StemCell Therapy

The clinical presentation of Covid-19 varies from patient to patient and understanding individual genetic susceptibility to the disease is therefore vital to prognosis, prevention, and the development of new treatments.

For the first time, Italian scientists have been able to identify the genetic and molecular basis of this susceptibility to infection as well as to the possibility of contracting a more severe form of the disease. The research will be presented to the 53rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics, being held entirely on-line due to the Covid-19 pandemic, today [Saturday].

Professor Alessandra Renieri, Director of the Medical Genetics Unit at the University Hospital of Siena, Italy, will describe her teams GEN-COVID project to collect genomic samples from Covid patients across the whole of Italy in order to try to identify the genetic bases of the high level of clinical variability they showed. Using whole exome sequencing (WES)[1] to study the first data from 130 Covid patients from Siena and other Tuscan institutions, they were able to uncover a number of common susceptibility genes that were linked to a favorable or unfavorable outcome of infection. We believe that variations in these genes may determine disease progression, says Prof Renieri. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the results of WES in Covid-19.

Searching for common genes in affected patients against a control group did not give statistically significant results with the exception of a few genes. So the researchers decided to treat each patient as an independent case, following the example of autism spectrum disorder. In this way we were able to identify for each patient an average of three pathogenic (disease-causing) mutations involved in susceptibility to Covid infection, says Prof Renieri. This result was not unexpected, since we already knew from studies of twins that Covid-19 has a strong genetic basis.

Although presentation of Covid is different in each individual, this does not rule out the possibility of the same treatment being effective in many cases. The model we are proposing includes common genes and our results point to some of them. For example, ACE2 remains one of the major targets. All our Covid patients have an intact ACE2 protein, and the biological pathway involving this gene remains a major focus for drug development, says Prof Renieri. ACE2 is an enzyme attached to the outer surface of several organs, including the lungs, that lowers blood pressure. It serves as an entry point for some coronaviruses, including Covid-19.

These results will have significant implications for health and healthcare policy. Understanding the genetic profile of patients may allow the repurposing of existing medicines for specific therapeutic approaches against Covid-19 as well as speeding the development of new antiviral drugs. Being able to identify patients susceptible to severe pneumonia and their responsiveness to specific drugs will allow rapid public health treatment interventions. And future research will be aided, too, by the development of a Covid Biobank accessible to academic and industry partners.

The researchers will now analyze a further 2000 samples from other Italian regions, specifically from 35 Italian Hospitals belonging to the GEN-COVID project.[2]

Our data, although preliminary, are promising, and now we plan to validate them in a wider population, says Prof Renieri. Going beyond our specific results, the outcome of our study underlines the need for a new method to fully assess the basis of one of the more complex genetic traits, with an environmental causation (the virus), but a high rate of heritability. We need to develop new mathematical models using artificial intelligence in order to be able to understand the complexity of this trait, which is derived from a combination of common and rare genetic factors.

We have developed this approach in collaboration with the Siena Artificial Intelligence Lab, and now intend to compare it with classical genome-wide association studies[3] in the context of the Covid-19 Host Genetics Initiative, which brings together the human genetics community to generate, share, and analyze data to learn the genetic determinants of COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and outcomes. As a research community, we need to do everything we can to help public health interventions move forward at this time.

Chair of the ESHG conference, Professor Joris Veltman, Dean of the Biosciences Institute at Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, said: We are very excited to have this work on the genetics of COVID19 susceptibility presented as one of our late-breaking abstract talks at the ESHG. Our Italian colleagues present the first insight into the role of genetic susceptibility influencing the severity of the response to a COVID19 infection. It needs to be expanded to encompass much larger populations, but it is impressive to see the speed at which research on this virus has proceeded in just a few months time.

Originally posted here:
New Genetic Identification of COVID-19 Susceptibility Will Aid Treatment - SciTechDaily

Love it or hate it, rocket is popular all over the world. Also known as arugula, roquette and rucola, its known for its pungent and peppery flavours. It might look like an unassuming leafy vegetable, but the reasons for its taste, health benefits and whether we like it all comes down to genetics.

Rocket actually encompasses several species, all of them part of the same family as broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard and watercress the Brassicales. Its distinctive aroma and flavours are created by chemical compounds produced by its leaves, called isothiocyanates. Some of these compounds can be eye-wateringly hot, whereas others can have a radishy flavour or none at all.

In the wild, isothiocyanates are thought to help defend plants from herbivores and disease, and also help it tolerate environmental stress. But for humans, eating isothiocyanates confers health benefits. Studies have shown them to have anti-cancer properties, and anti-neurodegenerative effects against diseases such as Alzheimers.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

For this reason, plants containing isothiocyanates interest scientists particularly those with little taste and flavour. One such compound is sulforaphane, which is found in rocket and broccoli. Several years ago, researchers produced a super broccoli with high amounts of sulforaphane. Consumers couldnt taste the difference, and it was later shown to be effective in preventing and slowing prostate cancer and in lowering cholesterol.

But one advantage with rocket is that it doesnt need cooked to be eaten. Heating other Brassicales, like broccoli, to over 65C inactivates myrosinase, which is an enzyme in their tissues that converts compounds called glucosinolates into sulforaphane and other isothiocyanates when people chew these plants. If the myrosinase is inactivated, consumers will receive little or none of the associated health benefits, no matter how much is bred into the plants.

Chewing aside, theres some evidence to suggest that our gut microflora possess their own myrosinase and can convert glucosinolates to isothiocyanates for us. The amounts this produces are likely to be quite small, but release may be sustained, exposing our cells to compounds like sulforaphane for longer periods.

But the biggest barrier to people getting these beneficial molecules from rocket is the taste. This depends on when and where rocket crops are grown. In the summer, leaves can be extremely spicy and pungent, whereas in the winter they can be bland and tasteless.

There are many different varieties of rocketiStock)

Growth temperature likely plays a big role in determining the amounts of isothiocyanates released from leaves. Probably a stress response by the plants, it means hotter countries like Italy may produce more pungent leaves.

You can test this effect at home. Get two small pots and some rocket seeds from a local garden centre or supermarket. Plant two or three seeds in each. Keep one well-watered and relatively shaded, and the other in direct sunlight, watering infrequently. After a few weeks, taste the leaves from each pot one should taste much hotter.

The taste and flavour of rocket also varies because of the genetics of different varieties. Not only do leaves contain hot, pungent isothiocyanates, but also sugars (which create sweetness); pyrazines (which can smell earthy and pea-like); aldehydes (which smell like grass); alcohols (one in particular smells just like mushrooms); and many other types yet to be identified.

Recently, the worlds first rocket genome and transcriptome sequence was produced from the Eruca sativa species, allowing researchers to understand which genes may be responsible for making the compounds related to taste and flavour. Its genome contains up to 45,000 genes, which is more than the 42,611 genes humans are thought to have.

