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4 steps to get those monkeys off your back – dvm360

August 7th, 2017 12:40 am

If you take emotional responsibility for everyone else's problems, putting their monkeys on your back and on your mind, you find yourself home at the end of every day in veterinary practice with no room for your own needs.

(Shutterstock.com)I filmed a video for Firstline a few months ago titled "Not my circus, not my monkeys. (Watch it here.) In it, a veterinarian (played by yours truly) is so buried under psychological "monkeys" from her job that at the end of the day, she doesnt have any room left for her personal "monkeys."

When I made the video, my original purpose was to take a light-hearted approach and raise awareness of a few of the underlying causes of veterinarian compassion fatigue and burn-out in private practice. What I didnt anticipate (my badsorry!) is that the video touched a raw nerve with a lot of our readers, and people were left asking, Yeah. I see that problem, and I have it! Now what? Give me some solutions already!

Over the past 15 years, there has been several things I've learned that have helped my emotional well-being and resilience. While I'm not a perfect monkey manager (who is?), the four activities on the following pages have saved my life. Try them.

Like me, over time you may experience greater practice satisfaction, be able to hand emotional monkeys back to your clients and co-workers and manage your own personal-life monkeys better. In the words of veterinary wellness thinker Kimberly Pope-Robinson, DVM, CCFP, "Nobody wants a monkey farm," so lets tame these little suckers ...

1. Practice self-awareness

The first step of monkey management is awareness of your thoughts and feelings in situations where clients or coworkers try to give you their monkeys. What do you feel when your client is asking you for a discount, trying to project their beliefs about money onto you? How do you feel when you read sad stories from other vets on Facebook? How do you respond when a coworker bullies you, either out-right or by being passive aggressive?

In the moment, you probably feel angry, sad, scared or guilty. You might feel a lump in your throat, or your heart might race, or your face might flush. In this moment, your lizard brain, the amygdala (Editor's note: A veterinary neurologist has a funny anecdote about it, actually), takes over and you've been emotionally hijacked by something that isn't your problem. When you're emotionally hijacked by somebody elses monkey, you let other people project their problems onto you. Fortunately, you also have the ability to deflect monkeys thrown your way.

When your emotions take over, the logical, thinking part of our brain has been overrided, and you're triggered into a fight-flight-or-freeze response. Recognizing the symptoms of an emotional hijacking in the moment can give you the power to stay centered and in control, and less likely to take somebody elses emotional monkey on as your own. Once you've recognized the signs of emotional hijacking, you can take steps to halt it, such as breathing, meditation or just stepping away for a moment before the monkey gets stuck to you and puts you in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

2. Recognize the monkey

When people feel ashamed about something, such as not being able to afford a car payment or to pay for veterinary services, it feels bad. Icky. Embarrassing. Uncomfortable. If they have a low level of emotional intelligence or they themselves have been emotionally hijacked in that moment, they'll look frantically for a target to off-load that bad feeling.

Unfortunately, without good monkey management skills, you're a perfect target for a client in the exam room. If you've practice self-awareness, checking in with yourself and noticing how you're feeling, you may be able to keep your own emotions under control and be in a better position to recognize when people are trying to hand off yucky emotional monkeys to you. Psychologist Dan Siegel from UCLA advises that we "Name it it tame it." For example, in the scene in my video where the pet owner with a puppy with parvo is manipulating the veterinarian with shame, the vet could head the monkey off at the pass by naming the monkey "shame" in her head. This prevents the veterinarian from accepting the monkey and being emotionally hijacked by the clients financial problems.

Monkey management becomes harder when we voluntarily take other peoples monkeys on as our own. In my own practice, I noticed that veterinarians who spent a lot of time reading the posts on the Not One More Vet Facebook page, a support group for struggling veterinarians, started to talk more negatively about the state of our profession. Dont get me wrongthat Facebook group and others like it are a wonderful resource for veterinarians on the brink of suicide or clinical depression, but if your life is going pretty good and you're pretty happy with your career, why on earth would you sabotage your own happiness by voluntarily saddling yourself with the monkeys of other people you've never met?

Positive monkey management starts with being willing to guard our own emotional and mental health. If people you talk to or things you read or places you go bring you down, stop, and take care of yourself right now.

3. Turn down the empathy (just a little!)

The third step of monkey management is cognitive attunement, or perspective taking. If you've been to any of my recent lectures, then you know Im crazy into perspective taking. I believe it transforms your ability to connect with clients and persuade them to follow your recommendations. Perspective taking is also critical in monkey management. Lemme explain.

Veterinarians are some of the most compassionate, hard-working, empathetic people I know. I want to take all of you, tuck you into bed and serve you tea because you take care of everybody before you take care of yourselves. The problem with too much empathy is that it actually inhibits you from doing your best work. When it comes to working with clients and coworkers, veterinarians need to understand the difference between perspective taking and empathy. Empathy is a feeling skill, and when you feel everything your client or coworker is feeling, you're grabbing that monkey off of them and sticking it onto yourself.

Perspective taking is a cognitive skill (and veterinarians are good at those!). You intellectually understand and respect your client's or coworkers perspective (monkey), but you dont take it on yourself. Understanding the monkey gives you clues on how best to interact with your client or coworker. Make sense?

Once you understand that, you can turn down the empathy meter (not a lot, just a little!) and turn up the perspective taking meter.

If you want to learn more about perspective taking and how to be better at it, come see me at a CVC near you.

4. Manage your relationships

The fourth part of monkey management is relationship management. Dan Siegels fascinating work in neurobiology often covers the "social brain." Humans are highly social mammals who've needed a tribe to survive throughout most of human history. In the past, expulsion from the tribe would have been life-threatening. Consequently, to best facilitate the tribe, our brain evolved to allow subconscious connections with other human brains.

One of those connections is found in mirror neurons. Basically, mirror neurons fire in our brain in response to the behavior of others and produce something called "emotional contagion." In emotional contagion, the most powerful person is the person sending emotionsor, in our case, monkeys. One way clients or coworkers unconsciously manipulate is through projecting contagious emotions that our mirror neurons pick up. In the past, picking up these signals was crucial to survival, as the sender was likely communicating that a saber-toothed tiger was about to eat the receivers baby. These days, however, toxic monkeys sent from clients or coworkers may hurt us more than help us. We have to decide what monkeys we let in and from whom.

In my video, the veterinarian had let in so many monkeys during the day she didnt have any space for monkeys from her husband. How many of you can relate to that? I know I can! If you want a quick primer on dealing with a negative coworker in situations like these, check out this Wharton School of Management tip I found helpful.)

Becoming skilled in monkey management provides us with invaluable perspective on ourselves and others. By increasing the awareness and management of our own feelings, we can better understand other people. That mindset sets a trajectory for us to skillfully handle all the monkeys that others throw our way and to stop being zookeepers for other people's emotional monkeys.

Dr. Sarah Wooten graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. A member of the American Society of Veterinary Journalists, Dr. Wooten divides her professional time between small animal practice in Greeley, Colorado, public speaking on associate issues, leadership, and client communication, and writing. She enjoys camping with her family, skiing, SCUBA, and participating in triathlons.

