StemCell Therapy

This article, written byKatharine Sedivy-Haley, University of British Columbia, originally appeared on The Conversation and is republished here with permission:

When I was applying to graduate school in 2012, it felt like stem cells were about to revolutionize medicine.

Stem cells have the ability to renew themselves, and mature into specialized cells like heart or brain cells. This allows them to multiply and repair damage.

If stem cell genes are edited to fix defects causing diseases like anemia or immune deficiency, healthy cells can theoretically be reintroduced into a patient, thereby eliminating or preventing a disease. If these stem cells are taken or made from the patient themselves, they are a perfect genetic match for that individual, which means their body will not reject the tissue transplant.

Because of this potential, I was excited that my PhD project at the University of British Columbia gave me the opportunity to work with stem cells.

However, stem cell hype has led some to pay thousands of dollars on advertised stem cell treatments that promise to cure ailments from arthritis to Parkinsons disease. These treatments often dont help and may harm patients.

Despite the potential for stem cells to improve medicine, there are many challenges as they move from lab to clinic. In general, stem cell treatment requires we have a good understanding of stem cell types and how they mature. We also need stem cell culturing methods that will reliably produce large quantities of pure cells. And we need to figure out the correct cell dose and deliver it to the right part of the body.

Embryonic, 'induced and pluripotent

Stem cells come in multiple types. Embryonic stem cells come from embryos which makes them controversial to obtain.

A newly discovered stem cell type is the induced pluripotent stem cell. These cells are created by collecting adult cells, such as skin cells, and reprogramming them by inserting control genes which activate or induce a state similar to embryonic stem cells. This embryo-like state of having the versatile potential to turn into any adult cell type, is called being pluripotent.

However, induced pluripotent and embryonic stem cells can form tumours. Induced pluripotent stem cells carry a particularly high risk of harmful mutation and cancer because of their genetic instability and changes introduced during reprogramming.

Genetic damage could be avoided by using younger tissues such as umbilical cord blood, avoiding tissues that might contain pre-existing mutations (like sun-damaged skin cells), and using better methods for reprogramming.

Stem cells used to test drugs

For now, safety concerns mean pluripotent cells have barely made it to the clinic, but they have been used to test drugs.

For drug research, it is valuable yet often difficult to get research samples with specific disease-causing mutations; for example, brain cells from people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Researchers can, however, take a skin cell sample from a patient, create an induced pluripotent stem-cell line with their mutation and then make neurons out of those stem cells. This provides a renewable source of cells affected by the disease.

This approach could also be used for personalized medicine, testing how a particular patient will respond to different drugs for conditions like heart disease.

Vision loss from fat stem cells

Stem cells can also be found in adults. While embryonic stem cells can turn into any cell in the body, aside from rare newly discovered exceptions, adult stem cells mostly turn into a subset of mature adult cells.

For example, hematopoietic stem cells in blood and bone marrow can turn into any blood cell and are widely used in treating certain cancers and blood disorders.

A major challenge with adult stem cells is getting the right kind of stem cell in useful quantities. This is particularly difficult with eye and nerve cells. Most research is done with accessible stem cell types, like stem cells from fat.

Fat stem cells are also used in stem cell clinics without proper oversight or safety testing. Three patients experienced severe vision loss after having these cells injected into their eyes. There is little evidence that fat stem cells can turn into retinal cells.

Clinical complications

Currently, stem cell based treatments are still mostly experimental, and while some results are encouraging, several clinical trials have failed.

In the brain, despite progress in developing treatment for genetic disorders and spinal cord injury, treatments for stroke have been unsuccessful. Results might depend on method of stem cell delivery, timing of treatment and age and health of the patient. Frustratingly, older and sicker tissues may be more resistant to treatment.

For eye conditions, a treatment using adult stem cells to treat corneal injuries has recently been approved. A treatment for macular degeneration using cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells is in progress, though it had to be redesigned due to concerns about cancer-causing mutations.

A path of cautious optimism

While scientists have good reason to be interested in stem cells, miracle cures are not right around the corner. There are many questions about how to implement treatments to provide benefit safely.

In some cases, advertised stem cell treatments may not actually use stem cells. Recent research suggests mesenchymal stem cells, which are commonly isolated from fat, are really a mixture of cells. These cells have regenerative properties, but may or may not include actual stem cells. Calling something a stem cell treatment is great marketing, but without regulation patients dont know what theyre getting.

Members of the public (and grad students) are advised to moderate their excitement in favour of cautious optimism.

Katharine Sedivy-Haley, PhD Candidate in Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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BEYOND LOCAL: Expert recommends 'path of cautious optimism' about the future of stem cell treatment - CollingwoodToday

The only country that has stood out in creating companies to offer stem-cell therapies has been Japan, while the other countries across the globe have been struggling to achieve the same. It has been five years since Japan has been legally allowed to extract stem cells from different skin biopsies, using them in the injections for chronic and complex diseases such as heart diseases. More than 3,700 treatments have received green light as a result of the regulatory laws being passed. However, a majority of the treatments and therapies have not passed the randomised, controlled, double blind clinical trial a global standard to prove its safety and effectiveness. Not having passed the trial proves its unreliability on the outcome of the treatment altogether.

Although, in fast need of getting therapies and products commercialised, many entrepreneurs and scientists across the world are looking to enter Japan for a more rapid route of getting their business started. Therefore, looking at the rush that various companies are in, in order to commercialise their products, the government is looking to introduce a stringent policy framework for better regulatory changes. This also forces other countries to keep an eye on the regulations to ensure ethical work is being conducted.

The law requires high quality processed stem-cells in certified cell-processing centres and treatments that need to be passed through an independent ethical-review board. While the double-blind clinical trials are expensive in Japan, as claimed by Japans Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, there are many ethical issues that are involved by giving placebos to people who are suffering from illnesses. This is the reason behind the need for stringent ethical laws that do not hamper the lives of people in any way and risking their health.

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Threatening regulatory policies for the birth giver of stem-cell technology - Medical Herald

A phase I/II trial run by the Dutch company ProQR has found that its RNA therapy could significantly improve the vision of people with Lebers congenital amaurosis, a rare genetic disease for which there is no treatment.

The RNA drug, called sepofarsen, is designed to treat people with a specific mutation in a gene called CEP290. This mutation causes the RNA transcript of the gene to have the wrong three-dimensional structure, blocking its translation into a protein. This, in turn, causes vision loss in the first few years of life.

Sepofarsen is an RNA molecule that specifically binds to the faulty RNA transcript to stabilize its structure and allow the retinal cells to produce the protein.

In a phase I/II trial run in the US and Belgium, the RNA drug significantly improved the vision of children and adults with this condition over a 1-year period.

In some cases the patients vision improved to a level that could be deemed life-changing, said Stephen Russell, a professor at the University of Iowa and principal investigator of the study.

The effects of the drug were stronger on patients that had a certain level of visual acuity to start with. These are ultimately the target population of ProQR, which is already running a phase II/III study that will follow the response of 30 patients over the course of 2 years. Results from that trial are expected in 2021 and will inform whether the FDA and the EMA approve the drug or not.

The main goal of the phase I/II trial was to determine the safety of sepofarsen. While the treatment caused cataracts in eight out of 11 patients, all of those who underwent lens replacement surgery recovered their vision. Other side effects of the drug on the eye were manageable with additional treatments.

There are hundreds of different genetic mutations that cause blindness. The rarity of each of these conditions individually has meant that many of them have no treatment available. In recent years, gene therapy has become an option to treat some of these conditions; the first was Luxturna, approved in 2017. Another approach that has only entered the first clinical trial this year is CRISPR gene editing, which is being carried out by Editas Medicine and Allergan.

In contrast, ProQRs RNA drug could provide an alternative approach that does not involve a permanent change in the DNA of retinal cells. The drug is instead delivered to the eye via injection every 6 months.

Still, each of these new treatments can only address one specific mutation of the many causing blindness. As all these new technologies are developed, together they could eventually provide solutions covering a wide range of these mutations.

