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Welcome to UC Davis Integrative Medicine. Our blog is jam-packed with information on everything from nutrition and plant-based diets to exercise and stress management so that you can live a healthier, happierlife

By Rosane Oliveira on March 31, 2016March 31, 2016

Its been quite a celebration around here lately with UCDIMs 5-year anniversary.

Ive spent a lot of time thinking about the past, reflecting on how far we have come.

So before we embark on the future and our next five years, (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 29, 2016March 31, 2016

We are here at the fourth and final installment of the One Health Series.

From describing the One Health movement to discussing why what we eat really mattersto talking about cows, I would now love to complete our series by telling you a story. (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 27, 2016March 28, 2016

The journey of a thousand milesstarts with a single step. ~ Lao Tzu

It all started exactly 5 years ago.

That was when we took the first step of our journey here (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 20, 2016March 17, 2016

H20.

More commonly known as water. (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 15, 2016March 25, 2016

For our third installment in this months One Health series, we are going to broach the subject of how humans (as omnivores) differ from other animals on this planet who are true herbivores. I feel it is very important to set the record straight on this topic. (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 13, 2016March 14, 2016

My new motto is 3.14159265358.

Let me explain.

That number is the number Pi. (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 10, 2016March 9, 2016

The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. ~Thomas A. Edison

The One Health initiative is a global conversation tackling (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 6, 2016March 5, 2016

Were not going to lie sticking to a plant-based diet can be tough at the beginning.

Between coming up with creative recipes and simply knowing whats healthful and whats not, it can be a challenge. (more)

By Rosane Oliveira on March 1, 2016March 2, 2016

Between animal and human medicine there are no dividing linesnor should there be. The object is different but the experience obtained constitutes the basis of all medicine.~ Rudolf Virchow, MD

The world is getting smaller. (more)

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UC Davis Integrative Medicine - Official Blog

IMPACT FACTOR: 7.117 5-Year Impact Factor: 7.983 Issues per year: 6 issues Editorial Board

The Current Opinion journals were developed out of the recognition that it is increasingly difficult for specialists to keep up to date with the expanding volume of information published in their subject. In Current Opinion in Biotechnology, we help the reader by providing in a systematic manner: 1. The views of experts on current advances in biotechnology in a clear and readable form. 2. Evaluations of the most interesting papers, annotated by experts, from the great wealth of original publications.

Division of the subject into sections The subject of biotechnology is divided into themed sections, each of which is reviewed once a year. The amount of space devoted to each section is related to its importance.

Analytical biotechnology Plant biotechnology Food biotechnology Energy biotechnology Environmental biotechnology Systems biology Nanobiotechnology Tissue, cell and pathway engineering Chemical biotechnology Pharmaceutical biotechnology

Selection of topics to be reviewed Section Editors, who are major authorities in the field, are appointed by the Editors of the journal. They divide their section into a number of topics, ensuring that the field is comprehensively covered and that all issues of current importance are emphasised. Section Editors commission reviews from authorities on each topic that they have selected.

Reviews Authors write short review articles in which they present recent developments in their subject, emphasising the aspects that, in their opinion, are most important. In addition, they provide short annotations to the papers that they consider to be most interesting from all those published in their topic over the previous year.

Editorial Overview Section Editors write a short overview at the beginning of the section to introduce the reviews and to draw the reader's attention to any particularly interesting developments. This successful format has made Current Opinion in Biotechnology one of the most highly regarded and highly cited review journals in the field (Impact factor = 8.035).

Ethics in Publishing: General Statement

The Editor(s) and Publisher of this Journal believe that there are fundamental principles underlying scholarly or professional publishing. While this may not amount to a formal 'code of conduct', these fundamental principles with respect to the authors' paper are that the paper should: i) be the authors' own original work, which has not been previously published elsewhere, ii) reflect the authors' own research and analysis and do so in a truthful and complete manner, iii) properly credit the meaningful contributions of co-authors and co-researchers, iv) not be submitted to more than one journal for consideration, and v) be appropriately placed in the context of prior and existing research. Of equal importance are ethical guidelines dealing with research methods and research funding, including issues dealing with informed consent, research subject privacy rights, conflicts of interest, and sources of funding. While it may not be possible to draft a 'code' that applies adequately to all instances and circumstances, we believe it useful to outline our expectations of authors and procedures that the Journal will employ in the event of questions concerning author conduct. With respect to conflicts of interest, the Publisher now requires authors to declare any conflicts of interest that relate to papers accepted for publication in this Journal. A conflict of interest may exist when an author or the author's institution has a financial or other relationship with other people or organizations that may inappropriately influence the author's work. A conflict can be actual or potential and full disclosure to the Journal is the safest course. All submissions to the Journal must include disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest. The Journal may use such information as a basis for editorial decisions and may publish such disclosures if they are believed to be important to readers in judging the manuscript. A decision may be made by the Journal not to publish on the basis of the declared conflict.

For more information, please refer to: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/conflictsofinterest

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Elsevier Current Opinion - Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Genetic modification caused by human activity has been occurring since around 12,000 BC, when humans first began to domesticate organisms. Genetic engineering as the direct transfer of DNA from one organism to another was first accomplished by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen in 1973. The first genetically modified animal was a mouse created in 1973 by Rudolf Jaenisch. In 1983 an antibiotic resistant gene was inserted into tobacco, leading to the first genetically engineered plant. Advances followed that allowed scientists to manipulate and add genes to a variety of different organism and induce a range of different effects.

In 1976 the technology was commercialised, with the advent of genetically modified bacteria that produced somatostatin, followed by insulin in 1978. Plants were first commercialised with virus resistant tobacco released in China in 1992. The first genetically modified food was the Flavr Savr tomato marketed in 1994. By 2010, 29 countries had planted commercialized biotech crops. In 2000 a paper published in Science introduced golden rice, the first food developed with increased nutrient value.

Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using certain biotechnology techniques that have only existed since the 1970s.[2] Human directed genetic manipulation was occurring much earlier, beginning with the domestication of plants and animals through artificial selection. The dog is believed to be the first animal domesticated, possibly arising from a common ancestor of the grey wolf,[1] with archeologically evidence dating to about 12,000 BC.[3] Other carnivores domesticated in prehistoric times include the cat, which cohabited with human 9 500 years ago.[4] Archeologically evidence suggests sheep, cattle, pigs and goats were domesticated between 9 000 BC and 8 000 BC in the Fertile Crescent.[5]

The first evidence of plant domestication comes from emmer and einkorn wheat found in pre-Pottery Neolithic A villages in Southwest Asia dated about 10,500 to 10,100 BC. The Fertile Crescent of Western Asia, Egypt, and India were sites of the earliest planned sowing and harvesting of plants that had previously been gathered in the wild. Independent development of agriculture occurred in northern and southern China, Africa's Sahel, New Guinea and several regions of the Americas.[7] The eight Neolithic founder crops (emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chick peas and flax) had all appeared by about 7000 BC.[8]Horticulture first appears in the Levant during the Chalcolithic period about 6 800 to 6,300 BC. Due to the soft tissues, archeological evidence for early vegetables is scarce. The earliest vegetable remains have been found in Egyptian caves that date back to the 2nd millennium BC.