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China Regenerative’s Stem Cell Research Sparks Hope – Bloomberg

August 5th, 2017 4:45 pm

Bloomberg
China Regenerative's Stem Cell Research Sparks Hope
Bloomberg
Stem cells can become just about any sort of tissue, if cultivated correctly. With so many potential applications, the companies that perfect the use of stem cells first will stake a claim on massive profits. Hong Kong's China Regenerative Medicine is ...

and more »

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Gene Editing Could Stop Cancer, Diabetes and Bioterrorism: An Interview With CRISPR Scientist Jennifer Doudna – Newsweek

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Earlier this week, a team of scientists, led by a researcher at Oregon Health and Science University, published a paper showing its possible to alter human embryo DNA to prevent congenital disease. The study shows that CRISPR-Cas9 is certainly powerful. But in the fanfare and controversy surrounding the news, the public may have lost sight that CRISPR is also highly versatile.

Scientists are using the technology to develop effective treatment therapies for a range of diseases, including cancer, diabetes and communicable diseases. Other researchers applygene editing to solve agricultural problems,counter bioterrorism and clean up the environment.

Since CRISPR was first identified, geneticists have been adapting it in the laboratory as a tool that could be used to alter genetic codes of all living organisms. The study, published in Nature on Wednesday has incited a debate about the ethics of using CRISPR technology to alter human genes, which draws attention to the ongoing public fear that humanity will soon have the capacity to build designer babies.

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Newsweek spoke with Jennifer Doudna, a microbiologist at the University of California, Berkeley and co-discover of the breakthrough gene-editing technique, about how quickly the technology is advancing and the progress she expects to see in the future.

What do you make of the findings in the Nature study?

In a way its not a surprising study. Theres obviously been interest in the potential application of genome editing to curing genetic disease. Ultimately, if one could do this in the germline, it would be possible to get rid of disease-causing mutations at the beginning of life.

Whats really interesting here is that the study was conducted in a way that could create a path to the clinic, and to establish a procedure for doing gene editing that would be feasible in these embryos. The researchers largely achieved that.

Whats the one thing you say to people to try to assuage their the worries that were on the path to creating designer babies?

People say it wont happen in the U.S. but what about China? I am asked this question at cocktail parties. What about Asia? What about places that have fewer restrictions, and perhaps fewer cultural feelings against germline editing? Its entirely possible that there will be use of germline editing in those jurisdictions. I encourage the scientific and clinical communities around the world to not rush CRISPR to clinical research because I think it would be a shame if a powerful technology gets a black eye in the public perception, at least in terms of using it inappropriately.

Are there other ways to use this technology in a reproductive medicine setting that dont involve editing an actual embryo?

Perhaps in the not-too-distant future it will be possible to generate gametesmeaning eggs or spermfrom somatic cells in a person. Already it is possible to do this in animals. Once this is technically feasible in humans, doctors could use CRISPR for patients with a known genetic predisposition to something or certain mutations to generate gametes that could be used in an in vitro fertilization setting. This removes the issue of embryo editing, though it doesnt remove the issue of making changes that become heritable in the human germline.

Are you surprised by how fast this research has progressed?

Its been about five years since we published our paper describing the CRISPR system and how it could be used for genome editing. I never imagined back then that I would be reading this headline in the New York Times this week.

What are you working on that shows CRISPRs broad capabilities?

Im leading the Innovative Genomics Institute, a UC San Franciscopartnership aiming to bring genome editing to important problems in human health and the environment, which is aimed at bringing people who do fundamental research like me together with clinicians and plant biologists. Weve teamed up with neurosurgeons at UC San Francisco, and were developing ways to deliver gene-editing molecules into the brain. This has nothing to do with germline editing. This is therapy for neurological disease. Im very excited about the potential to use gene editing to correct mutations that could really benefit patients in the future.

We published a paper in Nature Biotechnology earlier this year showing how we can use CRISPR for editing DNA in the brains of mice. Were focused right now on Huntingtons disease and working in a couple of different animal models toinvestigate whether the approach has a therapeutic benefit in these animals. If that looks promising then we hope to make steps toward clinical trials with our partners at UCSF.

The vast majority of scientists right now who are working with gene editingand CRISPR in particularare focused on this type of application. Researchers are not trying to make heritable changes to DNA in humans. They are trying to make changes to DNA that would impact a patient in their lifetime and have a positive effect.

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Diabetes Drug Shows Promise Against Parkinson’s – WebMD

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The diabetes drug exenatide (Byetta) may do double duty as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests.

"This is a very promising finding, as the drug holds potential to affect the course of the disease itself, and not merely the symptoms," said senior study author Tom Foltynie, from University College London's Institute of Neurology.

"With existing treatments, we can relieve most of the symptoms [of Parkinson's] for some years, but the disease continues to worsen," he said in a university news release. "This is the strongest evidence we have so far that a drug could do more than provide symptom relief for Parkinson's disease."

Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, the researchers noted. The condition results in muscle stiffness, slowed movement, tremors, sleep disturbance and chronic fatigue.

In the study, 60 people with Parkinson's received either a weekly injection of exenatide or an inactive placebo for 48 weeks, along with their regular medications.

At the end of that period, those who took the diabetes drug scored four points higher on a 132-point scale of agility, speech and tremors than those who took the placebo. The difference was statistically significant, the study authors said.

The findings were published Aug. 3 in the The Lancet.

According to Brian Fiske, senior vice president of research programs at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, "Using approved therapies for one condition to treat another, or drug repurposing, offers new avenues to speed Parkinson's therapeutic development." The foundation funded the study.

"The results from the exenatide studies justify continued testing, but clinicians and patients are urged not to add exenatide to their regimens until more is known about their safety and impact on Parkinson's," Fiske said.

Another Parkinson's expert agreed that more research is in order.

"While these are exciting findings, the observed benefit was small and only in one outcome-measure," said Dr. Martin Niethammer, a neurologist at Northwell Health's Neuroscience Institute, in Manhasset, N.Y.

"This might relate to the study being relatively small and of short duration, rather than lack of efficacy [effectiveness] of exenatide, and more study is certainly needed," he noted.

"This trial does provide an excellent rationale for larger and longer trials, and it remains to be seen if exenatide, and drugs like it, truly have a disease-modifying effect or merely improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease," Niethammer said.

WebMD News from HealthDay

SOURCES: University College London, news release, Aug. 3, 2017; Martin Niethammer, M.D., neurologist, Northwell Health's Neuroscience Institute, Manhasset, N.Y.

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Nearly a Quarter of People with Diabetes Don’t Know They Have It – SELF

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Diabetes symptoms are easy to miss, but it's becoming more vital than ever to recognize the signs. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30.3 million people in the U.S. have diabetes as of 2015, but nearly a quarter of those people (7.2 million) are undiagnosed. In addition to that, about a third of U.S. adults (84.1 million) have prediabetes, a precursor to type 2 diabetes, yet only 11.6 percent of them reported being told by a doctor that they have it.

However, we know that the overwhelming majority of diabetes cases is type 2, a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar. According to the report, only about 5 percent of U.S. adults are thought to have type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition that typically develops in childhood in which a persons pancreas produces little or no insulin.

