clients, will share an inside look at the practice model that continues to fuel one of the healthcare industry's rare success stories in a year of unprecedented challenge. A completely virtual experience for the first time, the highly anticipated annual industry event spans three days of presentations, workshops and live chat sessions with concierge industry leaders; all focused on the relevant theme of collaboration in medicine.

"At this pivotal point in healthcare, we are privileged to share our collective experience and stories of transformation."

"This year has exposed the vulnerabilities of traditional fee-for-service practices in ways we could never have foreseen," says Bauer. "And 2020 has also underscored the resilience and rewards of the Specialdocs model of personalized medicine and inspired rising numbers of physicians to consider this beneficial alternative for themselves and their patients. At this pivotal point in American healthcare, we are privileged to share with Concierge Medicine Forum attendees our collective experience and first-person stories of transformation from our network of dedicated doctors."

Michael Tetreault, CMF organizer and editor of Concierge Medicine Today, says: "The virtual format enables us to host a more diverse gathering of healthcare professionals than ever before, and offer 24/7 on-demand access to insights from the industry's most creative minds. We're thrilled to feature groups like Specialdocs, pioneers and continual innovators in the concierge medicine space."

Specialdocs will be featured at events including: (all ET)

Thursday, Nov. 12th Pre-conference workshop

Friday, Nov. 13th

After 2 pm

Saturday, Nov. 14th

Since 2002, concierge medicine transition and management experts Specialdocs Consultants have helped physicians nationwide transform their practices with a uniquely customized and sustainable concierge model.

Contact: Mindy Kolof, mkolof@specialdocs.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/specialdocs-informs-and-inspires-at-concierge-medicine-industrys-signature-event-nov-12th--14th-301166040.html

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Specialdocs Informs and Inspires at Concierge Medicine Industry's Signature Event Nov. 12th - 14th - Benzinga

Maui Grown Therapies webinar titled, Cannabis and the Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle is scheduled to take place on November 5. It will be presented by Andrew Weil who is MD, founder, and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona and chief science offer for Maui Grown Therapies.

Maui Grown Therapy is Hawaiis first state-licensed medical cannabis dispensary. The timing of the webinar is set at 11:00 (HST) to 2:00 (PST) on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. The webinar will highlight the importance of living an anti-inflammatory lifestyle to improve overall health and wellness. It will end with a live Q&A post the online presentation.

Dr. Andrew Weil has always supported the anti-inflammatory lifestyle to live a healthy life. He is globally renowned for his pioneering work in integrative medicine. He earned his undergraduate degree in botany from Harvard and he completed his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. It was in 1969 when Dr. Weil conducted the nations first human trials with the use of cannabis.

The participants of the webinar, Cannabis and the Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle will learn ways to reduce inflammation and boost the natural defense mechanisms of the body. In addition to this, the value of compounds in cannabis plants such as CBD, THC, and terpenes will also be discussed.

Dr. Weil also recommends consuming cannabis seeds (edible hemp seeds) as a rich source of healthy fats and essential fatty acids. They are an excellent protein source that contains vitamin E, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron and zinc.

Register for the Webinar https://manao.mauigrown.com/maui-grown-manao

Youtube Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz8ryqanQDM

Read More Here

YOUR GUIDE TO CANNABIS & THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY LIFESTYLE

Your Guide to Cannabis and an Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle by THE MEDIA BUTLER

Address

Maui Grown Therapies44 Paa St, Kahului, HI 96732(808) 866-7576

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Maui Grown Therapies' Webinar, Cannabis and the Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle to be Held on Nov. 5 - California Herald

Daylight saving time ends on Nov. 1 at 2 a.m. While many simply see this as gaining an hour of sleep on Sunday, there are various lasting effects that this time change will bring, both mentally and physically. Yahoo Life is joined by two experts who share what to expect and ways to combat the negative effects.

Integrative medicine physician and wellness expert Dr. Taz Bhatia explains that when we set the clocks back, were also adjusting our internal clock and throwing off our circadian rhythm.

Our circadian rhythms, or the flow of when we sleep and when were awake, dictates so many different processes in the body, says Bhatia.

When our circadian rhythms are thrown off, our sleep cycles become inconsistent, our weight is less regulated due to a change in insulin, and the risk of heart disease, stroke and heart attack increases.

Judy Ho, a licensed clinical and forensic neuropsychologist, highlights how experiencing one less hour of light each day can heavily impact ones mood, causing us to experience more depression and sadness.

So what can we do to cope with these changes? During the day, its crucial to take advantage of any kind of sunlight, whether its indirectly through a window or through a sun lamp as light therapy has been proven to work wonders on mood and sleep.

With less sunlight during the day, we also receive less vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin. We can, however, make up for the lack of vitamin D in other ways. It's important now more than ever to exercise regularly, as it helps with the endorphin release and boosts our mood, says Bhatia.

Ho recommends establishing a calming nighttime routine that involves putting away all devices, especially blue light devices. To combat sleep deprivation, people should go to bed earlier, but not too early.

You dont want to go to bed too early just to make sure that youre in bed by a certain hour because then you might be awake for longer than you need to be, Ho explains. Then the bed becomes associated with anxiety and stress.

Since 2020 has been anxiety-inducing for many, Bhatia points out that our threshold for anxiety and depression is lower right now.

When we have additional disruptions like disruptions to our sleep cycle, disruptions to the amount of light we're getting in when we're awake, its just one more factor in an already really tough year for so many people, she says.

Ho reiterates how beneficial it is to maintain social connections on a daily basis with friends and loved ones.

Even a brief interaction like that can bring you a lot of positivity and feeling of community when you need it most, she says.

Video produced by Jenny Miller

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Daylight Saving Time: What happens to your body when we fall back - Yahoo Canada Shine On

On Oct. 14 2020, in Ocean City, Car Caress was named Best Auto or Boat Detailer for this years Best of The Press contest.

When you buy a new car, it has that crisp, clean smell of wax, leather and upholstery. But over time, that fresh scent can be overtaken by cigarettes, fast food, spilled coffee and pet odors.

If the thought of cleaning your car seems overwhelming, take it to Car Caress Custom Auto Detailing, which earned Best of the Press in the Automotive/Transportation category.

Owner Brian Coggins is honored by the accolade and owes his success to his employees.

Customer services is No. 1, and that makes all the difference. I have a good group of people working for me, he says. I cant do everything myself. They do a great job.

With three locations Ocean City, Marmora and Somers Point Car Caress restores vehicles with services that shine, buff, polish and freshen your car or boat, inside and out.