The research also found that different varieties produce more isothiocyanates and sugars than others. This explains why leaves can taste so different in the supermarket, even when bought from the same shop at the same time of the year. By knowing which genes are expressed in tissues and when, we can select rocket plants with improved taste and flavour profiles and breed new and improved cultivars.

To further complicate matters, our own genetics mean we dont all taste chemical compounds the same. We have many thousands of different odour receptors in our brains, and many different combinations of taste receptors on our tongues. These genetic differences are one of the reasons why coriander tastes different to different people. Those with a variant of the OR6A2 gene perceive the leaves as having a soapy flavour, which is thanks to the aldehyde compounds in coriander that activate this receptor variant.

Depending on whether you have a functioning or non-functioning copy of certain taste receptor genes, you may not be able to taste certain compounds at all. In the other extreme, if you have two working copies of a particular gene, some foods may taste unbearably bitter and unpleasant.

Another classic example is Brussels sprouts. Some people love them, while others loathe them. This is because of the gene TAS2R38 which gives us the ability to taste the bitter glucosinolate compounds in these vegetables as well as rocket.

Love or loathe? The superfood continues to divide (iStock)

Those people with two working copies of the gene are bitter supertasters. People with only one are medium tasters, while those with no working copies are blind to these compounds. So what is intense and inedible to one person might be pleasant and mild to another.

This partly explains peoples general food preferences and rocket leaves are an excellent example of these processes in action. A consumer study of rocket leaves showed that some people like them hot and pungent, others like them sweet and mild, and others just dont like them at all.

However, peoples culture and life experience probably also determine whether they like rocket and other foods. A previous study of rocket showed that peoples genetic differences are not necessarily an indicator of whether they will like something. Its perfectly possible to be a bitter supertaster and like rocket and Brussels sprouts depending on your upbringing and exposure to them.

Another study showed that preference for flavour and pungency of white radish is linked to differences in geography and culture. Japanese and Korean people liked pungency created by an isothiocyanate much more than Australians. Pickled radish is a common condiment in Asian countries: being regularly exposed to a food may predispose people to like it, irrespective of their taste sensitivity.

Very little is currently known about the interactions between plant and human genotypes. But ongoing research aims to find out which compounds people with different TAS2R38 genotypes are sensitive to. This will make it possible in the future to selectively breed in (or out) certain genes, and produce rocket types tailored to a persons preferences.

Luke Bell is a lecturer in temperate horticulture at the University of Reading. This article first appeared on The Conversation

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Do you have the rocket gene? Why genetics may decide whether you like the peppery veggie - The Independent

Massively parallel microbial strain engineering on a CRISPR-based benchtop platform has enabled the exploration of the genetic dependencies of antibiotic function in unprecedented scale and detail. The ability to design and deliver precisely determined edits throughout the entire E. coli genome has resulted in an unparalleled opportunity to query a diverse population of strain variants for their growth responses to antibiotics from multiple different functional classes.

Find out more in this expert webinar as Dr. Dan Held, Director of Synthetic Biology, Microbial Applications Development, Inscripta, outlines how the knowledge garnered through the use of this strain engineering technology has significant potential to lead to the development of novel therapeutics against our most difficult antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Key learning objectives

Who should attend?

Certificate of attendance

All webinar participants can request a certificate of attendance, and a learning outcomes summary document for continuing education purposes.

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Deep exploration of the genetic dependencies of antibiotic function on SelectScience - SelectScience

Join us on Friday, June 19, to find out how massively parallel microbial strain engineering may lead to the development of novel therapeutics to combat the most difficult antibiotic-resistant pathogens

Massively parallel microbial strain engineering on a CRISPR-based benchtop platform has enabled the exploration of the genetic dependencies of antibiotic function in unprecedented scale and detail. The ability to design and deliver precisely determined edits throughout the entire E. coli genome has resulted in an unparalleled opportunity to query a diverse population of strain variants for their growth responses to antibiotics from multiple different functional classes.

Find out more in this expert webinar as Dr. Dan Held, Director of Synthetic Biology, Microbial Applications Development, Inscripta, outlines how the knowledge garnered through the use of this strain engineering technology has significant potential to lead to the development of novel therapeutics against our most difficult antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Key learning objectives

Who should attend?

This webinar will run on Friday, June 19, 2020, at:

Register to watch the full webinar here>>

SelectScience runs 3-4 webinars a month across various scientific topics,discover more of our upcoming webinars>>

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Expert Insight: Discover the genetic dependencies of antibiotic function - SelectScience

A professor of genetics has warned that there is every possibility of a resurge in Covid-19 and that Ireland could be facing waves of infection and waves of lockdown.

Professor David McConnell of Trinity College, Dublin called for a vigorous, centralised testing system on a massive scale similar to that employed in South Korea.

Speaking on RT radios Today with Sarah McInerney show he said: People think we're out of the woods, it's really quite dangerous. Today we are in the same position as we were on 12th March. What happened on that date - we went into an epidemic. Everything is there for us to resurge to have an equally vigorous epidemic. We could have waves of infection, waves of lockdown.

Prof McDonnell said that the authorities in Ireland should not be happy with what they have done to date.

They say that they have the capacity for 15,000 tests a day, they say they're only using 5,000 - I think there's something quite strange going on. One of the most remarkable things is we don't have a strongly organised, highly centralised, very effective, very fast tracing system or testing system.

We have a distributed system - essentially people in ordinary hospital labs have been repurposed and reassigned to work on the coronavirus testing, this is not what the Koreans had, they had this massive highly centralised, dedicated system, focused on coronavirus.

Our's is adequate for what it is being used for, but it is a very, very weakly organised system, such that it cannot be applied to other major tasks which I suggest it should be applied to.

Prof. McDonnell said he would suggest three measures first the introduction of a really vigorous test and tracing system where contacts could be tracked and traced within a day this would eliminate community-based cases, he said.

Secondly, assuming there was a well-managed system in place then there should be testing of all incoming visitors at all ports. We should have the ability to test all people coming into the country.

His third suggestion was, if there was a large capacity testing system in place then all educational and care facilities (including creches, schools and universities) could reopen if all teachers, carers and children are tested.

There was nothing in place at present he said to even consider this. If we had decided months ago, which we didn't, that we would generate a terrifically powerful testing system, today we would have been able to imagine re opening schools, easily, by September.

You'd do it in stages and you'd have a capacity which would allow you to open the schools and they would be opened under normal circumstances - no question of half of the children in a class coming in the morning, half in the afternoon, and so on.

Prof. McDonnell said that such a system could be in place by September, but it would take a massive administrative policy decision such as establishing a new testing and tracing agency which would be located on a single site, such as IDA factory.

The cost will be a very small price to pay if the prize at the end is the reopening of our economy on a normal basis.