Selective breeding of domesticated plants was once the main way early farmers shaped organisms to suit their needs. Charles Darwin described three types of selection: methodical selection, wherein humans deliberately select for particular characteristics; unconscious selection, wherein a characteristic is selected simply because it is desirable; and natural selection, wherein a trait that helps an organism survive better is passed on.[11]:25 Early breeding relied on unconscious and natural selection. The introduction of methodical selection is unknown.[11]:25 Common characteristics that were bred into domesticated plants include grains that did not shatter to allow easier harvesting, uniform ripening, shorter lifespans that translate to faster growing, loss of toxic compounds, and productivity.[11]:2730 Some plants, like the Banana, were able to be propagated by vegetative cloning. Offspring often did not contain seeds, and therefore sterile. However, these offspring were usually juicier and larger. Propagation through cloning allows these mutant varieties to be cultivated despite their lack of seeds.[11]:31

Hybridization was another way that rapid changes in plant's makeup were introduced. It often increased vigor in plants, and combined desirable traits together. Hybridization most likely first occurred when humans first grew similar, yet slightly different plants in close proximity.[11]:32Triticum aestivum, wheat used in baking bread, is an allopolyploid. Its creation is the result of two separate hybridization events.[12]

X-rays were first used to deliberately mutate plants in 1927. Between 1927 and 2007, more than 2,540 genetically mutated plant varieties had been produced using x-rays.[13]

Various genetic discoveries have been essential in the development of genetic engineering. Genetic inheritance was first discovered by Gregor Mendel in 1865 following experiments crossing peas. Although largely ignored for 34 years he provided the first evidence of hereditary segregation and independent assortment.[14] In 1889 Hugo de Vries came up with the name "(pan)gene" after postulating that particles are responsible for inheritance of characteristics[15] and the term "genetics" was coined by William Bateson in 1905.[16] In 1928 Frederick Griffith proved the existence of a "transforming principle" involved in inheritance, which Avery, MacLeod and McCarty later (1944) identified as DNA. Edward Lawrie Tatum and George Wells Beadle developed the central dogma that genes code for proteins in 1941. The double helix structure of DNA was identified by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.

As well as discovering how DNA works, tools had to be developed that allowed it to be manipulated. In 1970 Hamilton Smiths lab discovered restriction enzymes that allowed DNA to be cut at specific places and separated out on an electrophoresis gel. This enabled scientists to isolate genes from an organism's genome.[17]DNA ligases, that join broken DNA together, had been discovered earlier in 1967[18] and by combining the two enzymes it was possible to "cut and paste" DNA sequences to create recombinant DNA. Plasmids, discovered in 1952,[19] became important tools for transferring information between cells and replicating DNA sequences. Frederick Sanger developed a method for sequencing DNA in 1977, greatly increasing the genetic information available to researchers. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), developed by Kary Mullis in 1983, allowed small sections of DNA to be amplified and aided identification and isolation of genetic material.

As well as manipulating the DNA, techniques had to be developed for its insertion (known as transformation) into an organism's genome. Griffiths experiment had already shown that some bacteria had the ability to naturally uptake and express foreign DNA. Artificial competence was induced in Escherichia coli in 1970 when Morton Mandel and Akiko Higa showed that it could take up bacteriophage after treatment with calcium chloride solution (CaCl2).[20] Two years later, Stanley Cohen showed that CaCl2 treatment was also effective for uptake of plasmid DNA.[21] Transformation using electroporation was developed in the late 1980s, increasing the efficiency and bacterial range.[22] In 1907 a bacterium that caused plant tumors, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, was discovered and in the early 1970s the tumor inducing agent was found to be a DNA plasmid called the Ti plasmid.[23] By removing the genes in the plasmid that caused the tumor and adding in novel genes researchers were able to infect plants with A. tumefaciens and let the bacteria insert their chosen DNA into the genomes of the plants.[24]

In 1972 Paul Berg utilised restriction enzymes and DNA ligases to create the first recombinant DNA molecules. He combined DNA from the monkey virus SV40 with that of the lambda virus.[25]Herbert Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen took Berg's work a step further and introduced recombinant DNA into a bacterial cell. Cohen was researching plasmids, while Boyers work involved restriction enzymes. They recognised the complementary nature of their work and teamed up in 1972. Together they found a restriction enzyme that cut the pSC101 plasmid at a single point and were able to insert and ligate a gene that conferred resistance to the kanamycin antibiotic into the gap. Cohen had previously devised a method where bacteria could be induced to take up a plasmid and using this they were able to create a bacteria that survived in the presence of the kanamycin. This represented the first genetically modified organism. They repeated experiments showing that other genes could be expressed in bacteria, including one from the toad Xenopus laevis, the first cross kingdom transformation.[26][27][28]

In 1973 Rudolf Jaenisch created a transgenic mouse by introducing foreign DNA into its embryo, making it the worlds first transgenic animal.[29] Jaenisch was studying mammalian cells infected with simian virus 40 (SV40) when he happened to read a paper from Beatrice Mintz describing the generation of chimera mice. He took his SV40 samples to Mintz's lab and injected them into early mouse embryos expecting tumours to develop. The mice appeared normal, but after using radioactive probes he discovered that the virus had integrated itself into the mice genome.[30] However the mice did not pass the transgene to their offspring. In 1981 the laboratories of Frank Ruddle, Frank Constantini and Elizabeth Lacy injected purified DNA into a single-cell mouse embryo and showed transmission of the genetic material to subsequent generations.[31][32]

The first genetically engineered plant was tobacco, reported in 1983.[33] It was developed by Michael W. Bevan, Richard B. Flavell and Mary-Dell Chilton by creating a chimeric gene that joined an antibiotic resistant gene to the T1 plasmid from Agrobacterium. The tobacco was infected with Agrobacterium transformed with this plasmid resulting in the chimeric gene being inserted into the plant. Through tissue culture techniques a single tobacco cell was selected that contained the gene and a new plant grown from it.[34]