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RNA Therapy Improves Vision in Untreatable Genetic... - Labiotech.eu

Contact: Emily Damm

Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill, center, signed a proclamation on Sept. 24 to designate Oct. 15 as White Cane Awareness Day, affirming the significant role that persons with disabilities have in the local community and recognizing the white cane as a tool of independence. Looking on were representatives from MSUs National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, Delta Gamma sorority, MSU Disability Support Services and local community members. The NRTC will host activities in honor of the occasion on MSUs Drill Field Oct. 15. (Photo by Emily Damm)

Mississippi States National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision is celebrating White Cane Awareness Day Oct. 15 and is inviting members of the university and local community to a range of activities on the Drill Field.

An informational booth from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. will feature:

The MSU sorority Delta Gamma, which supports the philanthropy Service for Sight, has partnered with NRTC to lead the obstacle course, which participants will complete with simulator glasses or blindfolds. In case of rain, the event will move to the first floor of the Colvard Student Union.

In September, Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill signed a proclamation to designate Oct. 15 as White Cane Awareness Day, affirming the significant role that persons with disabilities have in the local community and recognizing the white cane as a tool of independence.

This celebration started in 1964 when Congress adopted a joint resolution designating Oct. 15 as White Cane Safety Day. This day helped motorists and cyclists learn about the laws that affected people with blindnesslike stopping at crosswalks when they notice someone with a white cane. It has since been transformed from solely an awareness day to a celebration of the ways that people with disabilities contribute to society.

For more information, contact Emily Damm, NRTC Communications Specialist, at 662-325-6695.

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National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision hosts White Cane Awareness Day at MSU - Mississippi State Newsroom

By Express News Service

HYDERABAD:Prevalence of blindness and visual impairment is one of the highest in Telangana, as inferred from the National blindness and visual impairment survey in India report, released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.

The survey was conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi. 31 districts from 24 States and Union Territories were selected and 3,000 people from each district 3,000 people were surveyed. From Telangana, the erstwhile Warangal district was selected.

The survey reports that the prevalence of blindness was second highest in Warangal among the 31 districts, with a prevalence rate of 3.47 per cent, whereas the prevalence of visual impairment was 20.31 pc. The district with highest prevalence of blindness and visual impairment was Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh (3.67 and 21.82 per cent) respectively.

The survey was undertaken in Telangana in 2016, before the start of the States Kanti Velugu programme. The major reason behind people losing vision was found to be untreated cataract in 66.2 percent cases, and refractive error in 70.6 percent cases.

See the article here:
Prevalence of blindness, visual impairment high in Telangana - The New Indian Express

Last Updated On 10 October,201906:48 pm

In Pakistan, 2.2 million people are affected by blindness.

LAHORE (Web Desk) - World Sight Day is being observed across the world today to create awareness about the need to pay attention on vision impairment and blindness. This years theme is - Vision First.

In Pakistan 2.2 million people are affected by blindness while 20 million people are facing weakness of eyesight. Pakistan has also fallen on number three in the list of countries having more blind people.

Medical experts opine that the garbage in the metropolis city of Karachi is the main reason behind the vision impairment problems in the city.An eye expert said unnecessary use of electronic instruments can affect eyesight and only way to protect our self from such disease is to take care of our self by having healthy food.

Every year this day strives to create awareness about the need to give the necessary attention to eye care. International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness plans the world sight day each year. World Sight Day 2019 motivates people to pledge to take an eye exam and encourage others for the same. The theme for this year is - "vision first". This theme highlights the importance of an eye exam to prevent any possible eye disorder.

The target set by this year is to end eye disease by 2020.

Initially started by the Lions Club International Foundation as part of the Sight First campaign in the year 2000, World Sight Day is now coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under the VISION 2020 global initiative which aims to promote a world in which nobody is needlessly visually impaired.

The main aims of World Sight Day include:

To Raise public awareness of issues surrounding blindness and visual impairment.

To influence Governments, and in particular Health Ministers to participate in and donate funds to blindness prevention programmes.

To educate about blindness prevention.

To generate support for Vision 2020 programme and activities.

Across the world, events include seminars, donation drives rallies and online events. There is also an annual World Sight Day photography competition which is open to photographers both amateur and professional, anywhere in the world.

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World Sight Day observed to create awareness about vision impairment, blindness - Dunya News

The World Health Organisation report was published ahead of Christian Blind Mission Sunday on 13 October Photo: CBM

The first ever World Report on Vision, published by the World Health Organisation this week, highlights that more than a billion people are living with sight loss that could have been prevented or treated. Published ahead of World Sight Day on 10 October, the report provides a comprehensive review of the global evidence on blindness, visual impairment and access to eye health services worldwide.

The gaps highlighted in the report come as no surprise to us at Christian Blind Mission. For decades, we have been working in the worlds poorest places to strengthen sight-saving eye health services, working in partnership with local hospitals and health authorities to deliver more treatments for blinding diseases, train eye health workers and improve access to sight-restoring surgeries. A shocking 75 per cent of the worlds blindness is avoidable. That means every day, people are losing their sight because of diseases or conditions that could be prevented or treated.

The burden of needless blindness falls most heavily on the worlds poorest, where poor living conditions leave people at higher risk of disease and sight-saving treatment is often out of reach. The new report finds that rates of blindness in low- and middle-income countries are eight times higher than in high-income countries.

Too often, for people living in poverty, losing your sight also means losing the chance to go to school, earn a living or participate in your community. In many places, stigma against people with disabilities such as blindness for example the belief they cannot contribute to society results in discrimination and exclusion. We need an approach that both delivers eye health services and also tackles the wider barriers people face to inclusion everything from providing white canes and clear signage to training health workers to address the needs of patients with disabilities.

This week, churches across the UK are joining the fight against avoidable blindness by taking part in Christian Blind Mission Sunday. On or around 13 October, more than 140 churches are getting involved, inspired by Jesus radical example of solidarity with, and compassion for, marginalised people, to learn, pray and fundraise, to help reach people living with avoidable blindness.

In many churches, Christian Blind Mission Sunday will include the story of Jesus healing of a man born blind in Johns gospel (9:1-9). But stories of children, men and women living with avoidable blindness today will also feature people like Shalom, from Uganda, East Africa.

Shalom was three years old when her mother, Fridah, noticed she was blinking and squinting a lot in the sun. Now aged five, Shalom can barely see and had to stop going to school. Other children have been cruel to her, calling her names and throwing her toy doll, knowing that she will struggle to find it and pick it up.

Pic: CBM

Her mother told us: Shalom also wakes up and asks me: 'Mummy, am I also going to school today?' I tell her that she will go back to school when her sight is better.

Shaloms sight loss was caused by cataracts, a condition that clouds the lens of the eye. Cataracts cause half of all blindness and can be treated with straightforward surgery. While they mostly affect older people, some children are born with cataracts. For them, treatment is vital within a few years, or their blindness will be life-long. A cataract operation costs less than 100 for a child, just 24 for an adult, as they dont need general anaesthetic. But for families like Shalom, living in poverty, the cost of treatment or even transport to reach it is simply out of reach.

Thanks to initiatives like Christian Blind Mission Sunday and the vital funds they raise, CBM is working with hospitals, health authorities and other partners in Uganda and many other low-income countries to ensure that children like Shalom can access treatment, so they dont face a lifetime of needless blindness simply because they are poor. In the areas where we work, weve seen major progress, with stronger, more accessible and affordable eye-health services delivering hundreds of thousands of eye examinations, pairs of glasses and sight-restoring surgeries every year. But, as the WHO report finds, global efforts need to be dramatically scaled up if were to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

The theme for this years Christian Blind Mission Sunday is Out of sight, out of mind, because too often, the needs of people with blindness or visual impairment have been ignored or overlooked, within their own communities and also on a global stage. We hope that the WHOs World Vision Report marks a pivotal moment, galvanising global action to improve eye health services, especially for the worlds poorest.

Kirsty Smith is Chief Executive CBM UK

Christian Blind Mission (CBM) is an international organisation working in the worlds poorest places to prevent blindness, improve health and transform the lives of people with disabilities. http://www.cbmuk.org.uk

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Out of sight, out of mind: Why we must open our eyes to avoidable sight loss - The Tablet

Most people like their Halloween costumes to be as accurate as possible, but changing your eye color to match it is potentially more dangerous that most aspects of costuming.