Services include detailing; ceramic coating, a longer-lasting way to protect the paint than wax alone; ozone treatment, which disinfects and destroys bacteria in your car and the ventilation system; and automatic car washing.

Car detailing along with these other services requires a desire for perfection.

You have to be picky to do this kind of work, says Coggins. Youre not there just to make it look OK. You want to get the car or boat looking perfect. So you have to get into all the cracks and crevices.

It also takes skill, particularly buffing the car or boat.

Buffing isnt using a rag to shine something, Coggins explains. Theres a high-speed rotary buffer that runs at 1,500 rpms to 2,000 rpms. Using this machinery requires real craftsmanship, says Coggins, because if you dont know what youre doing, you can scratch the car and do damage.

For these reasons, Coggins is grateful most of his 15 employees stayed with him, even while his business was closed during quarantine.

Although COVID-19 sidelined Car Caress, it has created a silver lining for the family-owned business, namely sanitizing vehicles. Coggins explains the difference between cleaning and sanitizing.

With sanitizing, youre killing the germs and bacteria that are on the surfaces of whatever youre cleaning. When youre cleaning with a regular soap, youre not necessarily killing all the germs, he says.

Thats where ozone cleaning comes in, a service thats becoming increasingly more popular now that COVID-19 is a way of life. Ozone is a gas that removes odors, as well as disinfects and destroys viruses and bacteria. Unlike a liquid disinfectant, ozone gets into the places you cant clean, including the ventilation and AC systems, carpet fibers and upholstery.

Customers are requesting this service more, as well as used car dealerships, and those in the private transportation business, such as Uber drivers.

Although coping with COVID-19 was difficult during quarantine, Coggins biggest challenge still is operating a seasonal business.

Summers are super busy here, he Coggins. We hire summer workers, and it takes a while for them to learn. Just when they start getting good at this, they go home and leave.

Thats why Coggins is grateful to his employees, who take the sting out of summer workers departures.

The guys I have are really good, and most came back after quarantine, which was nice. I owe this (Best of The Press) to them, he says.

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Who are this year's Best of the Press? - Press of Atlantic City

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced that it will present blood cancer data from nearly 40 abstracts, including 10 oral presentations, across 11 cancer types during the upcoming virtual American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, December 5-8.

"We are steadfast in our commitment to advancing discovery, innovation and care for people with blood cancers," said Mohamed Zaki, M.D., Ph.D, vice president and global head of oncology development, AbbVie. "We are looking forward to sharing findings from our expanding hematology oncology portfolio and continued research and treatment advances during the ASH annual meeting."

AbbVie will present updated results from the CAPTIVATE study, evaluating disease-free survival in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocyctic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL) who received an ibrutinib (IMBRUVICA) + venetoclax (VENCLEXTA/ VENCLYXTO) combination regimen. As well, an update on a 5-year analysis of the MURANO study in a subset of relapsed/refractory CLL patients following venetoclax-(VENCLEXTA/ VENCLYXTO) rituximab therapy and 8-year follow-up ibrutinib (IMBRUVICA) data in high-risk patients with CLL (RESONATE-2 and iLLUMINATE) will be presented. AbbVie's new partners, Genmab and I-Mab will offer data from recently announced collaborations.

Details about presentations are as follows:

Abstract

Presentation Details

All times CT

Ibrutinib

Ibrutinib (Ibr) Plus Venetoclax (Ven) for First-Line Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL): 1-Year Disease-Free Survival (DFS) Results From the MRD Cohort of the Phase 2 CAPTIVATE Study

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding TransplantationSaturday, December 5Session: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Oral Presentation: 11:30 a.m.

Five-Year Follow-Up of Ibrutinib Plus Rituximab vs Placebo Plus Rituximab for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia: Final Analysis From the Randomized Phase 3 iNNOVATE Study

Session 623. Mantle Cell, Follicular, and Other Indolent B-Cell LymphomaClinical Studies: Clinical studies in Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, Marginal Zone Lymphoma and Hairy Cell LeukemiaSunday, December 6Session: 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Oral Presentation: 11:30 a.m.

Rarity of B-Cell Receptor Pathway Mutations in Progression-Free Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) During First-Line Versus Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) Treatment With Ibrutinib (Ibr)

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster II

Sunday, December 6

Outcomes of First-Line Ibrutinib in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/SLL) and High-Risk Genomic Features With Up To 6.5 Years Follow-Up: Integrated Analysis of Two Phase 3 Studies (RESONATE-2 and iLLUMINATE)

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster IISunday, December 6

Long-Term Efficacy of First-line Ibrutinib Treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) With 4 Years of Follow-Up in Patients With TP53 Aberrations (del(17p) or TP53 Mutation): A Pooled Analysis From 4 Clinical Trials

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster II

Sunday, December 6

Real-World Prognostic Biomarker Testing, Treatment Patterns and Dosing Among 1461 Patients (pts) with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/SLL) from the informCLL Prospective Observational Registry

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster IIMonday, December 7,Session: 7:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m.Oral Presentation: 10:15 a.m.

Ibrutinib Plus Venetoclax in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Results From the Safety Run-In Period of the Phase 3 SYMPATICO Study

Session 623. Mantle Cell, Follicular, and Other Indolent B-Cell LymphomaClinical Studies: Poster III

Monday, December 7

Long-Term Follow-Up of Ibrutinib Treatment for Rituximab-Refractory Waldenstrm's Macroglobulinemia: Final Analysis of the Open-Label Substudy of the Phase 3 iNNOVATE Trial

Session 623. Mantle Cell, Follicular, and Other Indolent B-Cell LymphomaClinical Studies: Poster IIIMonday, December 7

Venetoclax in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Venetoclax Crosses the Blood Brain Barrier: A Pharmacokinetic Analysis of the Cerebrospinal Fluid in Pediatric Leukemia Patients

Session 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster I

Saturday, December 5

Venetoclax Alone or in Combination with Chemotherapy: Responses in Pediatric Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Heterogenous Genomic Profiles

Session 615. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Commercially Available Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster I

Saturday, December 5

Proposed Scheme for Dosing Venetoclax in Pediatric Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Analysis of Developmental Pharmacokinetics and Exposure-Response Relationships

Session 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster I

Saturday, December 5

Results of Venetoclax and Azacitidine Combination in Chemotherapy Ineligible Untreated Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia with IDH 1/2 Mutations

Session 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Potpourri of Potential Practice Changing Studies

Sunday, December 6

Session: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Oral Presentation: 4:45 p.m.

Efficacy and Safety of Venetoclax in Combination with Gilteritinib for Relapsed/Refractory FLT3-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the Expansion Cohort of a Phase 1b Study

Session 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Novel Therapies and Treatment Approaches

Sunday, December 6

Session: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Oral Presentation: 12:15 p.m.