The development of genetic engineering technology led to concerns in the scientific community about potential risks. The development of a regulatory framework concerning genetic engineering began in 1975, at Asilomar, California. The Asilomar meeting recommended a set of guidelines regarding the cautious use of recombinant technology and any products resulting from that technology.[35] The Asilomar recommendations were voluntary, but in 1976 the US National Institute of Health (NIH) formed a recombinant DNA advisory committee.[36] This was followed by other regulatory offices (the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)), effectively making all recombinant DNA research tightly regulated in the USA.[37]

In 1982 the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report into the potential hazards of releasing genetically modified organisms into the environment as the first transgenic plants were being developed.[38] As the technology improved and genetically organisms moved from model organisms to potential commercial products the USA established a committee at the Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) to develop mechanisms to regulate the developing technology.[37] In 1986 the OSTP assigned regulatory approval of genetically modified plants in the US to the USDA, FDA and EPA.[39] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, guidance on assessing the safety of genetically engineered plants and food emerged from organizations including the FAO and WHO.[40][41][42][43]

The European Union first introduced laws requiring GMO's to be labelled in 1997.[44] In 2013 Connecticut became the first state to enacted a labeling law in the USA, although it would not take effect until other states followed suit.[45]

The ability to insert, alter or remove genes in model organisms allowed scientists to study the genetic elements of human diseases.[46]Genetically modified mice were created in 1984 that carried cloned oncogenes that predisposed them to developing cancer.[47] The technology has also been used to generate mice with genes knocked out. The first recorded knockout mouse was created by Mario R. Capecchi, Martin Evans and Oliver Smithies in 1989. In 1992 oncomice with tumor suppressor genes knocked out were generated.[47] Creating Knockout rats is much harder and only became possible in 2003.[48][49]

After the discovery of microRNA in 1993,[50]RNA interference (RNAi) has been used to silence an organism's genes.[51] By modifying an organism to express mircoRNA targeted to its endogenous genes, researchers have been able to knockout or partially reduce gene function in a range of species. The ability to partially reduce gene function has allowed the study of genes that are lethal when completely knocked out. Other advantages of using RNAi include the availability of inducible and tissue specific knockout.[52] In 2007 microRNA targeted to insect and nematode genes was expressed in plants, leading to suppression when they fed on the transgenic plant, potentially creating a new way to control pests.[53] Targeting endogenous microRNA expression has allowed further fine tuning of gene expression, supplementing the more traditional gene knock out approach.[54]

Genetic engineering has been used to produce proteins derived from humans and other sources in organisms that normally cannot synthesize these proteins. Human insulin-synthesising bacteria were developed in 1979 and were first used as a treatment in 1982.[55] In 1988 the first human antibodies were produced in plants.[56] In 2000 Vitamin A-enriched golden rice, was the first food with increased nutrient value.[57]

As not all plant cells were susceptible to infection by A. tumefaciens other methods were developed, including electroporation, micro-injection[58] and particle bombardment with a gene gun (invented in 1987).[59][60] In the 1980s techniques were developed to introduce isolated chloroplasts back into a plant cell that had its cell wall removed. With the introduction of the gene gun in 1987 it became possible to integrate foreign genes into a chloroplast.[61]

Genetic transformation has become very efficient in some model organism. In 2008 genetically modified seeds were produced in Arabidopsis thaliana by simply dipping the flowers in an Agrobacterium solution.[62] The range of plants that can be transformed has increased as tissue culture techniques have been developed for different species.

The first transgenic livestock were produced in 1985,[63] by micro-injecting foreign DNA into rabbit, sheep and pig eggs.[64] The first animal to synthesise transgenic proteins in their milk were mice,[65] engineered to produce human tissue plasminogen activator.[66] This technology was applied to sheep, pigs, cows and other livestock.[65]

In 2010 scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute announced that they had created the first synthetic bacterial genome. The researchers added the new genome to bacterial cells and selected for cells that contained the new genome. To do this the cells undergoes a process called resolution, where during bacterial cell division one new cell receives the original DNA genome of the bacteria, whilst the other receives the new synthetic genome. When this cell replicates it uses the synthetic genome as its template. The resulting bacterium the researchers developed, named Synthia, was the world's first synthetic life form.[67][68]

In 2014 a bacteria was developed that replicated a plasmid containing an unnatural base pair. This required altering the bacterium so it could import the unnatural nucleotides and then efficiently replicate them. The plasmid retained the unnatural base pairs when it doubled an estimated 99.4% of the time.[69] This is the first organism engineered to use an expanded genetic alphabet.[70]

In 2015 CRISPR and TALENs was used to modify plant genomes. Chinese labs used it to create a fungus-resistant wheat and boost rice yields, while a U.K. group used it to tweak a barley gene that could help produce drought-resistant varieties. When used to precisely remove material from DNA without adding genes from other species, the result is not subject the lengthy and expensive regulatory process associated with GMOs. While CRISPR may use foreign DNA to aid the editing process, the second generation of edited plants contain none of that DNA. Researchers celebrated the acceleration because it may allow them to "keep up" with rapidly evolving pathogens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that some examples of gene-edited corn, potatoes and soybeans are not subject to existing regulations. As of 2016 other review bodies had yet to make statements.[71]

In 1976 Genentech, the first genetic engineering company was founded by Herbert Boyer and Robert Swanson and a year later and the company produced a human protein (somatostatin) in E.coli. Genentech announced the production of genetically engineered human insulin in 1978.[72] In 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court in the Diamond v. Chakrabarty case ruled that genetically altered life could be patented.[73] The insulin produced by bacteria, branded humulin, was approved for release by the Food and Drug Administration in 1982.[74]

In 1983 a biotech company, Advanced Genetic Sciences (AGS) applied for U.S. government authorization to perform field tests with the ice-minus strain of P. syringae to protect crops from frost, but environmental groups and protestors delayed the field tests for four years with legal challenges.[75] In 1987 the ice-minus strain of P. syringae became the first genetically modified organism (GMO) to be released into the environment[76] when a strawberry field and a potato field in California were sprayed with it.[77] Both test fields were attacked by activist groups the night before the tests occurred: "The world's first trial site attracted the world's first field trasher".[76]

The first genetically modified crop plant was produced in 1982, an antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant.[78] The first field trials of genetically engineered plants occurred in France and the USA in 1986, tobacco plants were engineered to be resistant to herbicides.[79] In 1987 Plant Genetic Systems, founded by Marc Van Montagu and Jeff Schell, was the first company to genetically engineer insect-resistant plants by incorporating genes that produced insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) into tobacco.[80]