Rates of diabetes tend to increase with age. According to the report, 4 percent of adults aged 1844 had diabetes; 17 percent of 45- to 64-year-olds had the condition; and 25 percent of people 65 and up had diabetes. The rates of diagnoses were also higher among American Indians/Alaska Natives, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics when compared to Asians and non-Hispanic whites. New diabetes diagnoses were steady, but the researchers point out that diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2015, which isnt something to take lightly.

Complications from diabetes include heart and blood vessel disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye problems (including blindness), and foot damage (even leading to amputation), among other issues when left untreated, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Its likely due to a few reasons, Ann Albright, Ph.D., R.D., director of the CDCs division of diabetes translation and a coauthor of the report, tells SELF. Type 2 diabetes symptoms can be difficult to identify, she says, and initially include increased thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite, and fatigue. Diabetes symptoms often come on slowly and can be mistaken for a lot of other issues. Anybody could think their symptoms are due to something else, Dr. Albright says. What person isnt fatigued?

People also may not visit their doctor as often as they should and, if theyre not being monitored by a physician, they wont know that something is off, she says.

While about 7.2 million people with diabetes dont know they have it, thats better than 20 or 30 years ago when about half of people with diabetes werent aware of it, Robert M Cohen, M.D., an endocrinologist at UC Health and professor of medicine in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, tells SELF. A lot more people have diabetes butmany more of them know they have it and have the opportunity to take action, he says. Most people who know they have diabetes and are under a doctors care can manage well with the disease, Marc Leavey, M.D., an internist at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, tells SELF. But you have to know that you have diabetes in order to control it," he says.

While genetics can be a factor, type 2 diabetes prevention largely relies on lifestyle. Its important that we as a country take lifestyle seriously, Dr. Albright says.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends ways to lower your risk, including watching your food portions, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet thats heavy on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and avoiding sugar-laden drinks like soda and juice. Of course, that can be easier said than done, especially if it means revamping a large part of your current lifestyle habits. But it can be done, and your doctor can help. If you're concerned about your diabetes risk, talk to your primary care physician. They should be able to order testing to see where you're at and proceed with next steps if the diagnosis is positive.

The numbers are startling, Dr. Albright says. We must get a handle on this.

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Spread of misfolded proteins could trigger type 2 diabetes – Science News Magazine

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Type 2 diabetes and prion disease seem like an odd couple, but they have something in common: clumps of misfolded, damaging proteins.

Now new research finds that a dose of corrupted pancreas proteins induces normal ones to misfold and clump. This raises the possibility that, like prion disease, type 2 diabetes could be triggered by these deformed proteins spreading between cells or even individuals, the researchers say.

When the deformed pancreas proteins were injected into mice without type 2 diabetes, the animals developed symptoms of the disease, including overly high blood sugar levels, the researchers report online August 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

It is interesting, albeit not super-surprising that the deformed proteins could jump-start the process in other mice, says Bruce Verchere, a diabetes researcher at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. But before you could say anything about transmissibility of type 2 diabetes, theres a lot more that needs to be done.

Beta cells in the pancreas make the glucose-regulating hormone insulin. The cells also produce a hormone called islet amyloid polypeptide, or IAPP. This protein can clump together and damage cells, although how it first goes bad is not clear. The vast majority of people with type 2 diabetes accumulate deposits of misfolded IAPP in the pancreas, and the clumps are implicated in the death of beta cells.

Deposits of misfolded proteins are a hallmark of such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimers and Parkinsons as well as prion disorders like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (SN: 10/17/15, p. 12).

Since IAPP misfolds like a prion protein, neurologist Claudio Soto of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and his colleagues wondered if type 2 diabetes could be transmitted between cells, or even between individuals. With this paper, his group just wanted to put on the table this possibility.

The mouse version of the IAPP protein cannot clump and mice dont develop type 2 diabetes, a sign that the accumulation of IAPP is important in the development of the disease, says Soto. To study the disease in mice, the animals need to be engineered to produce a human version of IAPP. When pancreas cells containing clumps of misfolded IAPP, taken from an engineered diabetic mouse, were mixed in a dish of healthy human pancreas cells, it triggered the clumping of IAPP in the human cells.

The same was true when non-diabetic mice got a shot made with the diabetic mouse pancreas cells. The non-diabetic mice developed deposits of clumped IAPP that grew over time, and the majority of beta cells died. When the mice were alive, more than 70 percent of the animals had blood sugar levels beyond the healthy range.

Sotos group plans to study if IAPP could be transmitted in a real world scenario, such as through a blood transfusion. Theyve already begun work on transfusing blood from mice with diabetes to healthy mice, to see if they can induce the disease. More work needs to be done to see if this ever operates in real life, Soto says.

Even if transmission of the misfolded protein occurs only within an individual, this opens up a lot of opportunities for intervention, Soto says, because now you can target the IAPP.

Verchere also believes IAPP is a big player in the progression of type 2 diabetes, and that therapies that prevent the clumps of proteins from forming are needed. Whether or not future research supports the idea that the disease is transmissible, the study is good for appreciating the potential role of IAPP in diabetes.

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These tricked out glasses help blind people ‘borrow’ eyesight – The Week Magazine

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

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A California startup has created smart glasses that let blind users "borrow the eyesight" of those who can see, said Arielle Pardes at Wired. Aira headsets consist of "tricked out Google Glasses" that beam a visually impaired user's field of vision to a remote Aira agent, who describes the user's environment through smartphone-connected earbuds. So far, the 400 subscribers to the paid service mostly use it for "help with ordinary tasks," like reading a menu at a restaurant, navigating the grocery store, or checking the expiration date on food in the fridge. "One woman regularly calls in to read comic books out loud to her son"; another user relied on Aira for help running the Boston Marathon.

(Courtesy image)

Aira, which charges $199 for 400 minutes of agents' time a month, plans to use AI-powered responses in the future to help clients with sensitive situations, like when doing finances or using the bathroom.

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Vanderbilt doctors urging eye protection, warn of vision loss during eclipse – WSMV Nashville

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Updated: Saturday, August 5 2017 3:20 PM EDT2017-08-05 19:20:18 GMT

A motorcyclist died after a collision with a truck Saturday afternoonat the intersection of Bell Road and Stewarts Ferry Pike. The police have not released the identity of the motorists involved. Police say the motorcyclist was driving recklessly and passed into the bike lane, hitting the truck as the truck was making a U-turn.

A motorcyclist died after a collision with a truck Saturday afternoonat the intersection of Bell Road and Stewarts Ferry Pike. The police have not released the identity of the motorists involved. Police say the motorcyclist was driving recklessly and passed into the bike lane, hitting the truck as the truck was making a U-turn.

Updated: Saturday, August 5 2017 11:36 AM EDT2017-08-05 15:36:04 GMT

A joint investigation byTBI Special Agents and the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office resulted in the arrest of Angel Scrubbs, 35, of Cheatham County. Scrubbs shot and killed Christopher White, 44, just before midnight on August 4.

A joint investigation byTBI Special Agents and the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office resulted in the arrest of Angel Scrubbs, 35, of Cheatham County. Scrubbs shot and killed Christopher White, 44, just before midnight on August 4.