We are running up expenses at the moment of billions of euros - the cost of a massive testing agency set up very quickly would be miniscule, a fraction of the cost which we are bearing at the present time and are likely to continue as our society and economy stutter along into the foreseeable future until a vaccine becomes available and is massively deployed around the country.

My own worry is that each time we introduce a relaxation there will be a minor, or maybe a major surge of the virus and the reaction of our authorities will be to reimpose stricter lockdown regulations, so we'll go up and down, up and down and it will be very frustrating, schools will not be reopening on a normal basis which is a terrible imposition on children and their parents.

Imagine the disappointment in September when we don't have ordinary care facilities open, ordinary creches, ordinary schools, we've put up with it until now, the incredible weather has helped, we've been stoic, people have been absolutely wonderful.

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'We could have waves of infection, waves of lockdown' says professor of genetics - Irish Examiner

A rare sighting of a galah with a genetic mutation has been snapped by photographer Hoss Bolenski in Port Lincoln, South Australia.

The galah, which is usually grey and pink in colour, was seen at North Point Reserve covered in black feathers with a tinge of pink on its underbelly.

Bird Life Australia coordinator and science writer, Tanya Loos, said the unique colouring is due to a mutation called melanism, which causes an increased development of a dark-coloured pigment.

"The variation that happens in this colour abnormality is really interesting," Ms Loos said.

"Sometimes the bird is completely black and other times it's more of a flush, or a patterning where some parts are darker than usual."

Ms Loos said melanism in galahs is quite rare, making it hard to conduct broad studies on their patterns and behaviours.

"There is some idea that maybe it's a bit harder for them to find a mate, because birds attract each other not only by their behaviours, but also by their beauty and brightness of their feather colours," she said.

"If a galah is looking for a mate and looking for a galah with a really nice bright, pink blush and a deep grey colour the black bird might just seem a little bit out of the ordinary."

In Manjimup, Western Australia, a rare sighting of a black kookaburra with melanism excited bird experts who found little evidence of the bird ever being spotted in WA.

Birds can also display another genetic mutation called 'leucism' where their feathers are completely white.

"Bird Life Australia get enquiries and emails about the white birds much more commonly because leucism happens in a really wide variety of birds including honey eaters and magpies," Ms Loos said.

In 2018, a magpie with leucism was spotted in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

"These birds stand out like a beacon and they often get eaten by predators very quickly," Ms Loos said.

She said research suggested birds that are coloured black may have a better advantage when it comes to survival.

"They do note that sometimes the birds that are coloured black are more camouflaged, so it might be an advantage," Ms Loos said.

"But because it happens so rarely in nature it's hard to conduct broad studies on this and get some actual definitive answers."

See the original post:
South Australian photographer snaps rare black galah with genetic mutation on the Eyre Peninsula - ABC News

The BBC Russian Service has edited its article on Putins alleged eldest daughter, pediatric endocrinologist Maria Vorontsova, partnering with Russian energy giant Rosneft to create a new genetic research center in Moscow.

The new version of the article now under the headline Rosneft became a partner in a large-scale Russian genetic project removes claims that Maria Vorontsova and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin will sit on the new centers board of directors. Mention of Rosneft investing between $500 million and $1 billion in the project has also been removed.

The BBC notes that the aforementioned information was deleted on the basis of clarification on the part of Rosneft, received after the articles publication. The inclusion of this information did not meet the required standards for publication, the statement says.

The names of the journalists who worked on the report have also been removed from the article.

Immediately after the article in question was published, Rosneft said that it contains a baseless lie regarding the company and individuals not involved in the given project. The companythreatened the BBC with a lawsuit, as well.

The rest is here:
BBC edits article on Putins daughter overseeing genetic research project following clarification from Rosneft - Meduza

A new market report by Market Research Intellect on the Human Genetics Market has been released with reliable information and accurate forecasts for a better understanding of the current and future market scenarios. The report offers an in-depth analysis of the global market, including qualitative and quantitative insights, historical data, and estimated projections about the market size and share in the forecast period. The forecasts mentioned in the report have been acquired by using proven research assumptions and methodologies. Hence, this research study serves as an important depository of the information for every market landscape. The report is segmented on the basis of types, end-users, applications, and regional markets.

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Human Genetics Market 2019 Break Down by Top Companies, Countries, Applications, Challenges, Opportunities and Forecast 2026 - Cole of Duty

There are worse places to spend a COVID-19 lockdown than next to a sanctuary with one of the worlds rarest birdsthe New Zealand takah. And during this strange moment in history, its wonderful to watch these remarkable relics from the pasttakah were twice declared extinct and twice rebounded unexpectedly from the deadin the shadow of their last wild refuge, the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland National Park.

Indeed, these colorful swamphens and the coronavirus pandemic both exemplify opposite extremes of widely held beliefs about the natural world; attitudes towards nature, moreover, that reflect much popular misunderstanding about evolutionary biologyand genetics in particular.

Given this, the much-regarded bird and the much-reviled virus can usefully illustrate some of the important contradictions and confusions that befuddle broader public appreciation of modern genetic science. So lets begin with a little more detail about the former, the amusingly clumsy-looking takah, the worlds largest rail.

Well-known in pre-contact times to New Zealands indigenous Maori, takah were initially thought extinct by the first European scientists to examine their fossilized remainsan assessment that proved mistaken when a small number of these flightless rails were caught during the latter part of the 19th century, the last in 1898.

Presumed extinct (for the second time) for the following fifty years, takah were famously rediscovered in the rugged and remote Fiordland mountains in 1948an event that triggered both an international avalanche of publicity and intense debate about how best to protect the last remnants of the species. Today considered a national taonga or treasure, this cherished bird is now a darling poster child for New Zealand conservation.

They are also, by all accounts, extremely tastyearly Maori hunted them extensively as a source of much-prized feathers and food, and the sealers who caught and cooked one in 1850 declared it a most delicious dainty.

This then raises a question that is less facetious than might first appear: Would it be okay to eat a takah? And if not, why not? Here we can start to explore the popular beliefs about nature alluded to above, ones that result in wider uncertainty about modern genetic science and, at an extreme, vocal opposition to genetic modification and genetic engineering.

To many nature-lovers, even talking about eating an animal like the takah would likely seem immoral; after all, these birds (like other endangered species everywhere, from black rhinos to gorillas to whales) are special. Yet if we examine this belief, being special appears to amount to little more than being rare. Nor could being wild be a cause for special status; this implies, for instance, that captive-bred rare animals are of less value than their free-living counterparts.

Yet while it is rationally unclear (independent of scarcity) why wild animals should have greater intrinsic value than farmed ones, it is nevertheless a distinction that many people maketreasuring rare or wild animals over well-known domesticated ones. (This inconsistency in attitudes is also evident in the furor over the euthanizing of a single giraffe in 2014 in a zoo in Denmark, an agricultural country where tens of thousands of farm animals are routinely slaughtered each day.) If takah were as common as chickens, sayor whales as widespread as cowswould they still be seen as special?