Genetically modified microbial enzymes were the first application of genetically modified organisms in food production and were approved in 1988 by the US Food and Drug Administration.[81] In the early 1990s, recombinant chymosin was approved for use in several countries.[81][82] Cheese had typically been made using the enzyme complex rennet that had been extracted from cows' stomach lining. Scientists modified bacteria to produce chymosin, which was also able to clot milk, resulting in cheese curds.[83] The Peoples Republic of China was the first country to commercialize transgenic plants, introducing a virus-resistant tobacco in 1992.[84] In 1994 Calgene attained approval to commercially release the Flavr Savr tomato, a tomato engineered to have a longer shelf life.[85] Also in 1994, the European Union approved tobacco engineered to be resistant to the herbicide bromoxynil, making it the first genetically engineered crop commercialized in Europe.[86] In 1995 Bt Potato was approved safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, after having been approved by the FDA, making it the first pesticide producing crop to be approved in the USA.[87] In 1996 a total of 35 approvals had been granted to commercially grow 8 transgenic crops and one flower crop (carnation), with 8 different traits in 6 countries plus the EU.[79]

By 2010, 29 countries had planted commercialized biotech crops and a further 31 countries had granted regulatory approval for transgenic crops to be imported.[88] In 2013 Robert Fraley (Monsantos executive vice president and chief technology officer), Marc Van Montagu and Mary-Dell Chilton were awarded the World Food Prize for improving the "quality, quantity or availability" of food in the world.[89]

The first genetically modified animal to be commercialised was the GloFish, a Zebra fish with a fluorescent gene added that allows it to glow in the dark under ultraviolet light.[90] The first genetically modified animal to be approved for food use was AquAdvantage salmon in 2015.[91] The salmon were transformed with a growth hormone-regulating gene from a Pacific Chinook salmon and a promoter from an ocean pout enabling it to grow year-round instead of only during spring and summer.[92]

Opposition and support for the use of genetic engineering has existed since the technology was developed.[76] After Arpad Pusztai went public with research he was conducting in 1998 the public opposition to genetically modified food increased.[93] Opposition continued following controversial and publicly debated papers published in 1999 and 2013 that claimed negative environmental and health impacts from genetically modified crops.[94][95]

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Diabetes is a serious problem, particularly in Indiana. It would be a difficult task to find someone who does not personally know an individual with diabetes.

Hoosiers are increasingly feeling the effects of this disease. More than 750,000 children and adults in Indiana suffer from all forms of diabetes, including type 1, type 2 and gestational. Approximately 1 in 4 of those who have diabetes does not know it. And at least 1.9 million Hoosiers are living with prediabetes, putting them at risk for type 2 diabetes in the future. Today, it is estimated that 1 in 3 children born after the year 2000 in the U.S. will develop diabetes.

If you're renewing your Indiana license plate, choose the nation's first-ever Stop Diabetes license plate and support research, education and advocacy in Indiana!

Choose the Stop Diabetes license plate when you register or renew your vehicle online or in person at any Indiana license branch. Your plate can help change the future of diabetes in Indiana.

Stay connected and informed about programs and events in Indiana. To sign up for our monthly e-newletter, please contact Beth Grant at egrant@diabetes.org.

We welcome your help.

Your involvement as an American Diabetes Association volunteer whether on a local or national level will help us expand our community outreach and impact, inspire healthy living, intensify our advocacy efforts, raise critical dollars to fund our mission, and uphold our reputation as the moving force and trusted leader in the diabetes community.

Find volunteer opportunities in our area through the Volunteer Center.

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Indianapolis, Indiana - American Diabetes Association

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Slippery Rock University enjoys an outstanding reputation for high-quality undergraduate and graduate academic instruction, which is only achieved through the accomplishments of exceptional faculty members.

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Regardless of your program of choice, SRU is committed to your success. Our campus is home to state-of-the-art classrooms, hundreds of academic clubs and honorary societies, and opportunities for research and presentations. Our Career Education and Development provides students with the tools they need to succeed in a 21st century workforce.

Look no further than our SRU Success Stories for proof that monumental futures start here.

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, USA

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Diabetes News Topix

Diabetes mellitus is a common disease in the United States. It is estimated that over 16 million Americans are already caught with diabetes, and 5.4 million diabetics are not aware of the existing disease. Diabetes prevalence has increased steadily in the last half of this century and will continue rising among U.S. population. It is believed to be one of the main criterions for deaths in United States, every year. This diabetes information hub projects on the necessary steps and precautions to control and eradicate diabetes, completely.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder where in human body does not produce or properly uses insulin, a hormone that is required to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy. Diabetes mellitus is characterized by constant high levels of blood glucose (sugar). Human body has to maintain the blood glucose level at a very narrow range, which is done with insulin and glucagon. The function of glucagon is causing the liver to release glucose from its cells into the blood, for the production of energy.

There are three main types of diabetes:

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes impede a persons carefree life. When breakdown of glucose is stopped completely, body uses fat and protein for producing the energy. Due to this mechanism symptoms like polydipsia, polyuria, polyphegia, and excessive weightloss can be observed in a diabetic. Desired blood sugar of human body should be between 70 mg/dl -110 mg/dl at fasting state. If blood sugar is less than 70 mg/dl, it is termed as hypoglycemia and if more than 110 mg /dl, its hyperglycemia.

Diabetes is the primary reason for adult blindness, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), gangrene and amputations. Overweight, lack of exercise, family history and stress increase the likelihood of diabetes. When blood sugar level is constantly high it leads to kidney failure, cardiovascular problems and neuropathy. Patients with diabetes are 4 times more likely to have coronary heart disease and stroke. In addition, Gestational diabetes is more dangerous for pregnant women and their fetus.

Though, Diabetes mellitus is not completely curable but, it is controllable to a great extent. So, you need to have thorough diabetes information to manage this it successfully. The control of diabetes mostly depends on the patient and it is his/her responsibility to take care of their diet, exercise and medication. Advances in diabetes research have led to better ways of controlling diabetes and treating its complications. Hence they include:-

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Diabetes Information - Symptoms, Causes and Prevention of ...

Almost 30 million people in the United States have diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease, usually occurs in people who are 45 years of age or older. However, the rate of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is increasing.

Common Diabetes Terms (American Diabetes Association)

Diabetes can go silently undetected for a long time without symptoms. Many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of its potentially life-threatening complications, such as heart disease, blindness or nerve disease.