Updated: Saturday, August 5 2017 11:21 AM EDT2017-08-05 15:21:02 GMT

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released information on a missing child. Nathaniel Brown, 3, of Lafayette, Tennessee has been missing since August 3 when his mother was notifiedvia court orderto place Nathaniel in DCS custody.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released information on a missing child. Nathaniel Brown, 3, of Lafayette, Tennessee has been missing since August 3 when his mother was notifiedvia court orderto place Nathaniel in DCS custody.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 11:10 PM EDT2017-08-05 03:10:09 GMT

At Vanderbilt Eye Institute in Nashville, doctors are passing out glasses and spreading the word on how to safely view the eclipse.

At Vanderbilt Eye Institute in Nashville, doctors are passing out glasses and spreading the word on how to safely view the eclipse.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 10:40 PM EDT2017-08-05 02:40:45 GMT

At least 200 bags at the Nashville International Airport were soiled after an overflowing toilet leaked through the floor.

At least 200 bags at the Nashville International Airport were soiled after an overflowing toilet leaked through the floor.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 10:21 PM EDT2017-08-05 02:21:36 GMT

Authorities in Dickson County and the TBI are investigating a person with a gunshot wound was found in the driveway of a burning home.

Authorities in Dickson County and the TBI are investigating a person with a gunshot wound was found in the driveway of a burning home.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 9:48 PM EDT2017-08-05 01:48:58 GMT

The total population of White House is 12,000 people. In just over two weeks, 30,000 visitors are coming for the total solar eclipse.

The total population of White House is 12,000 people. In just over two weeks, 30,000 visitors are coming for the total solar eclipse.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 9:47 PM EDT2017-08-05 01:47:18 GMT

Surveillance video shows the hallway of St.Bethlehem Elementary School in Clarksville. Kindergarten teacher Bonnie Conn dragged a little boy out of her classroom by the arm. She then usedher foot to keep out the child with special needs.

Surveillance video shows the hallway of St.Bethlehem Elementary School in Clarksville. Kindergarten teacher Bonnie Conn dragged a little boy out of her classroom by the arm. She then usedher foot to keep out the child with special needs.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 8:35 PM EDT2017-08-05 00:35:55 GMT

Tennessee Highway Patrol are investigating a fatal crash involving a car and a motorcycle in Montgomery County.

Tennessee Highway Patrol are investigating a fatal crash involving a car and a motorcycle in Montgomery County.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 7:30 PM EDT2017-08-04 23:30:03 GMT

Classes are delayed two days for students at John Overton High School after construction on a $40 million renovation fell behind.

Classes are delayed two days for students at John Overton High School after construction on a $40 million renovation fell behind.

Two city workers thought something was amiss when they saw five children getting into the back of a U-Haul truck at a gas station.

Two city workers thought something was amiss when they saw five children getting into the back of a U-Haul truck at a gas station.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 9:48 PM EDT2017-08-05 01:48:58 GMT

The total population of White House is 12,000 people. In just over two weeks, 30,000 visitors are coming for the total solar eclipse.

The total population of White House is 12,000 people. In just over two weeks, 30,000 visitors are coming for the total solar eclipse.

A 4-month-old girl was found dead in Oklahoma after she was left inside an SUV for most of the day, the Oklahoma County sheriff's office said.

A 4-month-old girl was found dead in Oklahoma after she was left inside an SUV for most of the day, the Oklahoma County sheriff's office said.

Updated: Wednesday, August 2 2017 7:26 AM EDT2017-08-02 11:26:05 GMT

A Texas woman shot and killed an intruder during a home invasion, authorities said.

A Texas woman shot and killed an intruder during a home invasion, authorities said.

If you see something, say something. A woman on a Seattle-to-San Jose flight this week took thatlaw enforcement mantrato heart when she spotted a fellow passenger allegedly texting about sexually molesting children, the San Jose police said.

If you see something, say something. A woman on a Seattle-to-San Jose flight this week took thatlaw enforcement mantrato heart when she spotted a fellow passenger allegedly texting about sexually molesting children, the San Jose police said.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 4:42 PM EDT2017-08-04 20:42:47 GMT

The 911 call came in just before 4 a.m. Friday ata home on Donald Street.Police said the victim, who has not been identified, died inside the house.

The 911 call came in just before 4 a.m. Friday ata home on Donald Street.Police said the victim, who has not been identified, died inside the house.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 6:22 PM EDT2017-08-04 22:22:29 GMT

A Nashville party bike company has cycled its way into a lawsuit. Nashville Pedal Tavern says competitor, Sprocket Rocket Tours ripped off its branding.

A Nashville party bike company has cycled its way into a lawsuit. Nashville Pedal Tavern says competitor, Sprocket Rocket Tours ripped off its branding.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 9:47 PM EDT2017-08-05 01:47:18 GMT

Surveillance video shows the hallway of St.Bethlehem Elementary School in Clarksville. Kindergarten teacher Bonnie Conn dragged a little boy out of her classroom by the arm. She then usedher foot to keep out the child with special needs.

Surveillance video shows the hallway of St.Bethlehem Elementary School in Clarksville. Kindergarten teacher Bonnie Conn dragged a little boy out of her classroom by the arm. She then usedher foot to keep out the child with special needs.

Updated: Friday, August 4 2017 10:21 PM EDT2017-08-05 02:21:36 GMT

Authorities in Dickson County and the TBI are investigating a person with a gunshot wound was found in the driveway of a burning home.

Authorities in Dickson County and the TBI are investigating a person with a gunshot wound was found in the driveway of a burning home.

When 4th grader Jack Davis sent NASA a letter responding to their newest position, Planetary Protection Officer, he told them he was a perfect fit.

When 4th grader Jack Davis sent NASA a letter responding to their newest position, Planetary Protection Officer, he told them he was a perfect fit.

"+r+"

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Man battles cancer, loses sight in one eye… then wins R17m Lotto jackpot – News24

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Mahikeng - A North West man who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer last year and then lost all vision in his one eye this year, has hope for the future again after a R17m Lotto jackpot win.

It couldnt have come at a better time, Netwerk24 reported, because he got his last pay cheque in June this year as he had no sick leave left.

Lotto operators Ithuba said in a statement on Thursday that the winner had spent R45 and as luck would have it, won the Lotto jackpot of more than R17m on July 26.

The winner has been through a difficult time since being diagnosed with the cancer in February last year.

"After finding out that I had an aggressive form of prostate cancer, it felt as if my whole life had come to an end," the man said, according to the statement.

"I started treatment and could just hope for the best."

Then, on May 18 this year, just as he thought the worst was behind him, disaster struck again while he was on his way to work.

"I have to travel a lot for my work and on that day I realised that the vision in my one eye was blurring. I was finding it difficult to see the road.

"I saw a doctor and he arranged for emergency surgery. However, it wasnt successful and I lost all vision in my left eye."

Struggling

He couldnt work anymore and received his last salary in June.

"We were already struggling financially because I wasnt receiving my full salary.

"It was difficult without a stable income and, as the breadwinner, I thought we were going to lose everything."