Cytopenia Management in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Venetoclax Plus Azacitidine in the VIALE-A Study

Session 615. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Commercially Available Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster II

Sunday, December 6

Characteristics and Outcomes of Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Receiving Venetoclax Combinations vs Other Therapies: Results from the AML Real World EvidenCe (ARC) Initiative

Session 906. Outcomes ResearchMalignant Conditions (Myeloid Disease): Poster II

Sunday, December 6

Results of Venetoclax and Azacitidine Combination in Chemotherapy Ineligible Untreated Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia with FLT3 Mutations

Session 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster IISunday, December 6

Real-World Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes in Unfit Patients with AML Receiving First-Line Systemic Treatment or Best Supportive Care (CURRENT): Final Analysis

Session 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster II

Sunday, December 6

First Results from a Nationwide Prospective Non-Interventional Study of Venetoclax-Based 1st Line Therapies in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) REVIVE Study

Session 613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster III

Monday, December 7

CYP3A Inhibitors and Impact of These Agents on Outcomes in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Venetoclax Plus Azacitidine on the VIALE-A Study

Session 615. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Commercially Available Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster III

Monday, December 7

Venetoclax in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

Venetoclax and Navitoclax in Pediatric Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

Session 614. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Targeted Therapies

Sunday, December 6

Session: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Oral Presentation: 4:30 p.m.

Pediatric Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Harboring Heterogenous Genomic Profiles Respond to Venetoclax in Combination with Chemotherapy

Session 612. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster III

Monday, December 7

Venetoclax in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Five-Year Analysis of MURANO Study Demonstrates Enduring uMRD in a Subset of Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) CLL Patients Following Fixed Duration Venetoclax-Rituximab Therapy

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation

Saturday, December 5

Session: 9:00 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.Oral Presentation: 12:00 p.m.

Clonal Dynamics After Venetoclax-Obinutuzumab Therapy: Novel Insights From the Randomized, Phase 3 CLL14 Trial

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation

Saturday, December 5

Session: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Oral Presentation: 12:30 p.m.

Characteristics and Outcome of Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia and Partial Response to Venetoclax-Oinutuzumab

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster I

Saturday, December 5

Assessment of Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treated With Venetoclax in the Clinical and Post-Marketing Settings

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster II

Sunday, December 6

Efficacy of Subsequent Novel Targeted Therapies, Including Repeat Venetoclax-Rituximab (VenR), in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory CLL Previously Treated With VenR in the MURANO Study

Session 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster III

Monday, December 7

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AbbVie to Highlight Blood Cancer Leadership and Advancing Oncology Pipeline at the ASH 62ND Annual Meeting - WFMZ Allentown

American Diabetes Association (ADA), the nations leading organization for all people living with diabetes, published a scientific review addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) and diabetes. Toward the goal of understanding and improving the health of people with diabetes through addressing SDOH, a writing committeeconvened by the ADAreviewed past evidence and research on diabetes risk and outcomes, as well as the impacts of interventions in these determinants.

People living with diabetes face many challenges. Some of these relate to the disease itself, but increasingly we recognize the importance of many social determinants, said Robert A. Gabbay, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the ADA. The scientific review not only defines these issues but shines a bright light on the resulting health disparities and articulates an important research agenda to address these issues. The release of this important scientific review underlines the American Diabetes Associations commitment for #HealthEquityNow.

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequitiesthe unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed unequal vulnerabilities that impact racial and ethnic minority groups and disadvantaged communities. Understanding and mitigating the impact of SDOH for people with diabetes are priorities due to disease prevalence, economic costs, and disproportionate population burden.

The ADA committee summarized the following recommendations from international and U.S. national committees that have convened to provide guidance on SDOH intervention approaches:

This is a critical time in our nations history. As researchers and providers, we have the opportunity to advance solutions to the longstanding inequities that impact diabetes and other health conditions, said Dr. Felicia Hill-Briggs, past ADA President of Health Care and Education and Chair of the SDOH writing committee. Through this SDOH review, the American Diabetes Association is taking an important step toward acknowledging and setting the stage for the important research, policy, and implementation work that must be done in order to change the trajectory of inequity.

The paper begins with a general outline of key definitions and SDOH frameworks and includes a literature review that focuses primarily on U.S.-based studies of adults with diabetes and on five aspects of SDOH: socioeconomic status (education, income, occupation); neighborhood and physical environment (housing, built environment, toxic environmental exposures); food environment (food insecurity, food access); health care (access, affordability, quality); and social context (social cohesion, social capital, social support). The paper concludes with recommendations for linkages across health care and community sectors, diabetes research, and research to inform practice.

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Scientific Review on Social Determinants of Health and Diabetes - The Ritz Herald

This article was originally published here

Curr Pharm Des. 2020 Nov 1. doi: 10.2174/1381612826666201102102233. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

MicroRNAs represent a class of small (19-25 nucleotides) single-strand pieces of RNA, that are non-coding ones. They are synthesized by RNA polymerase II from transcripts which fold back on themselves. They mostly act as gene regulatory agents, that pair with complementary sequences on mRNA and produce silencing complexes, which in turn suppress coding genes at a post-transcriptional level. There is now evidence that microRNAs may affect insulin secretion or insulin action, as they can alter pancreatic beta cells development, insulin production, as well as insulin signalling. Any molecular disorder that affects these pathways can deteriorate insulin resistance and lead to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) onset. Furthermore, the expression of several microRNAs is up- or down-regulated in the presence of diabetic microvascular complications (i.e. peripheral neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, foot ulcers), as well as in patients with coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. However, more evidence is needed, specifically regarding T2DM patients, to establish the use of such microRNAs as diagnostical biomarkers or therapeutic targets in daily practice.

PMID:33138753 | DOI:10.2174/1381612826666201102102233

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The role of microRNAs in the development of type 2 diabetes complications - DocWire News

Among patients diagnosed with HIV-1 or hepatitis B, the adjusted risk of incident type 2 diabetes was 33% lower among those who had been exposed to nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) drugs compared with those not exposed, suggesting that NRTIs have the potential to be repurposed for diabetes prevention in the future, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

After examining patient data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) over a 17-year period, researchers concluded that NRTIs are associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities. To confirm this finding among more diverse populations, researchers examined patient data from 4 additional insurance databases: Truven, PearlDriver, Medicare, and Clinformatics.