An FDA report from July 31st details the dangers of decorative contact lenses and how to avoid damage when looking for the right non-corrective lenses.

First of all, FDA warns against purchasing contact lenses over-the-counter or as cosmetics, as they are a regulated medical device, which means it is against the law to sell them in this manner.

Secondly, contact lenses are not one size fits all. An eye doctor must measure your eye to properly fit the lens in your eye and judge how your eye reacts to it. Poor contact lens fitting can cause serious damage, including cornea scratches, corneal infection, conjunctivitis, decreased vision, and blindness.

In addition, sellers of non-prescription lenses may give inadequate instruction of how to clean and care for contacts. Failure to do so can lead to infection, which causes further eye problems.

Regarding where non-prescription lenses are commonly sold, the FDA recommends to avoid purchasing contacts from street vendors, salons, beauty stores, boutiques, flea markets, novelty stores, Halloween stores, record or video stores, convenience stores, beach shops, and Internet shops that do not require a prescription. Places like these are not authorized to distribute contact lenses. In addition, the FDA also says that some lenses sold in this manner may be counterfeit products not approved by the administration. You can talk with your eye care provider if you have questions. If you find a website you think is illegally selling contact lenses over the internet, you should report it to FDA.

To safely wear decorative contacts, the FDA says to take these steps:

Link:
FDA report warns of danger involving decorative contacts and how to avoid it - WQAD Moline

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On World Sight Day, the Tej Kohli Foundation says that a focus on new technologies is needed to accelerate the global mission to end curable corneal blindness worldwide. The Foundation is currently funding the clinical trials and development of a liquid biosynthetic solution that could offer an accessible, scalable and affordable solution to corneal blindness that would be relevant to many of the 12 million people worldwide who suffer from this type of blindness.

The thesis of the Tej Kohli Foundation is that humanitarian efforts the world over will be greatly advanced by exponential growth technologies such as AI, robotics and genomics. The Foundation behaves like a venture fund by backing, incubating, acquiring and accelerating the development of technology solutions. Only successful projects secure further funding support, leaving the Foundation agile to back the projects that will have the greatest impact.

Blindness is heavily impacted by poverty. According to the WHO, 14 million of the 39 million people who are blind live in India. 12.7 million people are currently waiting for a cornea transplant, including 6 million in India. The Tej Kohli Foundations Cornea Institute at the LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad already conducts thousands of corneal transplants every year using donor cornea, largely for free. The Foundation recently cured five brothers and sisters in the same family from Rajasthan who had all been suffering with long-term visual impairment.

But the limited supply of donor cornea and the need for invasive surgery means that worldwide less than 1 in 70 will receive a cornea transplant each year. Artificial cornea or keratoprotheses are expensive and can cost up to US$20,000. The Tej Kohli Foundation is backing the development of technological solutions, because ending corneal blindness will require an affordable, accessible and scalable solution that does not rely on transplantation.

The Tej Kohli Foundation previously backed methods of synthesising artificial cornea from yeast and peptides, but new advances mean it has switched this funding to the development of the liquid biosynthetic, which aims to work by causing the regeneration of corneal tissue. The pro-regeneration tissue replacement could avoid the need for expensive corneal grafting and be applied in less than thirty minutes to fill a perforation or to repair a corneal ulcer.

In July 2018 the Tej Kohli Foundation also made a $2m gift to Massachusetts Ear and Eye, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, to fund innovation in research into nano-string and DNA-sequencing technologies for early diagnostics and prevention, as well as GelCORE, an adhesive biomaterial for replacing corneal tissue.

Michael Macfarlane, spokesperson for the Tej Kohli Foundation:

There are limits to the number of corneal transplants that can take place each year, especially in poor and remote rural areas. The Tej Kohli Foundation is a global focal point for scientists and others who are developing pioneering treatments in this field. Our mission is to work with a range of partners in our goal to eliminate corneal blindness by 2035.

Tej Kohli, co-Founder of the Tej Kohli Foundation:

Eliminating corneal blindness is what I am most passionate about. I favour a venture-led approach to philanthropy whereby we bring people together and provide the funding to accelerate the development of solutions that might bring us a step closer to ending corneal blindness. The way that we run our Foundation is directly aligned with how we manage our commercial ventures and investments, and this approach means we can drive greater progress from every pound or dollar or rupee that we spend on achieving our mission.

Find out more about the Tej Kohli Foundation at: http://www.tejkohlifoundation.com

A video about a family of five siblings having their long-term visual impairment cured by the Tej Kohli Foundation is available to embed using this link: https://youtu.be/Pmcb9pRxOSs

A video interview with Wendy and Tej Kohli in which they talk about the work of the Tej Kohli Foundation is available to embed using this link: https://youtu.be/JgOO4Cs-jnw

A video about the Tej Kohli Cornea Program is available to embed using this link: https://youtu.be/2zUBtj6H7GM

A video about the Tej Kohli Cornea Institute is available to embed using this link: https://youtu.be/lkZmI8lkpm8

About The Tej Kohli Foundation

The Tej Kohli Foundation was launched by Wendy and Tej Kohli in 2005 as a focal point for their global philanthropic endeavours. The Foundation includes:

http://www.tejkohlifoundation.com

About Tej Kohli

Tej Kohli is a London-based investor and entrepreneur with a well-publicized mission to cure corneal blindness worldwide by 2035. He first rose to success during the dotcom boom selling technology solutions and e-commerce payments software before becoming a real estate investor in technology hubs. He now focuses on high-impact investments into AI, robotics, biotech and genomics ventures. Tej Kohli is a Distinguished Alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur (IITK) where he completed a degree in Electrical Engineering.

http://www.tejkohli.com

END

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Tej Kohli Foundation advocates a scalable, accessible and affordable technology solution to end corneal blindness worldwide. - Business Wire

Kankakee County States Attorney Jim Rowe says when domestic violence happens, people often ask, Why doesnt she just leave?

Its pretty clear why victims dont just leave, said Rowe, a member of the Harbor House board, which provides emergency shelter for domestic violence victims. They are 70 times more likely to be killed within weeks of leaving a domestic violence relationship.

Speaking to the county board this week, Rowe said domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women and children.

When your choice is being homeless or to remain in a violent environment, you can imagine that its not as easy of a choice as why doesnt she just leave? he said. When you hear that in the community, respond with the question, Why doesnt the abuser just stop abusing? Run those words by them. Instead of investing their time in questioning victims, they can do a lot to empower survivors in our community by supporting Harbor House.

This is a particularly good message in October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Many of us, including me, have been guilty of asking the wrong question, implicitly blaming the victim. We should blame the perpetrator.

Often when someone is avoiding you, you cannot help but wonder, Was it something I said?

In the case of a reporter, the question becomes, Is it something I wrote?

This week, the city of Kankakee finally released the list of names of people it has blocked from access to its Facebook pages. As it happens, my Facebook account was one of 20 on the banned list for Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrongs official page, which is considered a public record.

I was banned on July 31, 2018, three days after my story on then-Police Chief Price Dumas appeared. It was about documents we obtained showing that Dumas searched the names of two mayoral critics in the state criminal database, which is only supposed to be used for legitimate law enforcement purposes. The chief abruptly resigned three weeks later.

Im guessing my story is what upset Wells-Armstrong. It certainly wasnt because of my interaction with the page. There was none.

Its not unusual for reporters to get the cold shoulder from sources unhappy with news coverage. But we strive to be fair with every source, whether were blocked or not.

For many partisan Democrats and Republicans, it can be difficult to see beyond party labels. They have trouble calling out whats wrong on their side a malady I like to call partisan blindness. This problem has become particularly acute with the Ukraine scandal.

How can anyone deny that Joe Bidens son, Hunter Biden, is cashing in on the family name? When his father was involved in Ukraine as vice president, Hunter was receiving $50,000 per month serving as a board member for a Ukrainian natural gas company, an industry in which he had no experience. This type of deal might be legal, but its unethical, although it happens far too often in our politics.