Then, on July 26, he bought Lotto tickets to the tune of R45 and his belief that he would one day win the Lotto was realised.

Another bit of good news came from the doctor, who said there were no more signs of the cancer.

"Just imagine how I felt! I have the courage to go on again."

The first person he shared the Lotto news with was his wife.

"We both started crying, because we couldnt really believe it."

With the winnings, he can afford to go for a second eye operation.

He plans on enjoying his "retirement", and will be investing some of the money, giving some to his children, and will buy his grandson the car hes long been promising him.

Ithuba helped the winner with financial advice and counselling.

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Planning To Watch The Eclipse? Here’s What You Need To Protect Your Eyes – NPR

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Proper eye protection is a must for anyone looking up at a solar eclipse. Eclipse glasses are far darker than regular sunglasses. Joseph Okpako/Getty Images hide caption

Proper eye protection is a must for anyone looking up at a solar eclipse. Eclipse glasses are far darker than regular sunglasses.

When Ralph Chou was about 12 years old, he took all the right precautions to watch his first solar eclipse.

"I did other stupid things, but when it came to looking at that eclipse, I was being very careful," says Chou, a professor emeritus of optometry and vision science at the University of Waterloo, who's a leading authority on eye damage from eclipse viewing.

The upcoming total solar eclipse will be the 19th one he has seen after a lifetime of eclipse chasing. And Chou is worried about first-timers and other folks who might look up at the spectacle without much forethought.

Tens of millions of people are expected to view the first total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States in nearly 40 years.

"Unfortunately, I think it is probably true that during every solar eclipse, there's bound to be somebody who does get hurt," says Chou.

The only time it will be safe to look with the naked eye is during the brief window of so-called "totality," when the sun is completely blocked by the moon. Totality will be visible only from a ribbon of land that stretches across the U.S.; the rest of the country will see only a partial eclipse.

When any part of the sun is uncovered and the eclipse is only partial, viewers need eye protection even if there's just a tiny crescent of sun left in the sky, Chou says.

"That crescent of sun is glowing every bit as brightly as it would on a day when there isn't a solar eclipse," he says. "The difference is that instead of leaving a round burn on the back of the eye, it will leave a crescent-shaped burn at the back of the eye."

Don't think it's safe to take quick, surreptitious glances, he warns.

"Actually, those quick little glances do add up," says Chou, "and they can, in fact, accumulate to the point where you do get damage at the back of the eye."

He says the damage isn't immediately apparent because the light-sensitive cells of the eye will keep working for hours after the injury before finally going kaput. Typically, people go home after an eclipse thinking everything is fine, says Chou. Then they wake up the next day and can't see.

"Everything is really, really badly blurred right in the center of their vision," he explains. "So they can't read. They can't see faces. They can't see road signs."

This kind of vision loss can get better over several months to a year. But about half the time, it's permanent, says Chou.

It's impossible to say exactly how common eye injuries are among eclipse watchers. While doctors report cases in the scientific literature, no one is systematically collecting this information.

But one thing is clear: Demand for eclipse glasses is unusually high, and companies have been cranking them out.

Eclipse viewers on the production line at an American Paper Optics facility. The company says it has already sold 65 million of these viewers for the upcoming total solar eclipse. Courtesy of American Paper Optics hide caption

Eclipse viewers on the production line at an American Paper Optics facility. The company says it has already sold 65 million of these viewers for the upcoming total solar eclipse.

"This eclipse, our goal is to manufacture close to a hundred million glasses," says Jason Lewin, director of marketing at American Paper Optics, which has a manufacturing plant outside of Memphis, Tenn. So far, they've sold about 65 million.

Usually, the company will sell about 5 million glasses for a total solar eclipse. Such an event is visible from somewhere on Earth every 18 months or so. The company started planning for this eclipse about two years ago and hired around 60 additional workers.

"We're going 24/7," says Lewin. "It's been wild."

NASA has been urging people to buy eclipse glasses from a small group of companies whose products are known to conform to international standards written by Chou and others in the field.

The concern is that scammers appear to be selling bogus products.

"We've seen examples of what appear to be ordinary sunglasses being sold as solar viewers, and that's horrible," says Rick Fienberg, an astronomer and press officer with the American Astronomical Society. "Customers are contacting us via our website and telling us, 'I've got these filters and they don't seem right. When I look at the sun, it's blindingly bright.'"

He explains that real solar viewers are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses.

Fienberg is also concerned about fraudulent products made to look like the ones manufactured by reputable companies. "You can't just tell the public, look for this symbol or that symbol, because some people are printing those symbols on counterfeit products," he says.

His society is contacting vendors and retail chains and compiling a list of legitimate sellers, so the public can buy eye protection that has been independently verified.

He cautions that it is not OK to look at the sun through a telescope or binoculars while wearing eclipse glasses, because those kinds of optical devices need their own special filters.

And no one should try to use makeshift, unsafe filters such as exposed film negatives, smoked glass or the silvery wrappers of potato chips or Pop-Tarts.

Of course, there's another option: looking at a partial eclipse only indirectly. That's what Chou did when he was a kid, when he made a pinhole viewer to project an image of the eclipse onto a flat surface.

"I was a geek. I admit it," says Chou, who notes that despite all the eclipses he has seen, he has never hurt his eyes.

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Shot in the eye – but still aiming to help, Whitby man rising cash for the Great North Air Ambulance – The Northern Echo (registration)

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

THE longtime friend of a man who was airlifted after being shot in the eye has raised 1,150 to support airborne lifesavers - through another shoot.

Brian Cook, 64, arranged a charity clay pigeon shoot on the top of Carlton Bank in the North York Moors, on behalf of his friend Jim Harding, 63.

In October 2014, Mr Harding was working on a shoot on the Danby Estate, where he has worked for more than 30 years.

And the incident happened when firing started before father-of-one Mr Harding was in position - and as a result he had not put on his safety glasses.

One of the pellets hit him in the left eye which severed the optic nerve and damaged his vision, causing him to lose his sight in that eye.

Mr Harding, from Whitby, said: A gentlemen shot in my direction, and when I heard the shot, I wondered what was that? and then I turned round and another shot was fired and I could see it coming towards me before it hit me in the eye.

"It happened in an instant, and felt like when you get something caught in your eye.

I was situated two miles from the road, so this is just one example of why we need air ambulances.

"If we didnt have them, a lot of people probably wouldnt get to hospital in time."

Mr Harding was airlifted to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, but despite everyones best efforts, he lost the sight in one eye.

However he still wanted to thank the Great North Air Ambulance so he and his son Sam Harding, 38, asked Mr Cook to help them arrange a clay pigeon shoot to raise money for the charity.

Mr Cook, 64, said: Ive organised clay pigeon shoots in the past, so when Jim and Sam asked if I would put one together for GNAAS I obviously said yes.

My daughter has been airlifted twice after being in horse riding accidents, and its surprising how many of her riding friends have also fallen and required the assistance of the air ambulance.

I really appreciate the service the air ambulance provides as you never know when you are going to need it.

The shoot will now be held annually with the winner's name engraved on a shield.