In the VHA database, a total of 79,744 patients had a confirmed diagnoses of HIV or hepatitis B and did not have a prior type 2 diabetes diagnosis; 12,311 of these patients eventually developed type 2 diabetes. NRTI users had a 34% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

In the Truven database, 1630 of 23,634 HIV-positive or hepatitis B-positive patients developed incident type 2 diabetes; NRTI users had a 39% reduced risk of developing diabetes compared to non-NRTI users. Similarly, 1068 of 16,045 eligible patients in the PearlDriver database developed type 2 diabetes; NRTI users had a 26% reduced risk. A total of 3097 Medicare patients were eligible; 707 of these patients developed type 2 diabetes, and NRTI users had a 17% reduced risk. Researchers identified 6341 eligible patients in the Clinformatics database, 1067 of whom developed type 2 diabetes. NRTI users in this group had a 27% reduced hazard of developing type 2 diabetes.

At 1, 2, 5, and 10 years of follow up, NRTI users maintained a reduced hazard of developing type 2 diabetes. In the VHA cohort, follow-up durations and mortality rates were comparable between NRTI users and non-users; researchers concluded that differences in mortality rates were not responsible for the observed risk reduction for type 2 diabetes among NRTI users.

Among patients in the VHA cohort who were hepatitis B-positive and HIV-negative, NRTI use was associated with a 28% reduced risk for developing type 2 diabetes. For HIV-positive and hepatitis B-negative patients, researchers observed a 38% reduced risk for type 2 diabetes in the veterans cohort.

With each additional year of using NRTIs, patients diagnosed with HIV-1 or hepatitis B in all 5 cohorts had a 3% to 8% reduced hazard of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers could not establish a consistent association between other drug classes aside from NRTIs that are used to treat HIV or hepatitis B and incident development of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers then studied insulin resistance-induced human cells to observe the effects NRTIs have on non-HIV-positive or hepatitis B-positive patients, and concluded that NRTI drugs such as lamivudine, azidothymidine, and stavudine were effective in improving insulin resistance.

We find that NRTI exposure is associated with reduced development of type 2 diabetes in people and that lamivudine inhibits inflammasome activation and improves insulin sensitivity in experimental systems, concluded the study authors.

Disclosure: Multiple authors declared affiliations with the pharmaceutical industry. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors disclosures.

Ambati J, Magagnoli J, Leung H, et al. Repurposing anti-inflammasome NRTIs for improving insulin sensitivity and reducing type 2 diabetes development. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):4737.

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HIV, Hepatitis-B Drugs Proven to Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Clinical Advisor

BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As COVID-19 appears to be building momentum worldwide, America's podiatrists say they're treating some of the sickest patients of their careersbut those patients are not suffering from the coronavirus. Instead, they're patients with diabetes who have delayed care due to fear of exposure to the virus and are suffering serious complications, ranging from severe diabetic foot wounds to gangrene to sepsis. Data have shown amputation rates are anywhere from three to 10 times what they were prior to the pandemic.

Podiatrists witness parallel public health crisis as amputation rates skyrocket during COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is marking November's Diabetes Awareness Month with a public education campaign designed to urge the 34 million Americans living with diabetes to keep their regular health-care appointments. The campaign, Keep Your Appointment, Keep Your Feet, will provide strategies for maintaining control of diabetes during the pandemic and information about when to seek care for a foot or ankle concern.

"People with diabetes are at high risk from COVID-19," said APMA President Seth A. Rubenstein, DPM. "They should absolutely take appropriate precautions, such as wearing masks in public and avoiding large gatherings. In addition to taking such precautions, they also must continue to monitor and care for their diabetes."

In fact, Dr. Rubenstein said, the risks of avoiding diabetes care are much higher than the risk of exposure to the coronavirus in a medical facility. Physicians' practices are taking extensive precautions to keep patients and providers alike safe during the pandemic. Safeguards include additional PPE, requirements for patients to wear masks, social distancing in waiting areas, temperature checks, pre-appointment questionnaires, disinfection between patients, and more. Virtual appointments may also be available.

"We're encouraging people with diabetes to keep their appointments to keep their feet," said Priya Parthasarathy, DPM, chair of the APMA Communications Committee. "During the pandemic, we want patients to stay active, stay alert, and stay in contact with their podiatrist."

Patients can stay active by engaging in regular exercise. They should stick to a sensible diet designed to help control their blood sugar and keep all their appointments with their diabetes care team. They can stay alert by being vigilant about daily foot exams, looking for changes in color or temperature of the feet and new injuries. They should wear shoes, even around the house. Patients can stay in contact by keeping their regular health-care appointments, especially with their podiatrist. If they notice a change in their feet or sustain an injury, they should contact their podiatrist immediately.

To learn more about the campaign, visit http://www.apma.org/diabetes.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is the nation's leading professional organization for today's podiatrists. Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (DPMs) are qualified by their education, training, and experience to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and structures of the leg. APMA has 53 state component locations across the United States and its territories, with a membership of more than 12,500 podiatrists. All practicing APMA members are licensed by the state in which they practice podiatric medicine. For more information, visit http://www.apma.org.

Contact: Leon Valentinelvalentine@apma.org301-581-9221

Originally posted here:
Podiatrists Caution Patients with Diabetes Not to Avoid Care Due to Fear of COVID-19 - Herald-Mail Media

November is National Diabetes Month.In the U.S., its estimated that some 30 million adults ages 18 and older are living with diabetes and 84 million with pre-diabetes. While these dire statistics arent going to change overnight, the power to change our health is in our hands, a new study says. One of the simplest things we can do to change our risk? Go plant-based.

Back in August, we reported on a study out of the University of Bergen in Norway, that found that plant-based diets help you metabolize glucose, lose weight (particularly for people who are overweight), and prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. Now, were back with more encouraging news for implementing a plant-based diet as an affordable, effective way to ward off type 2 diabetes.

In a recent review published in Practical Diabetology titled The Affordability of a Plant-Based Eating Pattern for Diabetes, the papers author, nutritionist Meghan Jardine, MS, MBA, RDN, LD, CDCES, Associate Director of Diabetes Nutrition Education, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, recommends that anyone at high-risk go plant-based and that doctors and nutritionists should make it clear that there are affordable options when ditching meat and dairy.

Plant-based eating has become more popular as a healthy eating pattern for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, Jardine writes. Both observational and interventional studies have reported that plant-based diets reduce diabetes risk as well as improve diabetes outcomes, she later states, referencing this 2016 comprehensive review on the use of a plant-based diet for management of type 2 diabetes.