Fortunately, diabetes can be managed with proper care. Diabetes is a chronic (life-long) condition that can have serious consequences. However, with careful attention to your blood sugar control, lifestyle modifications and medications, you can manage your diabetes and may avoid many of the problems associated with the disease. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) can help you make the transition of managing your disease easier. Back to top

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes is a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. There are three types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that starts when the pancreas stops making insulin. Insulin lets blood sugaralso called glucoseenter the body's cells to be used for energy. Without insulin, the cells can't get the sugar they need, and too much sugar builds up in the blood. Back to top

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that happens when the cells of the body can't use insulin the right way or when the pancreas can't make enough insulin. Insulin lets blood sugaralso called glucoseenter the bodys cells to be used for energy. When insulin is not able to do its job, the cells can't get the sugar they need, and too much sugar builds up in the blood. Over time, this extra sugar in the blood can damage your eyes, heart, blood vessels, nerves, and kidneys. Back to top

Gestational diabetes is a temporary form of insulin resistance that usually occurs halfway through a pregnancy as a result of excessive hormone production in the body, or the pancreas' inability to make the additional insulin that is needed during some pregnancies in women without a previous history of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy, but women who have had gestational diabetes are at an increased risk for later developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers have identified a small percentage of diabetes cases that result from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, chemicals, drugs, malnutrition, infections, viruses and other illnesses. Back to top

People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease (more than 77,000 deaths due to heart disease annually). Heart disease death rates are also two to four times as high as adults without diabetes. People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to suffer a stroke.

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What is Diabetes? Facts & Statistics About Diabetes | PAMF

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A Senate bill that would prevent states from requiring food labels to note the presence of genetically modified ingredients failed on Wednesday.

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States should be free to require the labeling of genetically modified food if they want to.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

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By ANDREW POLLACK

A reader has ethical concerns about research that consigns deeply social animals to a lifetime of severe anxiety and isolation.

Scientists in Shanghai are trying to locate the deficiency in the brain circuits responsible for autism-like behavior found in genetically engineered monkeys.

By PAM BELLUCK

A potato genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine is as safe as any other potato on the market, the Food and Drug Administration says.

Campbell Soup breaks from its rival food companies to disclose the presence of genetically engineered ingredients in its products.

By STEPHANIE STROM

Three research groups, working independently of one another, reported in the journal Science on Thursday that a powerful new gene-editing technique could treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice.

By NICHOLAS WADE

The technique involves propelling a gene of choice throughout a population. It hasnt been tested in the wild yet, but has worked in the laboratory.

By NICHOLAS WADE

An international panel was right to call for a moratorium on a new technique that alters genes in ways that can be inherited.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Congress should stop a backdoor effort to insert language in the omnibus spending bill that would bar states from passing G.M.O. labeling laws.

By TOM COLICCHIO

Readers discuss an editorial endorsing such labeling.

The call for a moratorium by China, Britain and the United States comes after the invention of a new technique that eases editing of the human genome.

By NICHOLAS WADE

Congress should overturn the Food and Drug Administrations decision not to require labeling of genetically engineered salmon.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

A Senate bill that would prevent states from requiring food labels to note the presence of genetically modified ingredients failed on Wednesday.

By STEPHANIE STROM

The senators will consider whether the government should require labeling on foods containing genetically engineered ingredients, an issue that has split the food industry.

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER and STEPHANIE STROM

A trial in the Florida Keys has been tentatively approved, but public comment must be assessed first by the agency.

By ANDREW POLLACK

A diverse biotechnology company hopes its genetically engineered mosquitoes can help stop the spread of a devastating virus. But thats just a start.

By ANDREW POLLACK

An official of a dairy association says G.M.O. products are safe and that any labeling rules should be national, not state by state.

States should be free to require the labeling of genetically modified food if they want to.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

.

By PAM BELLUCK

Researchers worldwide have been observing a voluntary moratorium on changes to DNA that could be passed down to subsequent generations.

By NICHOLAS WADE

Genetically engineered mosquitoes are among the cutting-edge weapons being tested against diseases, even as some experts say old-fashioned tools like DDT may be worth discussing.

By ANDREW POLLACK

A reader has ethical concerns about research that consigns deeply social animals to a lifetime of severe anxiety and isolation.

Scientists in Shanghai are trying to locate the deficiency in the brain circuits responsible for autism-like behavior found in genetically engineered monkeys.

By PAM BELLUCK

A potato genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine is as safe as any other potato on the market, the Food and Drug Administration says.

Campbell Soup breaks from its rival food companies to disclose the presence of genetically engineered ingredients in its products.

By STEPHANIE STROM

Three research groups, working independently of one another, reported in the journal Science on Thursday that a powerful new gene-editing technique could treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice.

By NICHOLAS WADE

The technique involves propelling a gene of choice throughout a population. It hasnt been tested in the wild yet, but has worked in the laboratory.

By NICHOLAS WADE

An international panel was right to call for a moratorium on a new technique that alters genes in ways that can be inherited.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Congress should stop a backdoor effort to insert language in the omnibus spending bill that would bar states from passing G.M.O. labeling laws.

By TOM COLICCHIO

Readers discuss an editorial endorsing such labeling.

The call for a moratorium by China, Britain and the United States comes after the invention of a new technique that eases editing of the human genome.

By NICHOLAS WADE

Congress should overturn the Food and Drug Administrations decision not to require labeling of genetically engineered salmon.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

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Genetic Engineering - The New York Times

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Alabamians and Floridians are increasingly feeling the effects of diabetes as thousands of people suffer from the disease, and many others may have diabetes and not know it! It is estimated that one out of every three children born after 2000 in the United States will be directly affected by diabetes.

That is why the American Diabetes Association's South Alabama/Northwest Florida office is so committed to educating the public about how to stop diabetes and support those living with the disease.

We are here to help.

We welcome your help.

Your involvement as an American Diabetes Association volunteer whether on a local or national level will help us expand our community outreach and impact, inspire healthy living, intensify our advocacy efforts, raise critical dollars to fund our mission, and uphold our reputation as the moving force and trusted leader in the diabetes community.

Find volunteer opportunities in our area through the Volunteer Center.

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Pensacola, Florida - American Diabetes Association

Blindness (Portuguese: Ensaio sobre a cegueira, meaning Essay on Blindness) is a novel by Portuguese author Jos Saramago. It is one of his most famous novels, along with The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and Baltasar and Blimunda.

Blindness is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of blindness afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows. The novel follows the misfortunes of a handful of characters who are among the first to be stricken and centers on "the doctor's wife," her husband, several of his patients, and assorted others, thrown together by chance. After lengthy and traumatic quarantine in an asylum, the group bands together in a family-like unit to survive by their wits and by the unexplained good fortune that the doctors wife has escaped the blindness. The sudden onset and unexplained origin and nature of the blindness cause widespread panic, and the social order rapidly unravels as the government attempts to contain the apparent contagion and keep order via increasingly repressive and inept measures.

The first part of the novel follows the experiences of the central characters in the filthy, overcrowded asylum where they and other blind people have been quarantined. Hygiene, living conditions, and morale degrade horrifically in a very short period, mirroring the society outside.