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How Blind Astronomers Will Observe the Solar Eclipse – The Atlantic

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Like millions of other people, Wanda Diaz Merced plans to observe the August 21 total solar eclipse, when the moons shadow will sweep across the sun and, for a few brief moments, coat parts of the United States in darkness. But she wont see it. Shell hear it.

Diaz Merced, an astrophysicist, is blind, with just 3 percent of peripheral vision in her right eye, and none in her left. She has been working with a team at Harvard University to develop a program that will convert sunlight into sound, allowing her to hear the solar eclipse. The sound will be generated in real time, changing as the dark silhouette of the moon appears over the face of the bright sun, blocking its light. Diaz Merced will listen in real time, toowith her students at the Athlone School for the Blind in Cape Town, South Africa, where she teaches astronomy.

Its an experience of a lifetime, and they deserve the opportunity, Diaz Merced said.

To capture the auditory version of this astronomical event, the team turned to a piece of technology measuring only a couple inches long: the Arduino, a cheap microcomputer popular with tech-savvy, DIY hobbyists. With a few attachments, Arduinos can be used to create all kinds of electronic devices that interact with the physical world, from the useful, like finger scanners that unlock garage doors, to the silly, like motion-detecting squirt guns. Diaz Merceds collaborators equipped an Arduino with a light-detecting sensor and speaker, and programmed it to convert light into a clicking noise. The pace of the clicks varies with the intensity of the sunlight hitting the sensor, speeding up as it strengthens and slowing down as it dims. In the moments of totality, when the suns outer atmosphere appears as a thin ring around the shadow of the moon, the clicks will be a second or more apart.

Allyson Bieryla, an astronomy lab and telescope manager at Harvard, will operate the Arduino from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, inside the path of totality. She will stream the audio on a website online, which Diaz Merced will open on her computer in Cape Town.

So far, Bieryla says, the real challenge has been trying to find a light sensor thats sensitive enough to get the variation in the eclipse. In totality, the sun will appear about as bright as a full moon at midnight. The team has tested the Arduino at night, under the moonlight, to make sure it can pick up the faint luminosity.

Diaz Merced, a postdoctoral fellow at the Office of Astronomy for Development in South Africa, was diagnosed with diabetes as a child. In her early 20s, when she was studying physics at the University of Puerto Rico, she was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, a complication of the disease that destroys blood vessels in the retina. Her vision began to deteriorate, and a failed laser surgery damaged her retinas further, she said. By her late 20s, she was almost completely blind. She recalls watching a partial solar eclipse in 1998 in Puerto Rico, when she still had some sight.

I was able to experience the wonderfulnessof the sun being dark, of having a black ball in the sky, she said. That is why it is important to use the sound in order to bring an experience that will bring that same feeling to people who do not see or are not visually oriented.

While Diaz Merced experiences the eclipse from a classroom in Cape Town, Tim Doucette will observe the event at a campground in Nebraska, smack-dab in the path of totality. Doucette is a computer programmer by day and an amateur astronomer by night. He runs a small observatory, Deep Sky, near his home in Nova Scotia in a sparsely populated area known for low light pollution and star-studded night skies.

Doucette is legally blind, and has about 10 percent of his eyesight. He had cataracts as a baby, a condition that clouds the lenses of the eye. To treat the disease, doctors surgically removed the lenses, leaving Doucette without the capacity to filter out certain wavelengths. His eyes are sensitive to ultraviolet and infrared light, and he wears sunglasses during the day to protect his retinas. Without shades, Doucette said he cant keep his eye open in the brightness of day. But at night, his sensitivity becomes an advantage. With the help of a telescope, Doucette can see the near-infrared light coming from stars and other objects in the sky better than most people.

My whole life, Ive always been asking people for help, saying, hey, what do you see? Doucette said. When I stargaze with people, the tables are reversed.

Doucette sees best at night, safe from the glare of the sun. He uses starlight to guide him during the short walk from his observatory to his home. When Im walking down the road, especially during the summer months, the Milky Way is just this incredible painting going from north to south, he said. Its millions and millions of points of light. Its like a tapestry of diamonds against a velvety background.

Doucette, armed with his camera equipment, will observe the eclipse with dozens of members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canadas Halifax Center, an association of amateur and professional astronomers. He has only witnessed partial solar eclipses in the past. It should be quite interesting to see what the effect is because of my sensitivity, he said. During totality, when day becomes night, some objects in the sky may become visible, thanks to his sensitivity to their light.

Doucette will wear eclipse sunglasses over his regular pair. Eclipse glasses protect the eyes from sunlight so viewers can look directly at it without hurting their eyes, and they can be bought online for a few dollars. Doucette urged eclipse viewers to use them, citing stories hed heard of people looking at the sun during an eclipse and waking up blind the next morning, their retinas burned. The shades are necessary before and after totality, when the sun is only partially eclipsed and a thin crescent shines with typical intensity.

Once the eclipse is in totality for about two and a half minutes, Im told that its safe to take the glasses off, but Im not willing to risk it, Doucette said. Ill still keep my sunglasses on either way.

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Better vision for better lives – The Standard

August 5th, 2017 4:44 pm

Reading, writing and arithmetic these are the basic skills students must learn. But with poor eyesight hindering their learning process, they struggle to keep up in school, which in turn leads to difficulties in entering the workforce.

In order to reduce, if not eliminate, this problem, Essilor Vision Foundation has joined forces with leading actor and Essilor Philippines brand ambassador Piolo Pascual to launch the Eye Can Succeed campaign, which seeks to make better vision available to 10,000 Filipino students.

EVF kicked off the advocacy campaign at Rizal High School. With the assistance of volunteer optometrists, EVF examined 4,000 Grades 11 and 12 students and distributed free prescription glasses to students who were in need.

It is alarming to learn that many of our target public school students have never had their eyes checked up at all, shared Lauren Wyper, EVF associate director of communications.

She continued, Launching the Eye Can Succeed campaign here in the Philippines not only helps fulfill the foundations mission of enabling Filipinos to have better lives through better sight, but also enables us to spread awareness on the importance of proper eye care through an expanded network consisting of academic institutions, the media, and local campaign ambassador Piolo Pascual.

With his presence, Pascual showed his support for the companys advocacy.

Education plays a huge role in the future of young Filipinos, and poor eyesight will only hinder their progress in learning. By giving them thorough eye check-ups and access to free prescription eyeglasses, they will no longer struggle with vision problems in their lessons, allowing their natural intelligence to shine through, the actor said.

EVF is committed to eliminating poor vision and its lifelong consequences, and to providing underprivileged people the opportunity to live a better life through better sight.

For more information about EVF and the Eye Can Succeed advocacy campaign, visit http://www.essilor.com.ph, and follow @EssilorPH on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.

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Stem Cell Therapy || Patient Treatment Disclaimer || Stem …

August 5th, 2017 4:43 pm

Click the YES button at the bottom of this page to continue.

This website http://www.cellmedicine.com offers patients, doctors and scientists the opportunity to connect to licensed doctors who use adult stem cells as part of their clinical practice outside of the United States and Canada. Because stem cell therapy is not the standard of care in the US or Canada, the following important disclosures are made:

1) The Stem Cell Institute is not conducting free clinical trials at this time.2) Health insurance will not cover the treatment fees.3) The Stem Cell Institute does not provide itemized bills.