The old adage familiarity breeds contempt is also evident in antipathy towards genetically modified foods. That is, in the same way that familiar livestock are overlooked in comparison with wild/rare animals, so too are supposedly natural everyday foodstuffs in the vehement rejection of unnatural genetically adulterated Frankenfoods. In reality, of course, all of our staple crops have themselves been genetically modified through selective breeding over time, with manyincluding such common items as corn, peaches and watermelonsveritable monstrosities compared to their wild precursors.

Furthermore, such unexamined beliefs about what is natural and what is unnatural help explain how support for wildlife conservation can morph into opposition to genetic sciencemost especially, in the idea that human activities destroy the delicate balance of nature. Despite having been long-since rejected by ecologists, the romanticized concept of a natural balanceanthropomorphised as a wise and benign Mother Nature, constantly striving to maintain the natural harmonystill holds sway in public consciousness.

A surprising example of this concept of purpose and harmony in nature is Pope Franciss recent suggestion that COVID-19 is natures response to climate change. While the Pope is an odd source for such a claim (after all, traditionally God is the one who directs plagues for His own purposes, as many believers still insist), it is nevertheless based on the same belief in a natural (or supernatural) guiding force maintaining natures equilibrium in a world bespoilt by humankind.

Such a notion, of course, stands in stark contrast to the Darwinian concept of life, in which the illusion of harmony merely masks a precarious stalemate in the ceaseless competition between and among species. Moreover, the evolutionary view regards nature as purposeless and amoral, with the ultimate aim of living organisms being simply survival and replication.

In which case, COVID-19 is not natures revenge (or Gods wrath), but rather the mindless spread of an incredibly successful sequence of genes, a contagious virus replicating at the expense of other organisms that just happen to be us. Plagues and pestilence, in other words, are as much a part of nature as wonderful animals like the takah (a point humorously made in Monty Pythons All things dull and ugly).

Potentially, the current coronavirus crisis may disabuse many people of their romanticized notions about benevolent and harmonious nature; at any rate, the overwhelming world reaction is not simply to let nature take its course but rather to act to mitigate its worse effects. And while the unexpectedness and novelty of the pandemic has left many nations floundering over how best to respond, the ultimate solution(s) can only be derived from evidence and factsin other words from empirical science. At the same time, however, the fight against COVID-19 will likely be hindered by the very things that dog the rational application of genetics to human needsmisinformation, conspiracy thinking and pseudo-science.

But before drawing the disparate threads of this argument together, lets return to the takah, itself an excellent example of the pitiless Darwinian account of life. Like much of New Zealands avian fauna, the takahs ancestors were accidental, wind-blown arrivals on these remote South Pacific islands. Lacking competition in their new environment, takah numbers rapidly expanded while at the same time evolutionary processes, including island gigantism, gradually morphed them into the large, flightless and slow-breeding animals we see today. And, like numerous other New Zealand species, the takah were therefore easily out-competed by the next set of arrivals, the fast-breeding mammals introduced by human beings.

Yet while the ensuing tidal wave of bird extinctions was initially viewed as natural and inevitable, modern attitudes have changedand now New Zealands conservation efforts are directed at preserving the surviving native species by eradicating the more recent mammalian invaders. A tragic irony here is that, in the name of conservation, many native species are kept alive only through the mass killing of exotics.

Further ironies abound. Reassured by evidence-based science, the majority of New Zealanders accept the use of 1080 sodium monofluoroacetate poison as the most effective means to control pest speciesyet at the same time, research into more humane genetic alternatives (such as the use of gene drives) are stymied by the countrys vocal anti-GMO movement and its dated and restrictive legislation on genetic technology.

Indeed, the emotional, anti-scientific hostility to 1080 poison captures many of the points raised above, most especially in the belief that native and introduced species can coexist in a natural equilibrium (a notion belied by the estimated 25 million native New Zealand birds killed by introduced predators each year).

As for the takah itself, an initial willingness to let nature take its course was a factor in the species calamitous decline to just over 100 individuals by the 1980s, before more scientifically guided (and better funded) conservation policies began to take effect. Genetics has since played a strong part in hauling the takah back from the brink of extinction, particularly in mitigating the damaging effects of in-breeding. Genetic research has also uncovered surprising findings about the takahs origins; originally divided into two subspeciesone in New Zealands North Island and the other in the South Islandmore recent genetic analysis suggests these were instead two separate species, with the extinct northern variety descended from Australian swamphens and the extant southern species more closely related to South African rails. (Convergent evolution explains the physical similarities between the distinct species on either island.)

And here, takah genetics can usefully illustrate a final point about our conceptions (and misconceptions) of the natural world. Those most attracted to idealized visions of nature (and hence prey to anti-science attitudes), often assume that science robs nature of its glory and wonder. In fact it does the opposite; the more we understand about animals such as the takah (or indeed viruses such as SARS-cov-2), the more we are able to marvel at the wonders of evolved creation. And while romantic wishful thinking wont save the tasty takah from extinction (nor us humans from COVID-19), modern science just might.

Patrick Whittle has a PhD in philosophy and is a freelance writer with a particular interest in the social and political implications of modern biological science. Follow him on his website patrickmichaelwhittle.com or on Twitter @WhittlePM

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How a rare bird and the coronavirus remind us that our safety depends on sciencenot wishful thinking - Genetic Literacy Project

The cultivation of grapes in Europe, whose acreage represents 3% of the total cultivable acreage, accounts for up to 65% of the pesticides used by EU growers, given the high incidence of powdery mildew and mildew in the productions. However, this percentage could be drastically reduced if the EU opted for the most advanced plant reproduction technologies, such as CRISPR, which would make it possible to obtain grape varieties resistant to both fungi.

Thus, research has been carried out in this field for several years in order to improve European grape varieties. In the case of Italy, in 2015, ten genetically edited grape varieties were registered in the National Variety Catalog, and in 2018, the first field harvests were carried out. Although still in the pre-commercial phase, the results so far have been positive in terms of resistance to diseases.

The researchers hope that the regulatory uncertainty of CRISPR technologies will be resolved (they are subject to the same regulations as transgenics, despite not being the same). They also hope that both producers and consumers will learn about the potential of these techniques to tackle the agro-food and environmental challenges that humanity is facing.

Source: agronewscastillayleon.com

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Genetic editing of grapes by CRISPR could reduce the use of pesticides in Europe - FreshPlaza.com

Diabetes is a major cause of death and disability in countries on a Western diet high in animal products, sugar, added oil and processed food. Todays column will discuss what diabetes and prediabetes are and what causes them; next weeks column will discuss how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes.