On the flip side, it was wrong for President Donald Trump to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son in apparent exchange for nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. Not coincidentally, Biden is the front runner for the Democratic presidential nomination and leading Trump in polls. No president should use his official powers to get another country to dig up dirt on a rival.

If something is wrong, it is wrong. It should not matter whether it involves a Democrat or a Republican.

David Giuliani is a reporter for the Daily Journal. His column As It Is expands upon regular news coverage. He can be reached at 815-802-5144 or dgiuliani@daily-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TDJ_dgiuliani.

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David Giuliani: The wrong question to ask - Kankakee Daily Journal

ILLUSTRATION BY NICK TAYLOR

What is the first news event you can recall?

I remember the Silver Jubilee clearly because we had a fancy dress street party in Sheffield. I dressed up as a Japanese girl with a too-big red kimonocultural appropriation hadnt been invented in 1977. I was six. Three years later, there was the bombing of Bologna train station by Italian neo-fascists. I remember hearing that one of the dead was a three-year-old girl and being unable to process how someone that young could become a victim of terrorism.

What is the biggest problem of all?

High humidity leading to rain and/or frizzy hair on a live broadcast. Alternatively, the idea that expertise doesnt matter, wisdom and experience count for little.

If you could spend a day in one place at one moment in history, when and where would that be?

I would choose Bucharest, outside the presidential palace in December 1989, watching Ceau sescu appear on the balcony and seeing how the mood of the crowd suddenly changes and sours about 10 minutes into his speech. You can actually see his expression change from dominance, to pure incomprehension until he realises hes reached his end. He was executed by firing squad four days later. I took my son to that spot a few years ago and in baking heat we played the old film footage as we sat on the ground underneath that very balcony.

What is your favourite quotation?

Time held me green and dying,/though I sang in my chains like the sea. Dylan Thomas. Ive had 30 years to think about what it means and I still dont know. But it makes me feel very mortal, and urgentas if there is still so much to do.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I have facial blindness. Its hugely embarrassing as it makes me seem supercilious or snobbish. You learn to create ambiguous greetings like Really nice to see you, which could cover an old acquaintance or someone youre meeting for the first time. My husband often stands behind me muttering she works in antiques, they gave us the fish kettle for our wedding, or you interviewed him for Newsnight last year, used to go out with Liz Hurley.

What frightens you most?

Miscarriages of justice. Sally Clark, for example, who lost her babies and was then accused of their murder. Cases like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe show the collateral damage of political spats between governments which could happen to anyone.

Who would you like to spend a day in the shoes of?

A person of deep religious faith. A monk, priest or a rabbi maybeIm curious to see how you would make the intellectual leap to just believing in something without constantly seeking rational evidence.

What has been your most awkward on-air moment?

When I interviewed a bloke wearing a balaclava on Newsnight. He refused to remove it and halfway through our interview he forgot he was wearing it, took a sip of water and couldnt find his mouth. Its quite hard to hold it together when that happens.

Emily Maitliss new book is Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News(Michael Joseph, 18.99). She will be at the Wimbledon Book Festival on 10th October

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What would people be surprised to learn about Emily Maitlis? "I have facial blindness" - Prospect

Alcon, a global leader in eye care, as a part of its public service initiative, has rolled out a cinema campaign to create awareness about the role of a timely cataract surgery in avoiding blindness in view of World Sight Day observed on October10.

Alcon teamed up with Khushi Advertising Ideas Pvt. Ltd., a cinema advertising agency, and created an ad that has compelled people to sit up and take notice. The 30-second ad starts with nothing but a blank screen with only sounds of birds chirping and a baby laughing. This continues for about 12-13 seconds and leaves the audience visibly perplexed. Some even wonder whether there is a projector malfunction, until the first visual comes up, which is only the text that reads 1,20,00,000* people in India see the world like this.

Through the remaining ad, this number goes up by one every three seconds and the copy below it reads Every three seconds someone is getting blind due to cataract. This is followed by the logos of Alcon and World Sight Day in the last two seconds of the ad.

Vishnu Telang

Such strong messaging has left the audience shaken and I am sure, also awakened, said Vishnu Telang, CEO, Khushi Advertising. The ad is a true example of how powerful, something so simple can be. No influencers, no flashy design, no product display and no logo presence through 98% of the ad. The simple yet impactful communication did the job brilliantly. I am certain that people will recall this ad and the effort of Alcon for a long time.

Shourav Das

Shourav Das, Senior Manager, Practice Development, Alcon India, said, We wanted to bring the focus of both patients and care-givers on how cataract potentially lessens the quality of life. Following an eye surgeons advice and not procrastinating a simple cataract surgery can help one get back to life and light. With World Sight Day, we were planning a series of activities to spread awareness on this subject, which actually is the largest cause of blindness in India and when Khushi came to us with the concept, we loved the idea and went ahead with it. We at Alcon are positive that this campaign will touch a lot of people and raise even more awareness about cataract and dispel the myths woven around it.

Gautam Dutta

Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR, said, This campaign is a perfect example of how cinema as a medium can be effectively used to spread awareness about health and social issues. Cinemas offer a captive and receptive audience who is more likely to absorb advertising communication and when the message is as powerful and relevant as this, the impact is massive. I am glad that Alcon and Khushi have made optimum use of this excellent advertising medium and created a campaign that is sure to open people's eyes to this grave issue."

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On World Sight Day, Alcon India and Khushi create awareness about timely cataract surgery to avoid blindness - Best Media Info

Google Maps has up to date its voice steerage system particularly so that folks with lowered blindness or visibility can transfer extra independently. That is the brand new operate.

Among the finest makes use of of expertise is when its positioned on the service of accessibility. Accessibility permits to compensate for the absences of these much less lucky, serving to them to be extra unbiased each day.

Right this moment is the flip of Google Maps, an software that everyone knows and that helps us transfer round daily. Within the newest replace you obtain a brand new voice steerage software, designed particularly for individuals with lowered visibility or blindness.

One of many biggest difficulties for an individual with blindness is to find new locations. Its simple to recollect the best way to these locations that youre used to go each day, however going to new locations is extraordinarily difficult with out eyes to information you.

Functions corresponding to Google Maps assist information us, and with the brand new characteristic they may also assist individuals who have imaginative and prescient issues. That is doable due to a operate that Google is beginning to show name Voice steerage .

This new operate goes a step past the small print that Google Maps leaves us once we use the navigation on foot, a operate that for the standard person is greater than full due to the knowledge we see on the display, however which resulted inadequate for customers with lowered imaginative and prescient.

As defined by Wakana Sugiyama, protagonist of the video, these skills make her, as a blind individual dwelling in Tokyo, really feel extra included in society by with the ability to transfer with higher independence.

This new characteristic needs to be deployed over the following few hours, so be sure to have the Google Maps software up to date.

Excerpt from:
Google Maps for blind people improves thanks to the new voice guidance - Herald Publicist

Astrophysics is not typically considered to be part of the humanities. Yet one class I took as a senior at university suggested otherwise. It left me in awe of the human mind.

With my own background rooted in the humanities, I found myself focusing on the way my professors described the cosmos. While the fantastical environments of black holes, white dwarfs and dark matter often took center stage, at the heart of each discovery was the human mind seeking to understand the unfamiliar.

Their tales of discovery made it clear that we often take our knowledge of the universe for granted. After all, the universe was not built for the human mind to understand. When we look up at the night sky, we see only a tiny fraction of what is out there. It is the task of the astrophysicist to develop a picture of the universe despite our overwhelming blindness.

I wanted to better understand how being human shapes our understanding of the universe. After talking to some of Princetons leading astrophysicists, one thing became clear: the discipline requires the human mind to be conscious not only of the universe but of itself (unless otherwise identified, all quotes are from these scientists).

Only 5 percent of the universe is normal, observable matter. Within this small fraction, the human eye can only perceive matter that emits light within a certain frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum. While birds can perceive magnetic fields and snakes can image in the infrared, we can detect only visible light. This range determines our picture of space, Adam Burrows explains. Our picture of space is, in that sense, a direct product of the human mind.

Rather than assume our picture wholly captured the universe, Jo Dunkley says that astrophysicists started wondering whether there might be other things filling our galaxies and universe that we cannot see. They designed telescopes to detect frequencies of light that lie beyond human perception, such as those of x-rays and radio waves. With these instruments, our picture of the universe became 5 percent complete.