Worth mentioning: When it comes to eating a plant-based for diabetes management or prevention, its important to consider carbohydrates. Its heavily processed, refined carbohydrateslike white bread and chipsyou want to avoid. As Jardine points out, A healthy, affordable, plant-based diet is high in [carbohydrates]. Patients with diabetes are often told to avoid foods high in carbohydrate, as these foods have the greatest effect on postprandial glucose levels. She also notes that studies, such as this 2017 study from the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, show that a high intake of carbohydrates, such as whole grains and cereal fibers, are associated with a reduction in diabetes risk, whereas refined carbohydrates increase risk. (For more on healthy carb options, check out our guide to whole grains here.)

While vegan eating may have the rap as a costly lifestyle, as Jardine argues and research supports, eating a healthy, plant-based diet can actually be quite wallet-friendly, and even save you money compared to other dietary regimes with animal products. Some healthy, affordable plant-based options the piece suggests include apples, bananas, oranges, broccoli, spinach, carrots, whole wheat bread, rolled or steel-cut oats, quinoa, black beans, pinto beans, and peanut butter, to name a few.

Buying foods when theyre in season and purchasing items like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains in bulk can also go a long way in reducing spending. Ditto for shopping the frozen aisle for fruits and vegetablesjust make sure there is no added salt, sugar, or other icky ingredientsand loading up on vegan pantry items when they are on sale. (If youre looking for more ways to save, check out 7 Ways to Save Money on Your Vegan Grocery List, According to Nutritionists.)

Bottom line: Eating a high-quality, plant-based eating pattern can be affordable and palatable and may offer specific benefits in preventing and treating diabetes, including quality of life and psychological health, offers Jardine. Frequent consumption of animal products has been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer and overall mortality. A diet thats good for our health and good for our wallets? Well take it. Spread the word, and spread the overnight oats recipes, dear readers.

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The Best Way to Prevent Diabetes: An Affordable Plant-Based Diet - The Beet

This article was originally published here

Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Oct 29;21(21):E8075. doi: 10.3390/ijms21218075.

ABSTRACT

Circulating calprotectin is a potential biomarker for endovascular inflammation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We investigated the determinants of calprotectin and its relationship with the presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 362 T2DM patients included in the Diabetes and Lifestyle Cohort Twente-1 (DIALECT-1) study. Lifestyle exposures, including nutrition, were determined by validated questionnaires. CVD was defined as coronary artery diseases, strokes, and peripheral artery diseases. Median serum calprotectin levels were 1.04 mg/L [IQR: 0.73-1.46 mg/L] and were higher in women (1.11 mg/L) than men (0.96 mg/L, p = 0.007). Current smoking was a major independent determinant of circulating calprotectin, with a 51% higher calprotectin compared to never smoking (p < 0.001). Albuminuria (p = 0.011), former smoking (p = 0.023), and intake of mono- and disaccharides (p = 0.005) also contributed independently to circulating calprotectin. Each incremental increase in calprotectin level was associated with 1.36-times higher odds for CVD (95% CI 1.04-1.77, p = 0.026). In the current study, calprotectin was the only inflammatory parameter significantly associated with CVD. The strong association of circulating calprotectin with smoking, a well-known direct cause of vascular inflammation, and also with CVD, stresses the urge for further research to define its role as a biomarker in T2DM.

PMID:33138021 | DOI:10.3390/ijms21218075

Continued here:
Determinants of Increased Serum Calprotectin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - DocWire News

With the help of Laura O'Hern, endocrinology physician assistant at CHI St. Vincent Little Rock, we are describing diabetes.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. In order to fully understand today's gowns topic, we first have to visit a factory. Lets just say this is a factory that processes sugar, but it's a factory where all the workers don't show up and you show up with a truck load of sugar that needs to go into the factory.

It's going to be much harder for that factory that's already on short staff to process a lot at one time, Dr. OHern said.

With the help of Laura O'Hern, endocrinology physician assistant at CHI St. Vincent Little Rock, we have just described diabetes.

It inherently comes down to the body is unable to process sugar in the normal way, Dr. OHern said.

To show how widespread it is in Arkansas, Dr. OHern has another analogy.

If you're in a room right now with any more than two other people, then the chances are that one of you has diabetes or pre-diabetes, that's serious, she said. That's a large percentage of the population.

With diabetes you have to see your doctor regularly. It's a progressive disease that only gets worse over time.

Without a pandemic on board, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputation in the United States, Dr. OHern said.

That takes us back to our factory, where you can learn a valuable lesson.

You can control how much sugar you deliver to that defective factory at any time, she said.

CHI St. Vincent, like most clinics, are up and running and willing to help while observing pandemic protocols, and once you make a commitment to improve, you change your life's trajectory.

I had a patient who came to me at the beginning of the year to talk about their diet, Dr. OHern said. This patient was on over 300 units of insulin a day and multiple other diabetes meds plus had hypertension, high cholesterol, lots of problems.

Hopeless? No. A low-carb diet, exercise and monitoring with checkups and consultations, what had begun in January 2020 with expensive insulin and a bleak future had reached the magical point where he didn't need to worry about his factory.

At ten months later, this individual is now completely off of al insulin with a nearly normal Hemoglobin A1c and he achieved this with dietary control, Dr. OHern said. And the weight loss came with him getting his diet into line, so I was incredibly inspired by that story.

Note that he was not alone.

It's just so much better when we do it together as a community, she said.

One final word about the classic early symptoms of diabetes: A lower energy level, and dry mouth. If that has been bothering you, call your primary care physician or CHI St. Vincent for help.

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A deep dive into diabetes in Arkansas | Wear the Gown - THV11.com KTHV

Insulclock is preparing to open its first financing round. The Spanish company, specialized in the treatment against diabetes, has started a financing round of $5.8 million (5 million), as explained by Suso Prez, responsible for research and marketing of the company.

The company seeks to attract the interest of national and international funds. The economic boost it receives will serve to complete the national marketing of its device and begin internationalization, continue the second phase of technological development and continue with the development of products to improve the quality of life of people with chronic diseases, according to Prez.

Insulclock is an integral system that helps to improve the quality of life of people with diabetes and reduces the costs associated with this pathology helping to improve and efficient management by healthcare teams, according to the companys head of research.

Read more details about the biotech company Insulclock and find the latest financial news with the Born2Invest mobile app.

Jos Luis Lpez, CEO and co-founder of Insulclock, with type 1 diabetes for more than 21 years, founded the company in 2014 to provide a solution to a real problem for patients with diabetes: the need for a complete and global system that improves self-management and adherence to treatment for users.

During all this time, Lopez and his team, which currently consists of more than twenty people, have developed a telemonitoring and telemedicine system. This ranges from the automation of insulin data for insulin-dependent patients and self-monitoring of patients on oral medication to the integration of all health data available on the market into the patients clinical history in public and private health systems.