Its important first to understand what glucose and insulin are. In his book How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger notes that glucose is the primary fuel powering all the cells in your body, and he defines insulin as the key that unlocks the doors to your cells to allow glucose to enter. For optimal health, its important that blood glucose stays within certain parameters, and insulin made by the beta cells in the pancreas is secreted as needed to regulate blood sugar. Diabetes is the disease that results when blood sugar levels arent kept in check.

Chronic blood sugar elevation damages blood vessels throughout the body, leading to several complications including cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes); eye disease that can lead to blindness; kidney failure; erectile dysfunction; neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet and legs and throughout the body; peripheral vascular disease that can lead to amputation of the toes and feet; poor wound healing; and dementia. It can also contribute to depression; increased risk of blood clots; increased harmful inflammation; and weakened immunity.

There are two types of diabetes. Five percent of diabetic cases in the U.S. are type 1, which is an autoimmune disease where a subjects immune system goes rogue and attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Type 1 can have a genetic component, and is not related to lifestyle, although all autoimmune diseases are more prevalent in societies on a Western diet. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 95 percent of diabetes in the U.S., and is clearly a lifestyle disease. This column is primarily about type 2 diabetes.

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According to the CDC, approximately 50% of Americans have either prediabetes or diabetes, and the prevalence increases yearly as Americans get heavier. We used to call type 2 adult onset diabetes, but we cant use that term any longer because so many of our kids are now overweight and have type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is a misnomer because it is not really pre-disease but rather is a mild form of diabetes. Prediabetes causes the same, aforementioned, complications that actual diabetes does.

Prediabetes/type 2 diabetes are caused by insulin resistance (I.R.) where fat in and around organs and muscles prevents insulin from entering cells and doing its job. The insulin resistance-causing type of fat is called central obesity, or extra weight around the middle. Measure your waist at the level of maximum circumference (approximately at the level of your belly button). If youre a man and the measurement is 40 inches or greater, or a woman and it is 35 inches or greater, you have insulin resistance with lower cutoffs for Asians and East Indians. Even if you dont meet those criteria, but have even a little belly when you look at your naked profile in the mirror, you probably have I.R.

Your pancreas tries to compensate for insulin resistance by pumping out more and more insulin, and over the years the beta cells eventually wear out and are destroyed. Unfortunately, diabetes often isnt diagnosed until the fasting blood sugar becomes 126 or greater, and by then significant damage has already been done in the form of the complications mentioned in the third paragraph. Because some 70 percent of cardiovascular disease is caused by I.R., heart attack prevention doctors look for early signs, such as high triglycerides and low HDL (triglyceride/HDL ratio of 3.5 or greater), and small, dense LDL (bad cholesterol) particles. The gold standard test for early diagnosis is a one- and two-hour glucose tolerance test: fast 12 hours, drink a 75 gram glucose load, and if your blood sugar one hour later is 125 or greater or two hours later 120 or greater, you have insulin resistance/prediabetes. If the two-hour result is 200 or over, you have diabetes.

Another blood test thats used frequently to diagnose diabetes is the A1C, which reflects the average blood sugar level over the previous three months. A normal A1C is < 5.7; prediabetes is 5.7 to 6.5, and 6.5 or above is diabetes. Although this is a useful test to follow diabetics, many heart attack prevention doctors feel it is not accurate for diagnosing prediabetes or diabetes.

Greg Feinsinger, M.D. is a retired family physician who has a nonprofit: Prevention and Treatment of Disease Through Nutrition. He is available by appointment for free consultations (379-5718).

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Doctor's Tip: Diabetes and prediabetes what they are and what causes them - Glenwood Springs Post Independent

According to recent estimates, colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the fourth most common cancer in the United States and the second most lethal. Colonoscopy screening has been considered the gold standard for CRC screening because it enables clinicians to view the entire colon and to detect and remove polyps during the same procedure to reduce subsequent risks of CRC. Despite the effectiveness of CRC screening, the American Cancer Society projects that more than 50,000 people in the U.S. die annually from the disease.

Beyond the established risk factors for CRC like advanced age, smoking, and a familial history of the disease, recent studies have suggested that people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing CRC when compared to those without the disease, says Joshua D. Miller, MD. Studies have been conducted to address the association between diabetes and adenoma detection rate (ADR) but results from these clinical trials have been mixed. We need a better understanding of the role of type 2 diabetes in colorectal adenoma-carcinoma progression since diabetes affects nearly 10% of the U.S. population, or over 33 million Americans, adds Dr. Miller.

A New Analysis

For a study published in Scientific Reports, Dr. Miller and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of initial screening colonoscopies while attempting to control for confounding variables. In addition, the authors analyzed the effect of anti-diabetes medications and glycemic control as measured by fasting plasma glucose (FPG) on the day of the colonoscopy and within 12 months of the procedure. Of the 2,865 screening colonoscopies assessed in the study population, 282 were performed on patients who had type 2 diabetes. Of these, 9.8% had type 2 diabetes while 2.4% had type 1 diabetes. Patients with diabetes were often treated with more than one medication.

Our data showed that patients with diabetes had a significantly higher prevalence of adenomas and advanced adenomas than those without it, Dr. Miller says. In a multivariable analysis, the study demonstrated that type 2 diabetes was associated with an increased ADR (odds ratio, 1.49), along with other factors, including smoking, older age, higher BMI, and male sex (Table). Type 2 diabetes was not significantly associated with advanced ADR after taking multiple confounding variables into consideration. However, other factors were significantly associated with an increased advanced ADR, including older age, male sex, smoking and increased BMI. For patients with type 2 diabetes, those not taking diabetes medications were more likely to have an adenoma than those taking these therapies (odds ratio,2.38).

Assessing Implications

Results from the study suggest that type 2 diabetes is significantly associated with an increased risk of detecting at least one adenoma. In addition, two potentially modifiable variables were detected in increased BMI and smoking, both of which were significantly associated with increased ADR and advanced ADR.

Early interventions for preventing type 2 diabetes, attention to glycemic control, and prescribing medications that treat the disease and its secondary complications may reduce risks for developing colonic adenomas, says Dr. Miller. Such efforts may also contribute to better CRC prevention. Clinicians should be aware of the association between diabetes and colorectal adenomas and perhaps recommend more frequent CRC screening in appropriate patients with diabetes. We should seize every opportunity to encourage patients to make lifestyle changes that can help reduce their risks for both CRC and diabetes.

Of note, Dr. Miller and colleagues are conducting a prospective study in which patients with diabetes who are undergoing an initial screening colonoscopy will have their fasting insulin, C-peptide, and A1C levels measured prior to the procedure. Our goal is to collect data on the biochemical components of diabetes and CRC, says Dr. Miller. We hope to establish the extent to which insulin resistance and/or hyperinsulinemia or other factors contribute to the increased risk of developing adenomas in a diverse patient group. This information may provide data on the specific pathways of diabetes and CRC progression and potentially help inform treatment decisions in the future.