Treatments include from 3 to 16 separate stem cell infusions/injections over the course of 4 to 30 days depending upon the protocol employed. A fee will be quoted once your treatment protocol has been determined.We DO NOT treat:

JavaScript is disabled! Please enable JavaScript and then reload this form before you begin. If you cannot do this on your own, please call 1-800-980-STEM and we will arrange for someone to email an application to you. Thank you.

To access the application you must first agree that you have read and understand all of the statements above.

I have read and understand all of the statements above:

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Birdies for Landry fundraiser golf outing set – Sturgis Journal

August 5th, 2017 4:43 pm

Rosalie Currier

Joel and Anna Troyer of Burr Oak are doing whatever it takes to help their 4-year-old son, Landry, live a normal life.

Landry has neuro immune dysfunction syndrome, an illness that causes autistic-like symptoms.

Because the treatment is expensive, for a second year, Tobey Schwartz is hosting Birdies for Landry, a golf scramble Aug. 19 at the St. Joe Valley Golf Club.

Schwartz a cousin of Joel, said, Joels like a brother to me. I would do anything for him and he would do anything for me.

Schwartz isnt the only one who wants to help. When Doug Smith of the Burr Oak High School class of 1987 heard about the golf scramble, he sprang into action.

Hole-in-one sponsorship

Smith works for the Henkle Auto Group in Battle Creek where the new car division of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram sponsors hole-in-one contests for local golfing fundraisers.

The dealership approved the Birdies for Landry golf scramble and are providing some big-ticket prizes.

At three holes, golfers will have the opportunities to win a prize specific for the hole:

Smith said he hopes to gather a group and join the golf scramble himself.

The golf scramble

The scramble is from 2-6 p.m. Aug. 19, includes a meal catered from Yoder's Country Market, Centreville and raffle prizes.

The cost is $200 per team with a $400 prize for the winning team and the hole-in-one package.

There is still room for businesses and individuals wishing to sponsor a hole at $100 each or to donate raffle items. All hole sponsorships and prize donations are tax deductible as it is sponsored through Freedom Center Ministries in Centreville.

Raising awareness

Not only does Schwartz want to support his brother/cousin financially, he respects that Joel is trying to raise awareness of NIDS to help others.

This Little League season, Joel helped Schwartz who was coaching a team with an autistic player. With Joel advise things were going as well as could be expected.

However, during championship playoffs, the Little League player was so overwhelmed by the crowd and the noise he went to his parents car for refuge.

Schwartz explained the situation to the other coaches who were extremely supportive. When the autistic athlete came up to bat, the opposing coaches quieted the crowd.

All the players and audience responded by going silent for his sake. The young player made a hit (his second for the season) which allowed for the winning run for Schwartzs team.

I was bawling, Schwartz said, being so overwhelmed by the support. Now Joel is in contact with the boys mother offering possible hope.

Therapy

Schwartz plans to make Birdies for Landry an annual golf scramble until Landry is out of speech therapy, off the medications and through several more umbilical cord blood stem cell therapies at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama, Joel said.

On July 22, the Troyer family returned from Panama City, Panama after Landry's first Mesenchymal Stem Cell therapy at the Panama Stem Cell Institute.

We've seen some pretty significant improvements already and more are expected over the next 5-9 months as the cells multiply and grow in his body,Joel said.

However, the cells are fragile and will lose their effectiveness in 10 months to a year so the Troyers plan to return to Panama for more therapy.

Landry is also in speech and Applied Behavior Analysis therapy. The therapists have noted significant improvements since the stem cell therapy.

They see that Landry has an improved ability to follow direction, a willingness to try new foods, improved eye contact, appropriate laughter, more babbling, singing and attempts at language and words.

Landry also started swimming on his back and underwater while in Panama, Joel said. He started jumping in deep water on his own without someone to catch him.

Twice hes tried to swing a baseball bat when the ball was pitched to him, although he previously wouldn't hold a bat.

And hes been involved in interactive play with his sister Cora, and parallel play with other children, Joel said.

Landry is a patient of Dr. Michael Goldberg of Los Angeles and Dr. Ann Auburn in Grand Rapids for treatments to help with gut and immune health, Joel said.

Along with Landry, the Troyers have Cora Jo, 3, and Audra Rose, nine months old.

For more information contact, Tobey Schwartz at (260) 336-8713 or Joel Troyer at (269) 503-3959.

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Deadly school explosion – Castanet.net

August 5th, 2017 4:43 pm

Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATE: Thursday 6 a.m.

A second body was found in the rubble of a collapsed school building in Minneapolis after an explosion killed a school employee and injured several others, fire officials said Wednesday night.

City Fire Chief John Fruetel said the body was recovered around 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Minnehaha Academy. Fruetel said the medical examiner's office is working to notify relatives.

The blast occurred in a utility as students were playing soccer and basketball at the private Christian school, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, according to fire and school officials.

Contractors were working on one of the campus' buildings at the time of the blast, which investigators believe was caused by a natural gas explosion, said Assistant Minneapolis Fire Chief Bryan Tyner.

The explosion killed Ruth Berg, a receptionist for 17 years at the school who "welcomed everyone with a smile," the school said in a statement.

John Carlson, a part-time janitor known for giving Dilly Bars to students, was reported missing. The 81-year-old attended the school as a child, sent his own children there, and was like a grandfather figure to students, school officials said.

ORIGINAL: Wednesday 4 p.m.

One school staff member has been found dead and another is still missing following a natural gas explosion Wednesday at a private school in Minneapolis, authorities said.

The body was found in the rubble of a building that partially collapsed during the explosion at the Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel said during a news conference. The Christian school serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

Both individuals worked at the school, according to the Minneapolis Fire Department. No other details were immediately released.

Contractors were doing work on the building at the time of the blast, which investigators determined was caused by a gas explosion, according to Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner.

Four people remained hospitalized late Wednesday, including one in critical condition, at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, according to the hospital. Victims suffered injuries ranging from head injuries and broken bones to cuts from debris, according to Dr. Jim Miner, the hospital's chief of emergency medicine.

Aerial video footage of the school's campus showed part of a building crumbled, windows in other areas blown out and shattered, and bricks and other debris scattered about. Three people were rescued from the roof of the building shortly after the explosion and fire, Tyner said.

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‘Nanomedicine’: Potentially revolutionary class of drugs are made-in … – CTV News

August 5th, 2017 4:43 pm

It's rare for researchers to discover a new class of drugs, but a University of Calgary microbiology professor recently did so -- by accident and now hopes to revolutionize autoimmune disease treatment.

In 2004, Dr. Pere Santamaria and his research lab team at the Cumming School of Medicine conducted an experiment to image a mouse pancreas, using nanoparticles coated in pancreatic proteins.

The work didnt go as planned.

Our experiment was a complete failure, he recently told CTV Calgary. We were actually quite depressed, frustrated about the outcome of that.

But the team was surprised to discover the nanoparticles had a major effect on the mice: resetting their immune systems.