Anxiety over the availability of food, caused by delivery irregularities, acts to undermine solidarity; and lack of organization prevents the internees from fairly distributing food or chores. Soldiers assigned to guard the asylum and look after the well-being of the internees become increasingly antipathetic as one soldier after another becomes infected. The military refuse to allow in basic medicines, so that a simple infection becomes deadly. Fearing a break out, soldiers shoot down a crowd of internees waiting upon food delivery.

Conditions degenerate further, as an armed clique gains control over food deliveries, subjugating their fellow internees and exposing them to rape and deprivation. Faced with starvation, internees do battle and burn down the asylum, only to find that the army has abandoned the asylum, after which the protagonists join the throngs of nearly helpless blind people outside who wander the devastated city and fight one another to survive.

The story then follows the doctor's wife, her husband, and their impromptu family as they attempt to survive outside, cared for largely by the doctors wife, who can still see (though she must hide this fact at first). The breakdown of society is near total. Law and order, social services, government, schools, etc., no longer function. Families have been separated and cannot find each other. People squat in abandoned buildings and scrounge for food. Violence, disease, and despair threaten to overwhelm human coping. The doctor and his wife and their new family eventually make a permanent home in the doctor's house and are establishing a new order to their lives when the blindness lifts from the city en masse just as suddenly and inexplicably as it struck.

The doctor's wife is the only character in the entire novel who does not lose their sight. This phenomenon remains unexplained in the novel. Unable to leave her husband to be interned, she lies to the doctors and claims to be blind. At this point she is interned with the rest of the afflicted. Once inside, she attempts to help the compound organize, but she is increasingly unable to hold back the animality of the compound. When one ward begins withholding food and demanding that the women of other wards sleep with them to be fed, she kills the leader of their ward. Once they escape the compound, she helps her group survive in the city. The doctor's wife is the de facto leader of their small group, although in the end she often serves their disabled needs.[1]

The doctor is an ophthalmologist stricken blind after treating a patient with what will come to be called "the white sickness,"He is among the first to be quarantined along with his wife. Due to his medical expertise he has a certain authority among those quarantined. Several of the other main characters had been visiting the doctor's office when the epidemic begins to spread. Much of this really comes from his wife not having gone blind; she is able to see what is going on on the ward and relay this to her husband. When the group from his ward finally escapes they end up travelling to and staying in the doctor and his wife's apartment. [1]

The girl with the dark glasses is a former part-time prostitute who is struck blind while with a customer. She is unceremoniously removed from the hotel and taken to the quarantine. Once inside, she joins the small group of people who were contaminated at the doctor's office. When the car thief gropes her on the way to the lavatory, she kicks him giving him a wound from which he will eventually die. While inside, she also takes care of the boy with the squint, whose mother is nowhere to be found. At the end of the story, she and the old man with the black eye patch become lovers.[1]

The old man with the black eye patch is the last person to join the first ward. He brings with him a portable transistor radio that allows the internees to listen to the news. He is also the main architect of the failed attack on the ward of hoodlums hoarding the food rations. Once the group escapes the quarantine, the old man becomes the lover of the girl with the dark glasses.[1]

The dog of tears is a dog that joins the small group of blind when they leave the quarantine. While he mostly loyal to the doctor's wife, he helps the whole group by protecting them all from packs of dogs who are becoming more feral by the day. He is called the dog of tears because he becomes attached to the group when he licks the tears off the face of the doctor's wife.[1]

The boy with the squint was a patient of the doctor's, which is most likely how he became infected. He is brought to the quarantine without his mother and soon falls in with the group in the first ward. The girl with the dark glasses feeds him and takes care of him like a mother.[1]

After the first blind man was struck blind in traffic, a car thief brought him home and, subsequently stole his car. Soon after he went blind, the car thief and the first blind man reencounter one another in the quarantine, where they soon come to blows. They have no time to resolve their issues, though, since the car thief is the first internee killed by the guards. He is gunned down while trying to ask the guards for medication for his infected leg.[1]

The first man to go blind is struck blind in the middle of traffic, waiting at a stoplight. He is immediately taken home and then to the doctor's office, where he infects all of the other patients. He is one of the principle members of the first ward - the ward with all of the original internees. He is also the first to regain his sight, when the epidemic is finally over.[1]

The wife of the first blind man goes blind soon after helping her husband to the quarantine. They are reunited by pure chance in the quarantine. Once inside, she also joins the first ward with the doctor and the doctor's wife. When the ward of hoodlums begins to demand that the women sleep with them in order to be fed, the first blind man's wife volunteers to go, in solidarity with the others.[1]

The man with the gun is the leader of the ward of hoodlums that seizes control of the food supply in the quarantine. He and his ward take the rations by force and threaten to shoot anyone who doesn't comply. This ward extorts valuables from the other internees in exchange for food and, when the bracelets and watches run out, they begin to rape the women. He is later stabbed to death by the doctor's wife.[1]

This man is not one of those afflicted by the "white sickness"rather he has been blind since birth. He is the only one in the ward who can read and write braille and who knows how to use a walking stick. Additionally, he is the second in command to the man with the gun in the ward of hoodlums. When the doctor's wife kills the man with the gun, the blind accountant takes the gun and tries to seize control but he is unable to rally support. He dies when one of the rape victims sets fire to the ward.[1]

Like most works by Saramago, the novel contains many long, breathless sentences in which commas take the place of periods. The lack of quotation marks around dialogue means that the speakers' identities (or the fact that dialogue is occurring) may not be immediately apparent to the reader. The lack of proper character names in Blindness is typical of many of Saramago's novels (e.g. All the Names). The characters are instead referred to by descriptive appellations such as "the doctor's wife", "the car thief", or "the first blind man". Given the characters' blindness, some of these names seem ironic ("the boy with the squint" or "the girl with the dark glasses").

The city afflicted by the blindness is never named, nor the country specified. Few definite identifiers of culture are given, which contributes an element of timelessness and universality to the novel. Some signs hint that the country is Saramago's homeland of Portugal: the main character is shown eating chourio, a spicy sausage, and some dialogue in the original Portuguese employs the familiar "tu" second-person singular verb form (a distinction which used to exist in English as the now largely archaic pronoun thou). The church, with all its saintly images, is likely of the Catholic variety.

Saramago wrote a sequel to Blindness in 2004, titled Seeing (Ensaio sobre a lucidez, literal English translation Essay on lucidity), which has also been translated into English. The new novel takes place in Portugal and features several of the same characters.