The astrophysicists task then became one of using the visible to detect the remaining 95 percent. Einsteins laws of gravity provided a means of navigating the obscure. Because gravity depends solely upon mass, its effects can be seen irrespective of light production. As Dunkley explains, a massive, invisible object, such as a black hole, will attract a visible object, like a star.

While the Event Horizon Telescopes image of a black hole is one recent example, the strategy dates back as early as 1933. It was Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky who unwittingly first employed the technique when examining the behavior of galaxy clusters. He found the clusters to be far more massive than anticipated based on what was visible. He called the missing mass dark matter. Nearly 40 years later, American astronomer Vera Rubin confirmed its existence. While measuring the radial velocity of galaxies, she observed velocities incompatible with those predicted by the laws of gravity. The expectation had been that objects farther from the center of the galaxy orbited more slowly than those near the center. Rubin instead observed a constant velocity, meaning that there was no decrease at the fringe of the galaxies. In order for this to be possible within the laws of physics, there must be more to space than meets the eye, Dunkley explains. The mass existed, it just had yet to be detected.

Neta Bahcall explains that its the laws of gravity that render this dark matter indirectly observable. They allow astrophysicists to determine how much of the universe is invisible without knowing exactly what the darkness is. James Jeans once likened the situation to Platos well-known allegory, where imprisoned in our cave, with our backs to the light, we can only watch the shadows on the wall. The comparison is apt. Counterintuitively, the shadows here represent what is visible, and the light represents what we cannot see or even imagine. With this technique, dark matter came to contribute 27 percent to our cave drawing of the universe.

The 68 percent of the universe absent from our drawing is still unknown. But, in 1998, that unknown was given a name: dark energy. It emerged as a means of explaining the universes anomalous expansion. In the 1990s, astrophysicists thought that the universes rate of expansion would gradually decrease. The laws of gravity predicted that the matter filling the universe would begin to pull itself together as time went on, thus slowing the universes expansion. Yet this turned out not to be the case. The expansion was accelerating. Very little is known about dark energy, and so our picture of the universe remains far from complete.

The problems facing our picture of the universe are not limited to what we can perceive. As Ed Turner explains, our mind and the culture in which it was formed condition the way we explore the universe. Because of this particular conditioning, we have mental blind spots for the cosmic phenomena that run counter to human intuition and understanding. For instance, Turner claims that the mind is predisposed to see things as statistically significant when they might not be. We erroneously perceive patterns in the spacing of stars and of the planets in the solar system, seeing them as though they were arranged.

There are other properties of the mind that get in the way of seeing the truth, according to Turner. Consider, for instance, our belief that massive objects must take up space. It is not a direct relationship: we accept that a piece of lead is more massive than a pillow, even though the latter is larger. At the extremes, however, we expect some positive correlation between the two. The extreme physical environment of a neutron star then poses problems. As Michael Strauss suggests, the star is so dense that a thimbleful of neutron star material has the mass of 70 million elephants. We cannot help but wonder: where is all the mass?

We are blinded by being human when we look at something larger than the human experience, Robert Lupton explains. It becomes further apparent when we are confronted with counterintuitive phenomena like white dwarfs and black holes. White dwarfs decrease in size as they become more massive, says Joshua Winn, and for black holes, all mass is compressed to zero size. While we cannot see the black hole, giving the phenomena a name allows us to imagine it. The same could be said of dark matter and dark energy, explains Dunkley. As with the previous analogy, language provides a means of overcoming our initial blindness to interact with these cosmic phenomena.

Astrophysicists encounter another blinding property of the mind when considering the nature of space: we can only visualize in three dimensions. In order to imagine the geometry of space namely whether it is flat or curvedwe would need to be able to think in four dimensions, says Dunkley. For instance, to determine the curvature of a ball, we first picture the ball in three dimensions. Therefore, to determine a three-dimensional curve, the mind would need to picture the four-dimensional object.

This need arises when astrophysicists contemplate the expanding universe and relativity. For the former, the task is to conceptualize a three-dimensional universe that exists in a loopan impossible visualization, for connecting every dimension would create a four-dimensional object. For the latter, in order to explore the relativistic behavior of spacetime, the task is to imagine a three-dimensional space deformed by gravityanother impossibility.

In both cases, two-dimensional analogies facilitate understanding. Dunkley likens the universe to a piece of string attached at both ends to create a loop, and then relies upon language to bridge the-dimensional gap. We would connect every side of space, such that no matter the direction we traveled in, we would always return to our starting point, she explains. Similarly, in his 1915 paper on general relativity, Einstein used a trampoline as a two-dimensional analogue for space. He then turned to language to illustrate how placing a massive object upon the stretchy surface creates a third, vertical dimension. The same principle applied in more dimensions, he argued: massive objects bend space. While we are still unable to visualize the four-dimensional phenomena, Dunkley says that through these linguistic analogies, we can imagine the consequences.

In this manner, astrophysicists stretch the mind to see the universe from an external perspective, says Turner. Burrows speaks of retraining the brain by developing a new language better suited for the conversation between the cosmos and the individual. The environment of the universe is so different from our daily environment that often we cannot imagine it, according to Joel Hartman. Take, for instance, the size of the universe and the number of stars within it. The language of mathematics, grounded in scientific notation, logarithms and orders of magnitude, allows us to grapple with the cosmos where words fall short, explains Burrows.

Similarly, when considering the four-dimensional universe, mathematical measurements provide astrophysicists with an invaluable means of navigating the obscure. Just like in two dimensions, explains Dunkley, if the geometry of space is flat, then parallel lines, like light rays, stay parallel always. If the space is curved, then they will either come towards each other in a positively curved universe or splay apart in a negatively curved one. To return to the language of Platos cave, it seems that by measuring the shadows before us, we are able to conceptualize, in part, the nature of what remains out of sight and out of mind.

Even with this universal language of mathematics, astrophysicists still resort to biological terms to describe certain cosmic phenomena. Turner describes how astrophysicists speak of the birth and death of stars, as though they were alive. More extreme is the twin paradox devised to facilitate a correct conception of time. We are accustomed to thinking of time as strictly linear and independent, but Einsteins theory of relativity says that probably is not the case. Time passes more slowly when close to massive objects.

To overcome our intuition, astrophysicists imagine taking two twins and somehow sending one of them to spend time near a black hole, [so that] she would actually age more slowly than [her] Earth-dwelling partner, explains Dunkley. The physical manifestation of aging allows the mind to grapple with the nonuniformity of time, for we are able to envision two differently aged twins despite the semblance of a paradox.

While there are certainly properties of the mind that get in the way of seeing the truth, as Turner says, the fact that it is human allows us to engage with the universe. The lives of stars and the twin paradox are just two examples of astrophysicists making sense of the unfamiliar through our own biology. After all, it is the mind of the astrophysicist that must first identify its blind spots and then devise techniques to overcome them. In that sense, astrophysics and humanism go together in a wonderfully unexpected way. As the literary critic Leo Spitzer once wrote, the humanist believes in the power of the human mind of investigating the human mind.

So often the predominant reaction to astrophysics focuses on how vast the universe is and how insignificant a place we hold in it. It would be far better to flip the narrative to see the marvel of the mind exploring the cosmos, human lens and all.

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How Mere Humans Manage to Comprehend the Vastness of the Universe - Scientific American

Medics recommend that all children have an initial eye exam before the age of four.

It is important to make sure children's eyes are checked for better school performance and to avoid preventable blindness that can only be treated during childhood, Abu Dhabi parents have been told.

On the occasion of World Sight Day (October 10), experts from the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's pioneering Eye Institute urged parents to arrange eye examinations for their children. Left uncorrected, impaired vision in children impacts quality of life, including lower academic achievement, and can result in permanent visual loss that is not treatable after childhood, an expert said as part of the 'Vision First!' programme.

The medics recommend that all children have an initial eye exam before the age of four. If parents suspect a child has an eye problem, they should be examined, whatever their age is. This allows causes of preventable blindness to be treated during childhood.