Ottaviano LF,Li X,Murray M, et al. Type 2 diabetes impacts colorectal adenoma detection in screening colonoscopy. Sci Rep.2020;10(1):7793. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64344-2.

Larsson SC,Orsini N,Wolk A. Diabetes mellitus and risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005;97(22):1679-1687.

Dash C, Palmer JR,Boggs DA,Rosenberg L,Adams-Campbell LL. Type 2 diabetes and the risk of colorectal adenomas: Black Womens Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2014;179:112-119.

Onitilo AA, Stankowski RV,Berg RL,et al. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, glycemic control, and cancer risk. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2014;23:134140.

See more here:
The Impact of Type 2 Diabetes on Colorectal Cancer Detection - Physician's Weekly

Patients with diabetes and comorbid depressive disorders may have higher rates of macrovascular complications and all-cause mortality, according to the results of a cohort study conducted with Taiwans National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and published in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences.

The investigators sought to evaluate whether the presence of depression increases an individuals risk for complications from diabetes and mortality among incident patients with diabetes. Through the NHIRD, they identified incident patients with diabetes 20 years of age. The first date of a patients antidiabetic prescription was defined as the cohort entry date. Individuals with macrovascular or microvascular complications before or on the cohort entry date, as well as those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, were excluded from the study. The composite study endpoint was the development of macrovascular and microvascular complications, cause-specific mortality, and all-cause mortality.

The current study enrolled a total of 38,537 incident patients with diabetes who had depressive disorders and 154,148 patients with diabetes without depression. All participants were randomly selected and matched according to sex, age, and cohort entry year. The average study follow-up time was 5.5 years (range, 0 to 14 years); the mean age of the participants was 52.6112.45 years; and 39.63% were male.

The crude incidence of macrovascular complications was 74.65 per 1000 person-years among those with diabetes and comorbid depressive disorders, which was higher than the incidence of 54.65 per 1000 person-years reported among patients without depression. Similar findings were reported with respect to the crude incidence of mortality due to cardiovascular disease (2.58 per 1000 person-years vs 2.29 per 1000 person-years, respectively); unnatural mortality (2.46 per 1000 person-years vs 0.77 per 1000 person-years, respectively); suicide (1.41 per 1000 person-years vs 0.27 per 1000 person-years, respectively); and all-cause mortality (21.91 per 1000 person-years vs 15.96 per 1000 person-years, respectively). No differences were shown between the groups regarding microvascular complications and mortality due to diabetes.

Following adjustment for covariates, participants with diabetes and comorbid depression had a significantly higher risk for developing macrovascular complications (hazard ratio [HR], 1.35; 95% CI, 1.32 to 1.37), unnatural mortality (HR, 2.59; 95% CI, 2.30 to 2.91), suicide (HR, 5.64; 95% CI, 4.70 to 6.77), and all-cause mortality (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.12). In contrast, no statistically significant differences in microvascular complications or death due to cardiovascular disease were observed between the groups.

The investigators concluded that additional research is warranted, focusing on the risks and the benefits of treatment for depression on outcomes among individuals with diabetes. They noted that the study was limited by potential inclusion of patients who were not diagnosed with or treated for depression in the comparison group. Information on smoking, body weight, exercise routines, and diet control were not available in NHIRD as well.

The researchers concluded, Although we could not directly measure lifestyle behaviours in this study, we found that patients with depression had a higher prevalence of dyslipidemia, alcohol- or substance-related disorders and chronic pulmonary diseases, which are highly related to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Reference

Wu C-S, Hsu L-Y, Wang S-H. Association of depression and diabetes complications and mortality: a population-based cohort study [published online Jan 29, 2020]. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2020;29:e96. doi: 10.1017/S2045796020000049.

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Comorbid Diabetes and Depression Lead to More Complications, Mortality - Psychiatry Advisor

Almost a fifth of people who have died from COVID-19 in Scottish hospitals also had diabetes, new figures have suggested.

The numbers, which do not differentiate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, show that up until May 24, 554 people who passed away from coronavirus had diabetes mentioned on their death certificate.

This means that almost 15 per cent of the 3,779 coronavirus deaths at that time were related to diabetes.

The data, obtained by the PA News agency from the National Records of Scotland, has prompted Diabetes Scotland to urge the government to reassess the current guidelines for people with the condition as lockdown measures are eased.

At the moment, people with diabetes do not feature on the list that has been put forward for shielding at home.

Angela Mitchell, national director of the organisation, said: The recent statistics underline the urgent need to ensure people with diabetes are protected and supported, especially as lockdown measures are eased.

There must be assurances that people with diabetes should not be put in a situation that puts them at risk at work.

Employers must put measures in place to keep people with diabetes safe, either by supporting people to work at home or, where this is not possible, by putting people with diabetes on furlough or by putting measures in place to allow stringent social distancing for those key workers who absolutely must be at work.

We need to make sure that the new government workplace guidelines work for people with diabetes.

In addition, the figures show that 10 per cent of coronavirus related care home deaths had diabetes and 14 per cent of those who passed away at home from the killer virus were thought to have diabetes too.

A Scottish government spokesman said: We recognise the challenges faced on a daily basis by people living with diabetes. Specific support programmes are in place for people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

We keep all clinical guidance under review and continue to work with our advisors including a specific diabetes speciality advisor. If anyone with diabetes has any concerns about their condition, they should contact their GP or their diabetes clinical team.

They will be able to provide specific advice and support based on their individual circumstances.

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One fifth of COVID-19 hospital deaths in Scotland related to diabetes - Diabetes.co.uk

Chenghui Zhang, Suyuan Wang, Mingxia Li, Yunhong Wu

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hospital of Chengdu Office of Peoples Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region, Chengdu, Peoples Republic of China

Correspondence: Yunhong WuDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hospital of Chengdu Office of Peoples Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region, No. 20 Ximianqiao Street, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, Peoples Republic of ChinaEmail Wu_yunhong@163.com

Aim: To explore the association between the atherosclerosis and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 949 patients (700 males and 249 females) with T2DM. The atherosclerotic parameters were assessed using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), ankle-brachial index (ABI), and carotid plaque. DR was assessed and graded using digital retinal photography and fundus fluorescein angiography as either nonproliferative DR (NPDR) or proliferative DR (PDR). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the associations between the atherosclerotic parameters and DR status.Results: The prevalence of DR was 23.6% in total patients, including 167 (17.6%) patients with NPDR and 57 (6.0%) patients with PDR. Patients with NPDR and PDR were more likely to have higher prevalence of increased CAVI, increased ABI, and carotid plaque than those without DR. In multivariable adjusted logistic regression analysis, patients with NPDR showed an odds ratio (OR) of 2.59 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.61 4.19] for increased CAVI, 1.99 (0.62 6.34) for increased ABI, and 1.75 (1.13 2.71) for carotid plaque. Patients with PDR showed an OR of 7.83 (3.52 17.41) for increased CAVI, 10.65 (3.33 34.04) for increased ABI, and 11.40 (2.67 48.63) for carotid plaque.Conclusion: Both NPDR and PDR were independently associated with increased CAVI and presence of carotid plaque in Chinese patients with T2DM.