An English-language film adaptation of Blindness was directed by Fernando Meirelles. Filming began in July 2007 and stars Mark Ruffalo as the doctor and Julianne Moore as the doctor's wife. The film opened the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

In 2007 the Drama Desk Award Winning Godlight Theatre Company[3] staged the New York City theatrical premiere of Blindness [4] at 59E59 Theaters. This stage version was adapted and directed by Joe Tantalo. The First Blind Man was played by Mike Roche.[4]

An outdoor performance adaptation by the Polish group Teatr KTO, was first presented in June 2010. It has since been performed at a number of venues, including the Old College Quad of Edinburgh University during the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Shortly before his death, Saramago gave German composer Anno Schreier the rights to compose an opera based on the novel. The libretto is written in German by Kerstin Maria Phler. Like the German translation of the novel, the opera's title is "Die Stadt der Blinden". It saw its first performance on November 12, 2011 at the Zurich Opera House.

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Blindness (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) undertakes basic biomedical research, primarily in laboratory settings, to learn how the human body operates on all levels. Our discoveries are often licensed to biotechnology or pharmaceutical firms for further development toward a drug or treatment. As a nonprofit biomedical research institute we do not see patients and rarely conduct clinical trials; for the latest information on clinical trials throughout the United States, visit http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . For information on specific diseases, search for associations or organizations dedicated to the disease, for example, the National Eye Institute or the American Foundation for the Blind.

Vision loss is most accurately described in terms of a range of function, from the ability to see relatively clearly to diminishing eyesight levels and total blindness. The World Health Organization (WHO) specifies four levels of visual function: normal, moderate visual impairment, severe visual impairment, and blindness.

With moderate to severe vision impairment, a persons eyesight cannot be corrected to a normal level, even with eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery. As described by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, such impairment can be distinguished by a loss of visual acuity, where the eye does not see objects as clearly as usual, or a loss of visual field, where the eye cannot see as wide an area as usual without moving the eyes or turning the head. In the United States, legal blindness is defined as a visual acuity of 20/200 (normally 20/20) or worse with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees (normally 160 to 170 degrees) or less.

The latest WHO figures state about 314 million people worldwide are visually impaired; 45 million are blind. Common causes of vision loss and blindness include:* Cataract (a clouding of the eye lens that hinders passage of light)* Uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism (abnormal curvature of the cornea), or presbyopia (a focusing problem that makes it difficult to see near objects))* Glaucoma (a slow build-up of fluids in the eye producing excessive pressure that damages the optic nerve)* Macular degeneration (a breakdown of the retina, which involves loss of the central field of vision)* Diabetic retinopathy (changes in the blood vessels of the light-sensitive retina tissue in the back of the eye)* Retinitis pigmentosa (a hereditary, progressive loss of vision, often beginning with night blindness, with narrowing visual field leading to tunnel vision and, frequently, total blindness)

Other causes of blindness include stroke, accidents or injury to the eye, blocked blood vessels, optic neuritis, tumors, complications of premature birth, vitamin A deficiency in children, and infections.

Age is a common factor in vision loss. In the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), irreversible vision loss is most prevalent among people aged 65 and older. A 2007 NIH/Blindness Prevention America report states blindness affects more than one million Americans aged 40 and older. The visually impaired, including those who are blind, total more than 3.6 million older Americans. According to the report, the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment increases rapidly in the later years, particularly after age 75.

WHO refers to studies that indicate women have a significantly higher risk of visual impairment than men, in every region of the world and at all ages.

About three-fourths of all visual impairment globally is preventable, according to WHO. Early detection, diagnosis, and treatment can help alleviate or forestall increased loss of vision. For example, timely correction can help prevent severe vision impairment in individuals with eyesight impaired by refractive errors. In addition, treatment of diabetes through diet, exercise, careful control of blood-sugar levels, and avoidance of smoking can help prevent blindness from diabetic retinopathy. Recommending regular comprehensive eye exams, the NIH advises being alert to subtle, small changes in vision, e.g., difficulty in focusing on near or distant objects, unusual sensitivity to light or glare, squinting, or inability to recognize familiar faces.

More here:
Discover - Blindness and Vision Loss Research

It's a pursuit that seems more like the plot of a science fiction movie than an actual goal of serious researchers around the world. But a number of scientists are fiercely working toward what was once only attainable in fables and fairy tales: they want to end aging.

The quest has even inspired a competition with a monetary prize from that hub of innovation, Silicon Valley. The Palo Alto Longevity Prize, founded by Dr. Joon Yun, a radiologist who heads Palo Alto Investors, is offering $1 million in prize money as a way to urge researchers figure out how to "hack the code" of aging.

While those in the growing field of longevity research admit the task at hand is expansive and complex, they say big advancements have already been made and expect to see more in the near future.

"The goal is similar to all medical research which is to make people healthier and keep people alive longer so we can have more productive lives and not be such a burden to society," David Sinclair, Ph.D., a professor of genetics and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at the Harvard Medical School, told CBS News.

The Australian-born biologist, who sits on the board of the Palo Alto Longevity Prize, discovered in 2013 that Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a chemical found in every living organism, can turn on defenses against aging, though its levels decrease the older we grow.

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Atlantic Magazine contributing editor Gregg Easterbrook joins "CBS This Morning: Saturday" to discuss the consequences of rising longevity as ave...

Sinclair envisions a time -- maybe not too far away -- when doctors will prescribe medicine utilizing these findings to curb aging.

"We are finding genes and molecules that we can take as a pill that would slow down every disease from Alzheimer's to diabetes to cancer plus give us more energy during our whole lives," he said. "Side effects would be living longer, but the ultimate goal is there will be a future -- maybe it's only a decade or two away -- where people won't have to worry about getting these diseases in their 60s or 70s but can put that off to 100 or 110."

The Palo Alto Prize is meant to inspire and reward such innovations. The competition was announced in 2014 and final registration closed this past December. Winning research teams in two different categories -- who will be awarded $500,000 each -- are expected to be announced by the end of 2019.

The roughly 30 teams that are participating in the competition are taking a broad range of approaches, from stem cell therapies to gene modification to hormonal treatments to behavioral and nutritional interventions. Because of the nature of the competition, specifics about each project have not been disclosed to the public, but videos are available on the contest's website with teams introducing their research.

Quality versus quantity

Yun is quick to point out that the aim of most of longevity research -- and the ultimate goal of the Palo Alto competition -- is not simply to extend life in terms of sheer number of years lived, but to enhance quality of life, as well. He explains this in terms of homeostatic capacity, which refers to the body's natural ability to fight off stressors in order to remain healthy.

"Homeostatic capacity is probably nature's greatest gift. It's our ability to self-tune in response to stressors," he told CBS News. "It is so pervasively effective that we don't even realize we have it until we start losing it."

Yun went on to explain that when we're young and healthy, we don't even notice it. "That is the true definition of health," he said. "When you're feeling healthy, you're feeling nothing because you're in homeostasis. That's very different from what marketers try to say, that healthy means vitality and energy."