Dr Arif Khan, a paediatric ophthalmologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, has explained that a child's visual system is not set at birth. "It depends upon visual experience and continues to develop until the age of around seven or eight, with the first few years of life being a particularly critical period," he said. "At least four per cent of children have visual impairment that is only treatable during childhood. Detecting visual problems during childhood, when they are most amenable to treatment, can have a tremendously positive impact on the child's future."

While some paediatric eye conditions can be relatively easy for parents to spot, the majority can only be detected with an eye exam, particularly if the condition affects just one eye. There is a clear link between poor vision and lower academic performance in children. While most schools in the UAE provide eye exams for students, doctors are keen to highlight that waiting until a child has started school to correct some problems can be too late.

"It's important that people think about putting vision first. Children are never too young for an eye exam," said Dr Khan.

He said that he recently saw a child referred for a second opinion. The child was suffering from frequent headaches and blurred vision and had been diagnosed with neurological disease as the cause. A specialised eye examination revealed that the source of his symptoms was an undiagnosed need for glasses. After receiving the proper prescription glasses, the headaches stopped.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

Ismail Sebugwaawo

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Parents in UAE urged to check kids' eyes to avoid preventable blindness - Khaleej Times

One in eight persons above 50 years in India is a diabetic; One in every 46 diabetics is blind; and one in seven has some form of impairment in their vision due to high blood sugar levels, according to a diabetes and diabetic retinopathy survey by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in collaboration with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare carried out between 2015 to 2019.

Of 56,771 persons over 50 years of age assessed in 21 districts, up to 11.8 per cent (6,717) were found to be diabetic. The highest prevalence of diabetes (over 20 per cent) was observed in Thrissur, Kerala (29.4 per cent), North Goa (24.7 per cent), Kapurthala in Punjab (22 per cent) and Virudhunagar in Tamilnadu (21.2 per cent).

Of the total diabetic population of 6,717 persons, 144 persons were blind and 923 persons were visually impaired. Prevalence of blindness among diabetics was 2.1 per cent and visual impairment 13.7 per cent, states the report.

In all the diabetics, 16.9 per cent had diabetic retinopathy or damage to retina, 7 per cent had diabetic maculopathy or damage to macula, a part of the eye which provides central vision, and 3.6 per cent had sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy, the report estimated. Globally, diabetic retinopathy is responsible for 1.06 per cent of blindness and 1.16 per cent of visual impairment, according to 2015 estimates.

The reason for diabetes leading to blindness and visual impairment was linked to poor blood sugar control among patients. While most of patients surveyed (85.7 per cent) were on oral tablets for diabetic management, only 39.5 per cent of known diabetics had controlled their random blood glucose to less than 200 mg per dL.

Up to 60.5 per cent had poor control of sugar. And a majority of the diabetics had never sought an eye check-up. Poor awareness regarding the health, 90 per cent of known diabetics had never gone for fundus evaluation for diabetic retinopathy, states the report.

In India, there are an estimated 7.296 crore cases of diabetes in adults. While urban prevalence is between 10.9 to 14.2 per cent, rural prevalence is between 3 to 7.8 per cent among population which is over 20 years and there is much higher prevalence in population over 50 years.

See the article here:
One in 7 diabetics is visually impaired: Survey - BusinessLine

- Leticia Vidza, a 16-year-old girl from Cape Coast has had her eyesight restored after 4 years of blindness

- This followed a 30-minute surgery by a joint team of American and Ghanaian eye specialists

- Vidza benefited from a free cataract surgery project between the Himataya Cataract Project (HCP) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS)

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in - Our Manifesto

A 16-year-old girl identified as Leticia Vidza from Cape Coast, Central region, who was compelled to curtail her education after she lost her sight four years ago has had her vision restored.

Leticia Vidza underwent a 30-minute surgery performed by a combined team of American and Ghanaian doctors to remove a cataract from both eyes at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH).

The 16-year-old girl benefited from eye specialists performing free eye operations on some 600 patients with eye defects.

Vidza could not hide her joy with tears running down her cheeks at seeing once again after the plasters were taken off.

The elated girl told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) she would immediately resume school to continue with her education.

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Photo credit: myjoyonline.comSource: UGC

Vidza recounted her predicament while revealing it all started in school when suddenly she could not see from afar.

She revealed that her ''parents did their best, sending me to hospitals but my condition worsened until I went totally blind. I am very excited and I cant wait to see my friends.''

The free cataract surgery initiative, is a joint programme between the Himataya Cataract Project (HCP), an American Non-Governmental Organisation, Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the CCTH is expected to benefit nearly 600 cataract patients in Cape Coast.

Dr Oscar Debrah, Country Representative of HCP, revealed more than 1,000 patients were screened in Cape Coast and its surrounding communities.

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Meanwhile, the resilience of Berdanette Adams, the wife of a former French footballer, Jean-Pierre Adams, has given meaning to staying true to one's vows which has resonated with many globally. Berdanette has reinforced what it means to stay with ones partner, for better or for worse.

Despite the current state of her husband, Jean-Pierre Adams, who is still in coma for nearly 40 years now, Berdanette continues to stay true to her love and has many marvelled.

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Tears flow as 16-year-old girl sees light for the first time after 4 years of blindness - YEN.COM.GH

Over the past few months Bernie Sanders has often remarked that hes in great shape. I am blessed to have been in good health my entire life, he told the Washington Post earlier this year. I honestly cant remember the last time I missed work because of illness. I bought it: The guy seemed reasonably fit and sharp. Then, last week, he suffered a heart attack.

Given his age, its not all that surprisingabout a fifth of men in their 60s and 70s have heart disease; by age 80, nearly a third do. On Inauguration Day, he will be 79, which makes him 40 years older than the oldest of millennials, his most devoted demo. That also makes him the oldest serious contender, but many of his opponents arent spring chickens, either: Joe Biden will be 78, Donald Trump 74, and Elizabeth Warren 71.

This grayest-ever crop of frontrunner candidates has made some people wonder whether there should be a legal age limit on running for president. Indeed, other fields turn aging employees out to pasturecommercial airline pilots, employees of the United Nations, and judges in many states arent allowed to practice into their 70s. So isnt it conceivable that the presidency of the United Statesby many measures literally the hardest job in the worldshouldnt go to someone prone to senior moments? And if we have a lower age limit, why not an upper one?

Consider that Jimmy Carter, the oldest living president at 95, said recently, If I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I dont believe I could undertake the duties that I experienced when I was president.

I recently called up some other accomplished older people to see what they thought about an aging president. Their responses were not exactly encouraging.

A 96-year-old museum docent barked, I have absolutely no interest in talking to you about that, and hung up.

The oldest mayor in the United Stateswho is 80 and runs the city of Stafford, Texastold me in an email that he would be happy to visit by phone but then never got around to calling me back.

An 87-year-old retired CEO said, Hold on, let me get out of my wheelchair. No, Im just kidding. Are you young and pretty? Will you go out with me? No, Im just kidding.

After that initial round of interviews, you can guess I wasnt exactly bullish about the idea of a president pushing 80. So I decided to check in with the experts: scientists who study how the aging process affects our bodies and minds. They painted a very different picture.

Nir Barzilai, an endocrinologist with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, studies the genes of a group of long-lived Ashkenazi Jews. Barzilaiwho is prone to comments like Age means nothing to me! and I know someone who just went to Machu Picchu for her 100th birthday!has been able to show that about 60 percent of the 100-year-old women hes studied have certain unusual mutations in their growth genes. We have discovered longevity genes, he said. Unfortunately, he then added, Do the candidates have them? I have no idea.

Short of sharing a full genetic sequencing, Barzilai says that family history is a pretty good predictive factor. That bodes well for Trump, Warren, and Biden, whose parents all lived well into their 80s. But then what to make of Sanders, who has already outlived both of his parents by several decades (and is expected to make a full recovery from his heart attack)?Barzilai acknowledges its not just about genes; social and environmental circumstances also help determine how long and how well a person lives.

I found out that more powerful predictors of both longevity and cognitive stabilitymore powerful than even geneticsare three external factors: education, race, and wealth. Countless studies have found a correlation between income level and lifespan; a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for example, found that on average, the richest 1 percent of American men live 14.6 years longer than the poorest 1 percent; for women the difference is 10.1 years. Thats not surprising: Being wealthy means you have access to good health care and good control over your diet and exercise.