The work team is distributed between Galicia, Basque Country and Madrid, being a 100% national capital company and with most of the partners working within it. Suso Prez assures that the majority of the capital is distributed among the founding team. For the Insulclock team, people with diabetes generate a lot of clinical information on a daily basis: glucose, physical activity, food intake and adherence to treatment, among other data. In this way, the need arises to put order, not only in the generation of clinical information for self-management of diabetes, but also in the integration of this information automatically into the clinical history of each patient, the company explains.

The Spanish company is thus opening its first round of financing, since until now it has been able to meet all the investment in research and development (R&D) through the contribution of the partners. Even so, the company has obtained aid from the European Commission through Horizon 2020. We want to continue contributing to national and international clinical research, as we have already done with different clinical trials in which we have participated on an international scale, Prez points out.

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(Featured image by stevepb via Pixabay)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Born2Invest, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words believe, project, estimate, become, plan, will, and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in PlantaDoce, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.

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Insulclock, in search of five million euros to advance against diabetes - Born2Invest

Data from the Ohio Department of Health states that in 2016, nearly 1 million (11.1 percent) Ohio adults had been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, nearly 800,000 adults in Ohio had been diagnosed with prediabetes, and it is estimated that more than 1 million Ohio adults have prediabetes but have not been diagnosed, increasing their risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes later in life.Becausethe longer someone has diabetes, the higher risk they face for developing vision issues, and health disparities continue to affect minority populations, the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness has declared November as Diabetes-related Eye Disease Month. Educational resources include downloadable factsheets, training modules, social media graphics and more. Materials are available in English and Spanish.

Diabetes-related eye disease refers to eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of the disease.Diabetes-related retinopathy(DR) is a disease that damages the blood vessels of the eye, causing them to leak and bleed into the retina.

Individuals may not experience symptoms in the early stages of DR, which is why it is important for individuals with diabetes to have an eye exam annually, or as directed by their doctor.

If diabetes-related retinopathy is left untreated, fluid can leak into the center of the macula, called the fovea, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula swell, blurring vision. This condition is calleddiabetes-related macular edema.It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses.

Other eye conditions common among people living with diabetes include:

Cataract, a clouding of the lens in the eye, which can cause vision to become blurry and colors to become dull. Aside from aging, diabetes is the most common risk factor for cataract.

Glaucoma occurs with damage to the optic nerve and possible loss of side vision, usually caused by an increase in fluid pressure inside the eye.

According to theNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases,finding and treating diabetic retinopathy early can reduce the risk of blindness by 95 percent."Nearly 300,000 Ohioans have diabetes-related eye disease," said Sherry Williams, President & CEO of the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness. Education, advocacy and access to care are key to helping to prevent vision loss from diabetes.By working together to increase early detection, consistent monitoring, and treatment, we can help to avoid significant vision loss, including blindness, across Ohio and the country.The Center for Vision and Population Health at Prevent Blindness offers the Seeing the Way to Better Health: Diabetes and Vision Healthissue brief.The goal of the brief is to encourage diabetes health programs to integrate vision into their outreach and programs. It includes stories from peer programs, resources and infographics for program use. The brief was developed in partnership with theNational Association of Chronic Disease Directors.TheDiabetes & the Eyes Educational Toolkitfrom Prevent Blindness offers free educational materials on diabetes and the impact of diabetes on eye health in English and Spanish. These educational resources are intended for healthcare professionals, community health educators, diabetes educators and anyone in a caregiving or diabetes education role. The development of the toolkit was made possible by funding from the Allergan Foundation.

For those who have vision loss from diabetes, Prevent Blindness offers the freeLiving Well with Low Visiononline resource. The site includes the Low Vision: A Self-Help Guide, the Caring for the Visually Impaired guide, and a variety of self-help tools and resource links at:http://lowvision.preventblindness.org/.For more information on diabetes-related eye disease, please visithttps://preventblindness.org/diabetes-and-your-eyes/or call Prevent Blindness at 800-301-2020. For a free listing of organizations and services that provide financial assistance for vision care in English or Spanish, please visithttps://preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information/.

About Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate:

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. The Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness serves all 88 Ohio counties, providing direct services to more than 1,000,000 Ohioans annually and educating millions of consumers about what they can do to protect and preserve their precious gift of sight. For more information or to contribute, call 800-301-2020.Visit Prevent Blindness on the web atpbohio.org, Facebook atfacebook.com/pbohio/ or Twitter attwitter.com/PB_Ohio.

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Prevent Blindness declares November as Diabetes-Related Eye Disease Month to educate on leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults - The...

Jerome Jackson, 30, is a blind man who is fearful that his five-year-old daughter may also go blind because of a history of blindness in his family. Jackson lost his sight suddenly in 2001.

But before him, his grandmother and uncle lost their sight before doing surgery and repairing their vision.

His father and grand-uncle also went blind and haven't been able to see again. This is a 'family trend' he wants nowhere near his daughter, who recently had to get glasses.

"My grandmother got blind in 1988, but she got her sight back after three years. My uncle got blind and he got his sight back, too, after he did surgery in England. My grand-uncle was also blind, but he passed off. So, it's just me and my father leave now," Jackson told THE WEEKEND STAR.

The Woodford Park, Kingston resident says the thought that his daughter could have the same experience is frightening.

"I am totally blind and recently I took my daughter to the eye doctor. She's supposed to get a better (pair of) glasses to improve her sight, and it's about $50,000 for the glasses. The doctor said her eyes are not that bad, but the glasses will help her more. And the left eye is better than the right eye, so they have to triple the lens for the right eye. So, that's why I am trying to get the glasses for her, but it's challenging for me," he said. Jackson went blind when he was just 11 years old.

"I thought my eyes were bleeding. Everything was red. A teacher of mine passed off and my father and I went to her house. On our way back, I lost my sight. I don't know what happened. I don't know what's the cause of it all now," he recalled.

He was then admitted to Kingston Public Hospital for five months, where he learnt that there was a scar and infection behind his retina.

He has no idea what his daughter looks like. "I haven't seen her. That pains me every day," he related. "My dad got blind when he was 20. He has three of us and him don't know how none of us look.

Since February, Jackson has been facing challenging times after he lost his source of income in February. The COVID-19 pandemic came one month later and made life harder.

"I was working as a massage therapist with the empowerment programme through the National Youth Service, but there's nothing there for me anymore. I usually get some assistance from a charity, but I still have problems paying my rent sometimes," he said.