Keywords: atherosclerosis, cardio-ankle vascular index, diabetic retinopathy, ankle-brachial index, carotid plaque

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Association Between Atherosclerosis and Diabetic Retinopathy in Chines | DMSO - Dove Medical Press

Researchers have identified a bunch of districts in India that have the maximum prevalence for diabetes among women. At least 50 of the 640 districts studied have high prevalence of diabetes greater than one in 10 among women aged 35-49 years. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have districts with the highest prevalence. The results were published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders.

While Cuttack in Odisha has the highest prevalence of 20%, 14 districts in Tamil Nadu the maximum among all States have high prevalence, prompting the researchers to classify them as hotspots.

Also read: Coronavirus | Are diabetics more prone to COVID-19?

In all, 254 districts have a very high level (greater than 10.7%) of diabetes burden, and 130 have a moderately high (8.7-10.6%) burden. The burden is higher in the southern and eastern parts of the country and lowest in central India.

The researchers sourced data from the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) as it provides district-level health indicators for women. Demographic details of 2,35,056 women from 36 States/Union Territories were analysed for gleaning disease spread and analysing relationship among disease and socio-economic category, location, number of children, obesity and hypertension among others. This was also the first NHS survey to collected blood glucose levels in men and women thus helping determine diabetes.

Results portray that prevalence of diabetes among women in their late reproductive ages is highest among those with two or fewer children ever born, who are educated, belonging to economically prosperous households, living in urban areas and hence enjoying changing lifestyle... increased access to high energy (refined and processed) food and development, the authors Shrikant Singh, Parul Puri and S.V. Subramanian note. Parul Puri and Shrikant Singh are at the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and S.V.Subramanian is at Harvard University, Boston, U.S.

Previous studies of the incidence of diabetes in men and women in India have thrown up mixed results with some finding greater evidence of the disease in women, in North India, and others reporting men in South India as more susceptible. However, a skewed gender ratio as well unequal access to medical care has led to the disease being under-reported in women, says a 2014 article in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The study focused on women who were approaching menopause, which was also a period when the risk of obesity, hypertension rose as well as complications from late pregnancy, Ms. Puri told The Hindu. It also provided a greater perspective on why mortality from diabetes is higher among women. Knowing this will help design programmes and interventions to lower community-based prevalence of diabetes, especially among women in their late reproductive ages.

Previous work had found that diabetes-related mortality is higher among women in India. According to Ms. Puri, the prevalence of diabetes among women in India didnt substantially differ from that of men.

The number of people with diabetes in India increased from 260 million in 1990 to 65 million in 2016. The prevalence of diabetes in adults aged 20 years or older in India increased from 55% in 1990 to 77% in 2016. The prevalence in 2016 was highest in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study, 2018.

The authors also point to the higher levels of diabetes in the southern and eastern parts of India as being linked to diets of rice-meat-and-fish and a higher intake of sweets and snacks that were rich in trans-fats. These however weren't explanatory, the authors note. Being a cross-sectional survey, we found correlations not causation, Ms. Puri added.

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Prevalence of diabetes among women high in southern India - The Hindu

New research has found that eating dairy foods appears to be linked to a lower risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. An international team of researchers studied 147,812 participants aged between 35 and 70 from 21 countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Iran, Malaysia, Palestine, Pakistan; Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.

The participants completed Food Frequency Questionnaires which assessed how they ate over the last 12 months. Dairy products included milk, yogurt, yogurt drinks, cheese and dishes prepared with dairy foods, which were classified as full or low fat (1 to 2%). Butter and cream were analyzed separately because they are not commonly eaten in some of the countries in the study.

Other factors such as the participants medical history, use of prescription medicines, smoking status, measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose were also recorded. Participants were followed for an average of nine years.

The results showed that eating at least two servings of dairy each day is linked to an 11 to 12% lower risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, while three servings of total dairy each day are linked to a 13 to 14% lower risk. The associations were stronger for full-fat dairy than they were for low-fat dairy.

Two daily servings of total dairy were also linked to a 24% lower risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of conditions that includes a higher waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, low levels of good cholesterol, hypertension (high blood pressure) and high fasting blood sugar, which together can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The relationship also was stronger for full-fat dairy; two servings of full fat were linked with a 28% lower risk of metabolic syndrome, compared with those who ate no dairy foods, and eating low-fat dairy was not associated with a lower prevalence of most of the conditions that make up metabolic syndrome.

The study is observational, so it does not prove a cause and effect relationship. However, if the findings are confirmed in sufficiently large and long-term trials, then eating more dairy foods may be an easy and inexpensive way to reduce metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes and ultimately cardiovascular disease.

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Extension notes: Eating dairy foods may lower the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure - The Herald Journal

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that can be brought under control if one commits to a healthy lifestyle. The primary threat posed by type 2 diabetes is high blood sugar levels and by adding this food type to your breakfast meal you will not only help to lower blood sugar but it will also help you to lose weight.

In a study published in BMC Nutrition Journal, the effects of avocados on glucose and insulin levels in overweight adults was analysed.

The study noted: Avocados are nutrient dense with properties that may favourably impact energy balance.

This study sought to evaluate if incorporating approximately one half of a Hass avocado will influence glucose and insulin response, and subsequent energy intake among overweight adults.

The study concluded that those who consumed an avocado and a decreased desire to eat throughout the day which impacts weight management and insulin resistance.

Medical News Today said: When a person has diabetes, the foods they eat each day can impact how they feel and how well they control their condition.

In general, people with diabetes should eat foods that help control blood sugar levels and that offer health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

This is one of the best ways to keep diabetes under control, avoid complications, and lead the healthiest life possible and avocados offer all these benefits, and possibly more.

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Type 2 diabetes: Adding this delicious food type to your breakfast will lower blood sugar - Express

FDA Asks Companies to Recall Diabetes Drug Metformin

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking companies to recall the popular diabetes drug metformin due to an apparent cancer risk.

The FDA announced that a high level of a contaminant calledN-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is linked to cancer, was found in some versions of the drug. NDMA was found in several batches of the extended-release form of the drug, which is often prescribed to control high blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, Dr. Marilyn Tan, chief of the Stanford Endocrine Clinic, tells SurvivorNet that most people with diabetes who take metformin take the immediate release form of the drug, and that version is still considered safe.