Relatedly, education level matters, tooand even more so along racial lines. In 2012, University of Illinois at Chicago gerontologist and public health researcher Stuart Jay Olshansky sorted deaths in the United States by age, race, and number of years of schooling. He found that on average, black men who hadnt finished high school lived 14.2 years less than white men who had completed 16 or more years of education; for women that figure was 10.3 years. (Its important to note that these racial differences probably have to do with lack of opportunity for African Americans, not any biological difference.)

Education also seems to have a strong protective effect against dementia: A 2018 University of Southern California study found that most people who have graduated from college can expect to prevent cognitive decline into their 80s, while people with a high school education often begin to experience it in their 70s. Its not that education actually prevents the changes in the brain associated with dementia, explained Joe Verghese, another Albert Einstein gerontologist. Rather, education seems to help people compensate for those changes. The theory is that people who are highly educated and intellectually engaged will be able to stave off the effects of this disease, he said.

When you consider these external factors, good genes dont seem as important. All of the presidential candidates are wealthy; all are exceptionally well educated. Take Sanders: Its valid to speculate that perhaps one reason he has lived so much longer than his parents is that he has a college degree and robust finances, while his parents were poor immigrants who worked all their lives.

University of Illinois Olshansky used actuarial tables to calculate the lifespan and healthspan of each candidatebasically, the risk that theyll die or become cognitively or physically disabled while in office. Taking into account wealth and education level he found that all the contenders stand at least a 76.8 percent chance of surviving their first term, most of them higher. (For most, the odds of living through a second term are also high, though for Sanders and Biden, they drop to 66 percent and 70 percent respectively.)

So its likely that by dint of privilege and circumstance, even the oldest contenders stand a pretty good chance of surviving the presidency. Fair enough. But that still left me wondering about their mental health and general with-it-ness. Would they, too, last?

The geriatric psychologists I talked to all assured me that contrary to popular belief, elderly people are no more prone to depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders than their younger counterparts. Ellen Langer, a Harvard University psychologist who specializes in geriatric patients, railed against the stereotype of the socially weird old person. Its not that their age-addled brains make them behave strangely; rather theyve mastered the fine art of not caring. At 30 you might be mortified that you have spaghetti sauce on your shirt and you have to go a meeting, says Langer. At 70, you might say, Please excuse this, as you can see I was excited about the spaghetti I was eating!

In short, Langer says, life experience leads to perspective. And if you have those qualities, so what if you still think people listen to records? What are millennial staffers for, if not to show the president how to, say, use an iPad for briefing updates? (Speaking of millennials, maybe its time we rethink the requirement that a president must be at least 35, which hasnt changed since Continental Congress delegate Tench Coxe wrote that the president cannot be an idiot, probably not a knave or a tyrant, for those whom nature makes so, discover it before the age of thirty-five, until which period he cannot be elected. Today, you could probably figure all that out from a 25-year-old candidates Twitter feed. And we know people can act tyrannical across ages.)

In any case, the gerontologists told me that age wouldnt play a major role in their decision on Election Day. And their research suggests that setting a legal age limit for president probably doesnt make sensethough that may end up being irrelevant: The way things are looking now, Americans wont have much of a choice but to vote for someone who was born before there were zip codes or magic markers or antihistamines. Thats too bad, since there are signs that Americans are clamoring for younger, more diverse political leadershipsee, for example, the upwelling of enthusiasm for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her squadmates. And last year, when I was talking to voters about the 44-year-old African American Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, I heard over and over from people who were thrilled to see a candidate that finally looked like them.

In this country, the same set of extreme social privileges that propel someone to the position of frontrunner presidential candidate also protect against the typical ravages of old age. And that single fact, for better or worse, is a stronger predictor of candidates health than any senior-moment gaffe they might have over the coming months. Its entirely possible, Olshansky told me, that some of these folks running for president are super-agers. We should all be so lucky.

Image credit, from left:Bill Clark/Getty; Mario Tama/Getty; Chip Somodevilla/Getty; Joe Raedle/Getty

Read more:
It's No Coincidence That the Top Presidential Candidates Are All So Old - Mother Jones

In his all-conquering career, its the final, elusive frontieran impossible dream that Eliud Kipchoge will now try to make a reality.

The 34-year-old has done it allOlympic gold, world title, the marathon world recordbut there is one thing he has yet to tick off his bucket list: a sub-two-hour marathon.

Many ideologies [have] been going that no human will break the two-hour mark but personally, I have dared to try, Kipchoge said in a video of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge documentary series. I am doing it to make history.

He is, without question, the greatest marathoner of all time, but in a park in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday, Kipchoge will aim for immortality. The start time for the event will be 8:15 a.m. in Vienna; 2:15 a.m. ET.

Fans know that he has come close before. In May 2017, the Kenyan clocked 2:00:25 on a formula one racetrack in Monza, Italy, during Nikes Breaking2 project. It was the fastest marathon ever run, but did not count as an official world record because of the use of rotating pacemakers.

Kipchoge went on to set the official world record at last years Berlin Marathon, running 2:01:39 to carve 78 seconds off the previous mark. Shortly after winning his 10th straight major marathon in London this past April, he announced his next project: the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

In his bid to push back the boundaries of human ability, he thinks hell have more than luck on his side. I have a rich experience from Monza, he said. I am confident I will beat the mark.

Many of the people close to Kipchoge are as confident as he is. His manager, Valentijn Trouw, has overseen his preparation. In an interview with Runners World on Wednesday, he said Kipchoge is primed for the task.

If we look at the whole training circle and compare it with preparations for London (in 2019) or Berlin (in 2018), he is in a nice position, Trouw said.

I am confident I will beat the mark.

Trouw paid several visits to Kipchoge as he trained for the attempt in Kaptagat, Kenya, and having been there for every step of Nikes Breaking2 project, he sees a difference in Kipchoges mindset this time.

Two years ago he was training his mind for seven months to convince himself he could do it. The moment we talked about this, Eliud had that internal feeling: If I train well and it all comes together on the day, Im going to do it.

No stone has been left unturned in preparation. With the financial backing of INEOS, a petrochemical company owned by the richest man in Britain, Jim Ratcliffe, every detail has been orchestrated to maximize Kipchoges chances.

The coursethe Prater park in Viennawas picked after a worldwide search using software to find locations that have ideal parameters in temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed, elevation, and precipitation at this time of year.

The race is scheduled to begin early on Saturday on the citys Reichsbrcke Bridge, and Kipchoge will then make a 1.2K run to the Praterstern roundabout, where the road has been resurfaced with a camber to maximize Kipchoges efficiency as he circles it.

The initial run to the park features an elevation drop of 16 meters and once there, Kipchoge will complete four laps of a 9.6K circuitand a final stretch to complete the full distancethat is almost completely flat, with just 2.4 meters of elevation change. After the four circuits,

Forty-one world-class distance runners have been recruited as pacemakers, and they will take turns in a different formation to that seen in the previous attempt. Five athletes will run in front of Kipchoge in a V-shape, with two athletes just behind him to either side, which was found during testing as the most efficient way to reduce drag. Officials from INEOS noted that Kipchoge and all the pacers are being tested both in and out of competition by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which is the same testing unit used by the World Marathon Majors.

The time Kipchoge runs will again not count as an official world record because of the use of rotating pacemakers and because he will be handed drinks from a bicycle rather than from a table, as required by the sports governing body (IAAF) for record-eligible races.

However, all other IAAF guidelines will be followed to ensure the achievement, if it happens, maintains a sense of credibility.

While Nikes attempt was not open to the public and took place on a near-deserted racetrack, this event is supposed to be the opposite, with organizers hoping close to 20,000 will line the roads in The Prater to lend their support.

Having a crowd is absolutely crucial, giving him that encouragement, bringing that energy, said Fran Millar, CEO of Team INEOS, in one of the documentary videos leading up to the event. Its going to be a huge boost for Eliud.