Jackson began studying at The University of the West Indies in 2014 and was reading for a degree in entertainment management and culture. However, he has to sit out a year due to financial issues.

Dr Peter Swaby, ophthalmologist, told THE WEEKEND STAR that "We need to know the cause of blindness for at least two of the relatives before we can ascertain whether it is genetic."

Jackson said his grandmother had cataracts, which were removed to repair her vision. But Swaby noted "If it's a hereditary link we're looking at, that information from the grandmother wouldn't be enough."

If anyone can assist Jerome Jackson, you can contact him at 876-815-6994 or 876-919-5201.

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History of blindness in family - Father worried daughter may also lose her sight - Jamaica Star Online

Better Cotton uptake accounts for 6% of global cotton production

The findings are set out in the'BCI Task Force on Forced Labour and Decent Work: Final report and recommendations,' which notes:"While BCI explicitly cites the promotion of decent work as one of its core objectives, the level of attention and investment thus far has been insufficient.

"This is clear across many areas of BCI, including new country start-up evaluations, implementing partner selection, onboarding and project development, and findings from second and third-party assessments. The Task Force believes that this has resulted in organisational blindness to forced labour and likely other key decent work issues."

BCI trains farmers on more sustainable cotton production, with the BCSS covering all three pillars of sustainability social, environmental and economic and addressing the many challenges of cotton production. According to its last annual report, Better Cotton uptake accounts for 6% of global cotton production, and retailers and brands sourced more than1.5m metric tonnes of Better Cotton by the end of 2019 a 40% jump on the previous year.

The group appointed theindependent task forcein Aprilto review the current BCI systemand make suggestions to improve its effectivenessin identifying, preventing, mitigating and remediating forced labour risks.

Report authors say the initiative"now has an opportunity with the right level of commitment and resourcing to renew its focus on the more than 1.5 million workersat the foundation of the Better Cotton system, to give these workers a stronger voice, and to pioneer innovative, worker-focused approaches to promote decent work in cotton fields.

"Strengthening decent work capabilities and systems will also provide greater assurance to brands, retailers, and other stakeholders that farmers growing Better Cotton are following BCI's stated principles on forced labour and decent work."

The findings come a week afterBCI calledan immediate halt toall field-level activities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China, where ongoing allegations of forced labour and other human rights abuses "have contributed to an increasingly untenable operating environment." Earlier in the yearit suspended itslicensing and assurance activities in the XUAR, meaning there is now no new licensed Better Cotton coming from the region.

The task force also says BCI must acknowledge it cannot operate in regions where there is credible evidence of state-imposed forced labour.

The nine-point roadmap set out to help address the gaps and shortfalls in its decent work capability is grounded in international human rights standards, understanding inequalities, and addressing discriminatory practices.

In a statement following publication of the report, BCI says it recognises that strengthening its decent work programme will be a multi-year process and will require additional resources and funding.

"In the short-term, we will focus on strengthening our forced labour capabilities through capacity building for staff, implementing partners and third-party verifiers, enhancing our due diligence for selecting and retaining implementing partners, and revising our assurance processes to better identify and mitigate forced labour risks.

"In 2021, BCI is also exploring opportunities to pilot a more comprehensive set of decent work activities, including a detailed forced labour risk assessment and civil society engagement tactics, in one or two high priority regions."

Click here to read the Task Force's report in full.

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Better Cotton accused of "blindness" to forced labour - just-style.com

According to the National Eye Institute, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in developed countries. That is the reason for the prevention of this disease. Glaucoma can be developed by anyone, however, it is more common in people over age 45 or 60, and people with a family history of glaucoma. Generally, children can get a rare form of glaucoma early.

Glaucoma is

Lets begin with what is glaucoma. As we mentioned earlier, glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness for people. It can occur at any age, but it is more common in older people. It is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, which is an important part of good vision. The damage that causes glaucoma can be by abnormally high pressure in the eye.

Unfortunately, some forms of glaucoma have no warning signs, due to the gradual effect we dont notice a change in the vision until it is in an advanced stage. Also, the vision loss by glaucoma cannot be recovered. Therefore, it is important to consult a specialist commonly, if the glaucoma is recognized early, it is easier to prevent vision loss.

Depending on the stage and type of glaucoma it will show symptoms. Those include:

4 things that you must know about glaucoma

Like many diseases, glaucoma has things that must be known by the patients, this way will be easier to prevent and accept the fact that we have to consult a specialist such as an ophthalmologist commonly.

It is important to consult a specialist either when feeling discomfort and thinking that there may be a relationship with glaucoma, or just to keep your vision healthy.

With the collaboration of Dr. Mercedes Silva Orellana, an ophthalmologist graduated from the National University Mayor of San Marcos, in Per. Her specialties are Anterior Segment Surgery, Glaucoma Treatment, and Glaucoma Surgery, also offering treatment to patients suffering from closed-angle glaucoma, among others.

References:

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This is what you need to know about glaucoma - The Yucatan Times

Every afternoon for three hours on SiriusXM radio, The Michelangelo Signorile Show has offered a lifeline of sanity and smart political discourse in these grueling and maddening times. Signorile has been fighting the good and progressive fight for decades, starting with his seminal writing on Queer America and gay activism (at one point serving as the head of ACT UPs media arm). Hes also developed his own online newsletter, The Signorile Report, where he covers the latest political horrors with thoughtful analysis.

INTERVIEW: Where are you and how long have you been isolating?

MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE: In Manhattan, since March 13.

INTERVIEW: What has this pandemic confirmed or altered about your view of society?

SIGNORILE: That things can move very swiftly, and everything can turn on a dime.

INTERVIEW: What is the worst-case scenario for the future?

SIGNORILE: We see more spikes, and no effective vaccine for a long timejust a few less-than-effective ones. I also worry about another virus coming out of nowhere.

INTERVIEW: What good can come out of this lockdown? Are there any reasons to hope?

SIGNORILE: For those lucky enough to keep their jobs and work at home, its been a time of creating better habits, seeing that we can all get on with less. Weve been through worse certainly as a gay man, Ive been through the HIV epidemic much of my adult lifeand many have come together to fight tyranny and negligence.

INTERVIEW: What has been your daily routine during this time?

SIGNORILE: Up early, scouring news, writing a bit, preparing for my radio show on weekdays. Exercise or a run. Shower, then three hours on the radio. Make dinner with my husband, maybe we watch some TV.

INTERVIEW: Describe the current state of your hair?

SIGNORILE: Im back to my barber once a week (in masks) to get a close buzz of whats left of my hair! But it was crazy there for a while.

INTERVIEW: On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your level of panic about the current state of the world?

SIGNORILE: Seven.