RELATED: Heartburn Drug Zantac Must Be Fully Removed From Shelves

Metformin is the most commonly used drug for type 2 diabetes and its one of the most cost-effective, Dr. Tan says. for the vast majority of patients, this recall doesnt apply to the type that they are on.

In its announcement, the FDA recommends people who currently take the drug in the extended-release form continue to do so until they can be prescribed an alternative.

Patients should continue taking metformin tablets even after recalls occur, until they consult with their health care professional who can prescribe a replacement. Patients with type 2 diabetes could face dangerous health risks if they stop taking their prescribed metformin, the agency said in a press release.

Dr. Tan says patients who are currently on the extended-release form of metformin may be able to switch to the immediate release form of the drug with few issues.

In terms of medication efficacy, theyre both equally effective, Dr. Tan tells SurvivorNet. She also reiterated that until people on extended-release metformin can consult their physicians about changing their prescription, they should continue taking the drug.

RELATED: Why are There So Many Carcinogen Warning Labels on Products in California?

So, just how risky is extended-release metformin? Its important to understand what NDMA is first before addressing that concern.

NDMA is a chemical that can be unintentionally formed during various manufacturing processes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People can be exposed to low levels of NDMA in a variety of ways it can be found in foods like cured meats and fish, beer, tobacco smoke and even in some toiletry and cosmetic products. NDMA is labeled as a probable carcinogen, meaning it may cause cancer in humans.

Essentially, NDMA is all around us at low levels. When it comes to cancer risk, its difficult for medical professionals to say exactly how dangerous the substance is.

We dont really know long term exactly what the risk is we do know that there is some potential for cancer and liver issues, Dr. Tan says.

The FDA considers the chemical generally safe as long as exposure does not exceed a certain limit and people are not exposed for a long period of time.

To avoid potential dangers, the FDA regularly tests and monitors products like medications to ensure that they only contain what the agency considers to be safe levels of contaminants like NDMA. Earlier this year, the agency recalled popular heartburn drug Zantac over high NDMA levels. This new metformin recall comes after the agency determined that the extended-release form of the drug had NDMA levels that were above the FDAs acceptable intake limit.

The acceptable intake limit for NDMA is 96 nanograms per day for medications, according to the FDA.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

The FDA announced that a high level of a contaminant calledN-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is linked to cancer, was found in some versions of the drug. NDMA was found in several batches of the extended-release form of the drug, which is often prescribed to control high blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, Dr. Marilyn Tan, chief of the Stanford Endocrine Clinic, tells SurvivorNet that most people with diabetes who take metformin take the immediate release form of the drug, and that version is still considered safe.

Metformin is the most commonly used drug for type 2 diabetes and its one of the most cost-effective, Dr. Tan says. for the vast majority of patients, this recall doesnt apply to the type that they are on.

In its announcement, the FDA recommends people who currently take the drug in the extended-release form continue to do so until they can be prescribed an alternative.

Patients should continue taking metformin tablets even after recalls occur, until they consult with their health care professional who can prescribe a replacement. Patients with type 2 diabetes could face dangerous health risks if they stop taking their prescribed metformin, the agency said in a press release.

Dr. Tan says patients who are currently on the extended-release form of metformin may be able to switch to the immediate release form of the drug with few issues.

In terms of medication efficacy, theyre both equally effective, Dr. Tan tells SurvivorNet. She also reiterated that until people on extended-release metformin can consult their physicians about changing their prescription, they should continue taking the drug.

RELATED: Why are There So Many Carcinogen Warning Labels on Products in California?

So, just how risky is extended-release metformin? Its important to understand what NDMA is first before addressing that concern.

NDMA is a chemical that can be unintentionally formed during various manufacturing processes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People can be exposed to low levels of NDMA in a variety of ways it can be found in foods like cured meats and fish, beer, tobacco smoke and even in some toiletry and cosmetic products. NDMA is labeled as a probable carcinogen, meaning it may cause cancer in humans.

Essentially, NDMA is all around us at low levels. When it comes to cancer risk, its difficult for medical professionals to say exactly how dangerous the substance is.

We dont really know long term exactly what the risk is we do know that there is some potential for cancer and liver issues, Dr. Tan says.

The FDA considers the chemical generally safe as long as exposure does not exceed a certain limit and people are not exposed for a long period of time.

To avoid potential dangers, the FDA regularly tests and monitors products like medications to ensure that they only contain what the agency considers to be safe levels of contaminants like NDMA. Earlier this year, the agency recalled popular heartburn drug Zantac over high NDMA levels. This new metformin recall comes after the agency determined that the extended-release form of the drug had NDMA levels that were above the FDAs acceptable intake limit.

The acceptable intake limit for NDMA is 96 nanograms per day for medications, according to the FDA.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Read the original:
FDA Urges Recall of Diabetes Drug Metformin Due to Cancer Link -- How Dangerous is the Medication? - SurvivorNet

A new market report by Verified Market Research on the Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Market has been released with reliable information and accurate forecasts for a better understanding of the current and future market scenarios. The report offers an in-depth analysis of the global market, including qualitative and quantitative insights, historical data, and estimated projections about the market size and share in the forecast period. The forecasts mentioned in the report have been acquired by using proven research assumptions and methodologies. Hence, this research study serves as an important depository of the information for every market landscape. The report is segmented on the basis of types, end-users, applications, and regional markets.

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The report also focuses on the global industry trends, development patterns of industries, governing factors, growth rate, and competitive analysis of the market, growth opportunities, challenges, investment strategies, and forecasts till 2026. The Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Market was estimated at USD XX Million/Billion in 2016 and is estimated to reach USD XX Million/Billion by 2026, expanding at a rate of XX% over the forecast period. To calculate the market size, the report provides a thorough analysis of the market by accumulating, studying, and synthesizing primary and secondary data from multiple sources.

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The market is predicted to witness significant growth over the forecast period, owing to the growing consumer awareness about the benefits of Type 2 Diabetes Treatment. The increase in disposable income across the key geographies has also impacted the market positively. Moreover, factors like urbanization, high population growth, and a growing middle-class population with higher disposable income are also forecasted to drive market growth.

According to the research report, one of the key challenges that might hinder the market growth is the presence of counter fit products. The market is witnessing the entry of a surging number of alternative products that use inferior ingredients.

Key factors influencing market growth:

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Thank you for reading this article. You can also get chapter-wise sections or region-wise report coverage for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.

To summarize, the Type 2 Diabetes Treatment market report studies the contemporary market to forecast the growth prospects, challenges, opportunities, risks, threats, and the trends observed in the market that can either propel or curtail the growth rate of the industry. The market factors impacting the global sector also include provincial trade policies, international trade disputes, entry barriers, and other regulatory restrictions.

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Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Market 2019 Break Down by Top Companies, Countries, Applications, Challenges, Trends, Opportunities and Forecast 2026 - Cole...