The team realized that, by using nanoparticles, they can deliver disease-specific proteins to white blood cells, which will then go on to reprogram the cells to actively suppress the disease.

Whats more, the nanoparticles stop the disease without compromising the immune system, as current treatments often do.

Santamarias team believes nanomedicine drugs can be modified to treat all kinds of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Convinced that nanomedicine has the potential to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry, Santamaria founded a company to explore the possibilities, called Parvus Therapeutics Inc.

This past spring, Novartis, one of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies, entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Parvus to fund the process of developing nanomedicine.

Under the terms of the agreement, Parvus will receive research funding to support its clinical activities, while Novartis receives worldwide rights to use Parvus technology to develop and commercialize products for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Its a good partnership, Santamaria said in a University of Calgary announcement. Bringing a drug to market requires science as well as money.

Santamaria cant say how long it might be before nanomedicine can be used to create human therapies, but he says everyone involved is working aggressively to make it happen.

With a report from CTV Calgarys Kevin Fleming

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UCalgary researcher signs deal to develop nanomedicines for … – UCalgary News

August 5th, 2017 4:43 pm

When Dr. Pere Santamaria arrived in Calgary in 1992 to join the Cumming School of Medicine, he never could have imagined he would make a groundbreaking discovery that would lead to a spinoff company. When I arrived, I found out that the grant money I was expecting hadnt come through, says Santamaria, a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases and member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. So I had an empty lab with no research assistants and no salary. I had to beg my supervisor to give me $10,000 to start my research.

Despite the rocky start, Santamaria has achieved something many scientists dream of making a discovery that has practical applications for health care. Santamarias discovery revolves around the use of nanoparticles coated in proteins to treat autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

They can be modified for different diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis without compromising the entire immune system, Santamaria explains. Instead, they basically work to reset the immune system.

Nanomedicines unique mechanism has the potential to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry entirely. Developing a new class of drugs is rare. With the assistance of Innovate Calgary, Santamaria started a company, Parvus Therapeutics Inc., to represent the technology and explore ways of bringing it to market. Announced in April 2017, Parvus entered into an exclusive deal with the Swiss pharma giant Novartis, hopefully leading to the development and commercialization of Parvuss nanomedicine to treat Type 1 diabetes.

Its a good partnership, Santamaria says. Bringing a drug to market requires science as well as money.

Supporting commercialization should be a top priority for all research, he continues. Our biggest responsibility is to the patients and making sure they have access to the medicine they need. With that in mind, Santamaria shares his insight for other researchers who may be interested in bringing their discoveries from the lab bench to the market.

If youre interested in investigating spin-out opportunities, get in touch with Innovate Calgary, which offers mentors, coaching, business skill development programs, intellectual property services and other back-office support.

Throughout the years, Santamarias work has been funded by numerous organizations, including Diabetes Canada, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Diabetes Association, Foothills.He is a member of the Snyder Institute and associate member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.Santamaria named his company Parvus from the Greek word meaning small.

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Madhuri Hegde, PhD is Elected to the Board of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine – Markets Insider

August 5th, 2017 4:42 pm

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Madhuri Hegde, PhD, FACMG of PerkinElmer, Inc. in Waltham, MA has been elected to the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine Board of Directors, the supporting educational foundation of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. The ACMG Foundation is a national nonprofit foundation dedicated to facilitating the integration of genetics and genomics into medical practice. The board members are active participants in serving as advocates for the Foundation and for advancing its policies and programs. Dr. Hegde has been elected to a 2-year renewable term starting immediately.

Dr. Hegde joined PerkinElmer in 2016 as Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Global Genetics Laboratory Services. She also is an Adjunct Professor of Human Genetics in the Department of Human Genetics at Emory University. Previously, Dr. Hegde was Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer at Emory Genetics Laboratory in Atlanta, GA and Professor of Human Genetics and Pediatrics at Emory University and Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics and Senior Director at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.

Dr. Hegde has served on a number of Scientific Advisory Boards for patient advocacy groups including Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Congenital Muscular Dystrophy and Neuromuscular Disease Foundation. She was a Board member of the Association for Molecular Pathology and received the Outstanding Faculty Award from MD Anderson Cancer Center. She earned her PhD in Applied Biology from the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. She also holds a Master of Science in Microbiology from the University of Mumbai in India. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has given more than 100 keynote and invited presentations at major national and internal conferences.

"We are delighted that Dr. Hegde has been elected to the ACMG Foundation Board of Directors. She has vast experience in genetic and genomic testing and is a longtime member of the College and supporter of both the College and the Foundation," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation.

The complete list of the ACMG Foundation board of directors is at http://www.acmgfoundation.org.

About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics and genomics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics' mission to "translate genes into health" by raising funds to help train the next generation of medical geneticists, to sponsor the development of practice guidelines, to promote information about medical genetics, and much more.

To learn more about the important mission and projects of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine and how you too can support the work of the Foundation, please visit http://www.acmgfoundation.org or contact us at rel="nofollow">acmgf@acmgfoundation.org or 301-718-2014.

Contact Kathy Beal, MBA ACMG Media Relations, rel="nofollow">kbeal@acmg.net

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/madhuri-hegde-phd-is-elected-to-the-board-of-the-acmg-foundation-for-genetic-and-genomic-medicine-300499860.html

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

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Madhuri Hegde, PhD is Elected to the Board of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine - Markets Insider

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Is There Really A Gay GeneAnd Can You Get Rid Of It? – NewNowNext

August 5th, 2017 4:42 pm

by Brandon Voss 4h ago

Baby, were you born this way?

AsapSCIENCE duo Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown explore the genetics of being gay in their latest myth-busting YouTube video.

Ultimately, a specific gay gene has not been found, but scientific evidence does suggest that human sexual orientation is strongly linked to genetics and tightly regulated at the molecular level, the guys say.

While unpacking their many findings, you may be surprised to learn that gay men have more gay relatives than straight men do. Gay people are also more likely to have gay siblings who share similar linkages on their chromosomes.

But gay people dont reproduce as much as straight people, so shouldnt they die out? A controversial UCLA study using twins proposed that everyone has the gay gene, even if its not triggered. And according to the Gay Uncle Hypothesis, gay members of a family that dont reproduce still increase the prevalence of their familys genes in future generations by helping to provide resources for offspring that theyre related to.

Putting genetic manipulation into more of a social context, Moffit and Brown also made a companion video in which they address the LGBT communitys fears about this type of research, pointing out that the Nazis tried to understand the biology behind homosexuality in order to eliminate it.

Could genetic research be used against gay people in the future? In theory, absolutely. There may not be a gay gene, but from a biological perspective, yes, being gay is likely highly controlled by genetics, Brown says.

Moffit, however, believes that the community will benefit from research that proves being gay is not a choice. The more we can understand the genetic background of homosexuality, the more we can mitigate the types of punishments that gay people are receiving around the world, he says.

Moffit and Brown came out to their followers as gay and a couple in 2014.

Geek out over gay genetics below.

Celebrity interviewer. Foodie and Broadway buff in Manhattan. Hates writing bios.

The rest is here:
Is There Really A Gay GeneAnd Can You Get Rid Of It? - NewNowNext

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