INTERVIEW: Do you think there is hope for true racial equality in the United States? What do you think is the first step in that goal?

SIGNORILE: Yes, there is always hope. It rises out of activism. But the first step is people realizing that the fight never ends, and that the wins ebb and flow. Too many people jump in, think they change laws, think its over. Its never over. People can change, they can be educatedand so can the government. It takes persistence, challenging all the time, and never thinking its done.

INTERVIEW: Do you think protests are effective tools for changing the system? How does it make a difference in the long term?

SIGNORILE: Protest is a voice. It screams for justice and is so important. It shuts down the daily routine and says, Listen up! It is also personally satisfying for those protesting, and necessary for their minds and bodies. Its empowering and it unites people. But it needs to be followed up by political organizing.

INTERVIEW: How do you personally channel your anger? Do you find anger to be a useful emotion?

SIGNORILE: Anger is vital. It gets you moving. I try to channel it by targeting those who need to be exposed or criticized or challenged, either in my writing or on the air. But sometimes my anger about one thinga Supreme Court nominationmight be channeled toward something or someone else, like seeing someone without a mask on the subway and telling them to put a damned mask on.

INTERVIEW: Which young leaders of the moment inspire you?

SIGNORILE: Just to name a few: Charlotte Clymer. DeRay McKesson. David Hogg. Gabe Ortz. Chase Strangio. Greta Thunberg. Indya Moore. Jared Holt. Juan Escalante. AOC. Alex Morse. Megan Rapinoe. So many more.

INTERVIEW: Whats the next step after protests in the streets? Where does the righteous rage go?

SIGNORILE: To more, and different, protests. Protests do not have to be large or in the streets. Targeted, sustained protest by small groupsof a particular senator, say, or some other government officialis just as effective. And being creative is so important in this media environment, because the goal is always about getting the message out. So you have to think of new ways to get attention. Secondly, it has to be a message that translates into policy change. Once you have peoples attention, people who are in power, and they really want to make a change, you have to have a concrete plan of action for them to work off of.

INTERVIEW: What thinker have you taken comfort in of late and why?

SIGNORILE: Laurie Garrett. She wrote the book The Coming Plague almost 25 years ago, and its been revelatory.

INTERVIEW: Where did we go wrong? Like, what was the exact moment?

SIGNORILE: Thinking wed arrived, thinking the fight for civil rightsfor so many groupswas over. This was during the Obama years. A complacencyI called it victory blindness in my last book.

INTERVIEW: Which (admittedly totally unqualified) celebrity would you trust with the planets future?

SIGNORILE: Jane Fonda, of course.

INTERVIEW: Whats one skill we should all learn while in quarantine?

SIGNORILE: Learning another language. Though I admit I havent done it.

INTERVIEW: What prevents you from giving up hope in the human race?

SIGNORILE: That people are alive, that they must survive, and that they will fight.

INTERVIEW: What is the most pressing issue facing the nation and the world that needs to be addressed in the next four years?

SIGNORILE: The planet is burning. We have to do what we can to stop it.

INTERVIEW: Who should be the next president of the United States?

SIGNORILE: Joe Biden, fingers crossed.

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Michelangelo Signorile on the Perils of Complacency and Victory Blindness - Interview

A new therapy being developed to help restore vision to people who are blind could be used within years.

The treatment involves a "relatively simple" injection into the eye and is a "relatively straightforward surgery".

That's according to John Flannery, a Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Berkeley and a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board for Fighting Blindness Ireland.

He told Futureproof with Johnathan McCrea how blindness develops in some people and how his research will attempt to remove the disease from patients.

His startup company has recently been bought by Novartis and they will partner to develop the treatment.

Professor Flannery said "the hope is for some patients, they'll get a significant increase in their vision".

He added that "manufacturing enough of the treatment is not doing to be that difficult".

In explaining how blindness develops in some people, Professor Flannery said "almost all the inherited blindnesses occur over time".

He said: "The gene defect you have when you're born, and depending on what you inherit, it can manifest as a small child or sometimes not until you're a teenager and some conditions, likemacular degeneration, not until you're 50 or 60."

Professor Flannery said technology is been tested to get the eye to see something when there's no biological retina, but that its success is a long time away.

He said: "There have been some attempts to connect a video camera to the patient's brain in patients that are completely blind.

"That's been incredibly challenging because we know quite a bit about how the retina works but we don't know much about it encodes the signal.

"That will be quite a bit off until we have an electronic prosthetic.

"Nobody, in my knowledge, has been able to interpret the signals coming out of the eye and understanding what the picture is."

Professor Flannery said his research on how to develop therapies for blind patients starts out on testing with animals such as mice.

He said that the current treatments available to patients are for those who have recessive conditions, meaning they got the gene from both of their parents, which continues much of his work.

Professor Flannery explained how the therapy aimed to cure blindness would work.

He said: "The progress in the field has been to use the shell of the virus, the outside coat of the virus.

"We use a very different virus for the eye that's never been shown to cause disease, we put in a copy of the gene that the patient has a defect in.

"We use the virus shell to carry the DNA and protect it and that virus will carry the DNA into the retinal shells and that's a one time only repair."

He said that the virus contains a "zip-code" which controls which cells have the therapeutic gene.

Professor Flannery added: "It's a question of scale, a normal human has 150 million photoreceptors, which are the ones that are affected in these conditions.

"You can inject with a very small volume many hundreds of million virus particles."

Professor Flannery said that an experiment showed that blind mice were able to move around and explore as much as other mice.

He said: "In a couple of the therapies that are currently in the clinic, the patients have to be treated as quickly as possible because their photoreceptor cells are dying and if you get to the stage where theirphotoreceptors have died, the gene in the cell is gone.

"The therapy that we're trying to develop, which is called optogenetics, is for patients at the very late stages of blindness.

"What we're doing is capitalising on the knowledge that the photoreceptors talk to other cells in the retina that aren't light-sensitive

"Our gene therapy is designed to add light sensitively to the third cell in this chain between the damaged photo and the brain.

"Since it's in the middle, if you can make that cell light-sensitive, that's a new opportunity for restoring vision in the blind.

Professor Flannery said this treatment is "particularly appealing because you could treat someone at any age or any stage".

He said: "Because unlike the other therapies where you have to identify the exact genetic defect in the patient and put that exact gene back, this is putting a light-sensitive function in a different cell.

"It doesn't require you to know what the defect is in the patients."

Professor Flannery said they would begin to start testing the therapy in small groups of patients shortly after successful trials in dogs.

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'Relatively simple' therapy could help cure blindness

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'Relatively simple' therapy could help cure blindness - Newstalk