A car will once again be driven in front of the runners at a controlled pace of 2:50 per kilometer (4:33 per mile), with a line projected on the road for runners to follow.

During the race Kipchoge will consume a carbohydrate drink made by Maurten, a Swedish manufacturer, and every time he takes a drink from a bottle and discards it, it will be picked up and weighed to measure exactly how much was consumed, with feedback given to guide future intake.

The biggest performance gain, however, may come from Kipchoges shoes. Its a controversial topic in running given the slew of records that have fallen since Nike introduced its Vaporfly 4% during its Breaking2 attempt in 2017. The shoe features a carbon fiber plate to help propel athletes forward, and in April this year Kipchoge wore its latest version, the ZoomX Vaporfly Next%, which was 15 grams lighter and featured a thicker midsole.

In recent months, Kipchoge has been training with a new version of the shoe, which is set for release next year. It will be mainly a follow-on from the shoe he was using in Berlin and London, Trouw said. He has done quite a lot of training sessions in the shoe to get familiar.

At the time of publication Nike had not responded to questions about the shoes specifics, but an industry insider has told Runners World it is substantially more efficient than both previous editions.

Of course, the most important ingredient of all will be Kipchoges fitness. After the London Marathon in April he ran easy for four days and then took three weeks completely off running. For the next month he ran three to four times a week and hit the gym for two and a half hours on the other days, doing weight training, step aerobics and flexibility work.

That laid the foundation for what came next, with Kipchoge then following his usual four-month marathon buildup under the guidance of Patrick Sang, the coach and mentor who has steered his career for the past two decades.

Courtesy of INEOS 1:59 Challenge

Kipchoge typically ran a fartlek on Tuesdays, a long run on Thursdays and a hard session of intervals on Saturdays, with the rest of his week filled with easy to steady running.

A test event was organized in Vienna in late August, and while the plan was initially for Kipchoge to attend and familiarize himself with the course, he decided it was better to stay in Kenya and avoid the interruption to his training.

As a result he got his first look at the course on Tuesday after arriving in Vienna, where the 41 pacers have been practicing their formations all week. One of those is U.S. 1500-meter athlete Matthew Centrowitz, who spoke in glowing terms about Kipchoge at this years world championships.

Hes got the most unbelievable range of any athlete ever, Centrowitz said. We could all learn a little something from him about his longevity, the enjoyment he looks like he has even when hes struggling out there. If [he makes] history, thats something I want to be a part of.

Fellow Olympian Lopez Lomong was part of the pacing team during Nikes Breaking2 attempt, and the U.S. distance star is equally impressed by Kipchoge. Hes a very calm guy, dialed in, Lomong said. Theres a lot of things I like to emulate from him, how humble he is. He doesnt do it for himself, he does it for the community, to open the eyes of athletes that if he can do it, then we can do it as well.

Lomong is certain Kipchoge will achieve his goal, predicting a finishing time of 1:59:36, while Centrowitz is also confident, predicting 1:59:52.

As with all great sporting barriers, much of the challenge is mental. In that department, few can rival Kipchoge.

From my experience over many years he can block pain, put it at the back of his mind until the race is done, Kipchoges long-time physiotherapist Peter Nduhiu said in a documentary video showing his training. Its something that is so unique to him.

Kipchoges mental strength is something he takes seriously. He devours self-help books for ways to find a psychological edge.

Some people think its genetics, that you either have a strong mind or you dont, but its something you can train and improve, Trouw said. This is where day in, day out, Eliud gets stronger and stronger.

Trouw has been with Kipchoge in Vienna since Tuesday, and while he is cautious not to make any bold predictions, he sees in his star athlete as having a calm, cool confidence that bodes well as he prepares to go up against the ultimate barrier.

Eliuds mindset at the moment is really strong, Trouw said. He absolutely believes he is going to do this.

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What Will It Take for Eliud Kipchoge to Break 2-Hours? - runnersworld.com

DUBLIN, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global DNA Read, Write and Edit Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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The scope of the report includes DNA read, write and edit technologies, applications, industries, initiatives, patents, and companies. The markets for read, write and edit products and services are given for 2017, 2018, 2019 (estimated) and 2024 (forecast).

This report reviews the main read, write and edit technologies and explains why genetic variation is important in clinical testing and disease. It then discusses significant large-scale research initiatives that impact read, write and edit applications. Of particular interest is a discussion of population-scale sequencing projects throughout the world, and their likely impact. The main market driving forces for read, write and edit products and services are listed and discussed.

The report quantifies each of the main market segments. The read (sequencing) market is quantified by delivered format, including sequencing workflow products (sample preparation kits and reagents, sequencing instruments and consumables, and informatics) and sequencing services (clinical diagnostics and sequencing services to applied market customers).

The sequencing workflow products market is quantified by type, that is, DNA isolation and extraction; target enrichment; library preparation; and informatics/ecosystems. The sequencing instruments and consumables market is given by platform (Sanger, NGS, and 3GS).

The sequencing services market is analyzed by end-user application (applied, clinical, and R&D). Within sequencing services, the applied market is analyzed by end-user application (agriculture, biopharma, consumer, microbiology, population-scale genomics, synthetic biology and other).

Also within sequencing services, the clinical market is analyzed and quantified by disease category (cardiovascular, clinical microbiology and infectious diseases, Mendelian disorders, metabolic/immune disorders, neurology, oncology, reproductive health, and transplant medicine).

The DNA write (synthesis) market is quantified by product type (oligonucleotides, synthetic biology parts, genes, and RNA therapeutics). The oligonucleotide market is analyzed by application (gene editing, sequencing, PCR, FISH, microarray, gene synthesis and other). The gene market is quantified by gene type (standardized, value-added). Finally, the RNA therapeutics market is quantified by platform (RNA interference, antisense oligos, micro RNA modulation, and mRNA) and by disease category (cancer, hematology, musculoskeletal, neurology, and rare diseases).

The DNA edit (gene editing) market is quantified by application (agriculture, biopharma, diagnostics, and therapeutics); editing platform (CRISPR, meganuclease, TALEN, ZFN). The gene-editing agriculture market is analyzed by product type (crop/seeds, livestock). The gene-editing biotechnology market is analyzed by product type (kits and reagents, cell line engineering, animal models and services). The gene-editing therapeutics market is analyzed by disease category (eye and rare diseases).

Specific geographic markets discussed include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the rest of the world (ROW).

Industry sectors analyzed include next-generation sequencing; long-read sequencing; DNA synthesis; RNA therapies; and gene editing.

More than 320 companies in the read, write and edit industry are profiled in this report.

The author also provides a summary of more than 180 of the main industry acquisitions and strategic alliances that took place from January 2018 through June 2019, including key alliance trends.

Story continues

Market Summary

The DNA read, write and edit industry is at the beginning stages of its growth story; penetration of the key markets is still at an early stage. The data indicates that there is a significant future upside for sequencing across research, metagenomics, agriculture, synthetic biology, and clinical applications, among others.

The situation is similar for DNA writing and editing technologies, with clinical therapeutic applications, in particular, providing an enormous total available future market that is yet to be significantly penetrated. Major successes in this industry include the adoption of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for noninvasive prenatal testing; enabling the roles of synthetic DNA oligonucleotides and genes in the rise of the synthetic biology industry; and rapid adoption of CRISPR gene editing by research institutions and biopharma industries.

There is increasing interplay among the three DNA technology platforms, giving rise to innovative corporate strategies. For example, Arbor Biotechnologies employs sequencing, gene synthesis, and artificial intelligence to perform high-throughput discovery of biomolecules, including new CRISPR proteins.

Report Scope

Key Topics Covered

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights

Chapter 3 Overview

Chapter 4 Technology Background

Chapter 5 DNA Read, Write and Edit Initiatives

Chapter 6 DNA Read, Write and Edit Applications

Chapter 7 DNA Read, Write and Edit Industries

Chapter 8 Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances

Chapter 9 DNA Read, Write and Edit Markets

Chapter 10 Patents

Chapter 11 Nucleic Acid Read, Write and Edit Company Profiles

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7jlxd8

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com

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Analysis on the Global DNA Read, Write & Edit Market, 2017-2019 and Forecast to 2024 - Yahoo Finance