Then, after about the age of 40, our homeostatic capacity starts to decline. "We're more vulnerable to the forces of aging. All of a sudden you're finding that your body can't get back to homeostasis on its own," Yun said. "It's hard to ride roller coasters. It's hard to recover from injuries, from a late night, from jet lag. Foods we may have once loved, we are no longer able to tolerate. All of this happens at once, and these are all things everyone can feel. But think of all the things you can't feel."

He gave the example that when people are young and healthy and their blood pressure or sugar level is high, the body brings itself back to homeostasis on its own. But as we age, the body loses this ability.

"We give these things names like diabetes and hypertension," he said. "But maybe it's all really the same process that is the decline of homeostatic capacity."

When asked why he set up the competition to find ways to solve these problems of aging, rather than invest the money directly into research, Yun said he thinks the nature of a contest yields the best results.

"What's wonderful about prizes is that you set a goal and you're essentially inviting a diversity of options to compete and see which one wins," he said. "It's very much like how nature and evolution work."

"What is it that you're living for?"

But not everyone thinks the quest to cure aging is well-founded or wise. Several prominent bioethicists have spoken out against such efforts to extend longevity.

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist and Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, is among them. In 2014, Emanuel penned a controversial article for the Atlantic titled "Why I Hope to Die at 75."

"I think it's fascinating that so many people are obsessed with living long," he told CBS News. "If you ask most people about quality versus quantity of life, they will say in a second that quality is what's really important. And then you probe and you find that people are so psychologically scared of dying and not having lived out a meaningful life. But when you talk to older people, many of them are sort of tired of life. They've lost friends and loved ones or activities are restricted and maybe it's not so great after all."

For Emanuel, such frank discussions with older adults and time spent in self-reflection led him to the decision that he does not aspire to an exceptionally long life and would not take steps to extend it.

In the Atlantic article, Emanuel, who is in good health in his late 50s, made clear that he is not looking to end his life through suicide or euthanasia. Rather, at 75, he believes he will be content enough with his life to not actively try to prolong it. "I think this manic desperation to endlessly extend life is misguided and potentially destructive," he wrote.

"The real issue is what makes a meaningful life," he told CBS News. "Is it living as long as you can or is there something else going on? If you ask me, it's the something else we really ought to care about. What is it that you're living for?"

When asked about the views expressed by longevity researchers that their work focuses not just on extending years lived, but on increasing quality of life, Emanuel answered with plenty of skepticism.

"How are you going to cure all of the causes of death?" he asked. "That's kind of a way for scientists to rationalize what they're doing. I can understand that it's an interesting puzzle to solve and many people are passionate about it, but I don't think it's something we ought to be doing."

Of course, longevity researchers vehemently disagree and say such objections are misguided.

"What we're talking about is being able to prevent and treat the major diseases of society," Sinclair said. "Cancer at one point in human history was totally natural. Heart disease was unavoidable. Nobody now would say, 'Oh, cancer is natural and we shouldn't work on it.' We use our technology to lead better lives and make the world a better place and improve the human condition and that's what we're aiming to do here."

2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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The scientific quest to cure aging - CBS News

Our translational research program includes many projects in the fields of genetic therapies and personalized medicine. The field of genetic therapies comprises gene and stem cell therapies and our laboratory has extensive expertise in both areas. Our group was the first to use a recombinant virus as a vehicle for in vivo gene therapy and we have carried out human trials of gene therapy for cystic fibrosis, cardiac ischemia, cancer and central nervous system disorders. Among the current projects are gene transfer strategies for cancer, inherited CNS disorders, 1-antitrypsin deficiency, anti-bioterrorism applications and development of vaccines. We also operate the clinical vector production laboratory of the Belfer Gene Therapy Core Facility, which has produced adenovirus and adeno-associated virus vectors that have been used in numerous human studies. Current projects in the field of stem cell therapy include characterization of the roles of cancer stem cells in lung cancer and the role of airway epithelium stem cells in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Personalized medicine is the use of information and data from an individual's genotype, or level of gene expression to stratify complex diseases, select a medication or dose of a medication, provide a therapy, or initiate a preventative measure that is specifically suited to that patient. In addition to genetic information, other factors, including imaging, laboratory, and clinical information about the disease process or the patient are integrated into the process of developing personalized medicine. Our group utilizes microarray technologies for genome-wide characterization of gene expression, single nucleotide polymorphism and copy number variation profiles on clinical samples as the basis for projects aimed at indentifying candidate genes associated with complex disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The overall research program of the group includes close collaborations with other laboratories at Weill Cornell and elsewhere, including Malcolm Moore's group at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for stem cell projects. Of particular note are our collaborations on personalized medicine projects with colleagues at Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar and Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar and collaborations on Bioinformatics and Biostatistical Genetics with several laboratories at Cornell-Ithaca, including Andy Clark and Jason Mezey.

The rest is here:
Department of Genetic Medicine - Weill Cornell Medical College

As regenerative medicine gains steam in the United States, so do questions about its efficacy and safety. A 2012 review of evidence, Application of Stem Cells in Orthopedics, offers a glimpse of clinical data and safety on adult mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy to repair bone, cartilage, and tendons. The review highlights the results of 20 studies, which were conducted between 1978 and 2009, and totaled more than 900 procedures. Healing benefits were found in the majority of patients, with the most successful cases linked to patients who had a higher number of progenitor cells. Those who did not benefit typically had severe conditions or a lower number of progenitor cells. Not one study reported serious complications. In fact, nearly all of the studies conclude MSC therapy is safe, reliable, easy, low risk, and/or preferable to other procedures, including surgery.

Our goal in using stem cell therapy is to take stem cells from one part of an individuals body, where they exist in higher concentrations, and inject them into an injured area to potentially help reinforce their power. The hope is that those stem cells will take cues from surrounding cells of certain, specific types (bone, cartilage, muscle, or other connective tissue) and develop into that similar type of cell, repairing the site.

A lot of success has been achieved for patients that have tried stem cell procedures. Results include return to daily activities, return to sports, and complete elimination of chronic pain.

Read more:
Stem Cell Therapy | Spine & Pain Institute of New England ...

This is a collection of lists of countries by life expectancy at birth.

Life expectancy equals the average number of years a person born in a given country would live if mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future. The life expectancy is shown separately for males and females, as well as a combined figure. Several non-sovereign entities are also included in this list.

The figures reflect the quality of healthcare in the countries listed as well as other factors including ongoing wars, obesity, and HIV infections.[citation needed]

Worldwide, the average life expectancy at birth was 71.0 years (68.5 years for males and 73.5 years for females) over the period 20102013 according to United Nations World Population Prospects 2012 Revision,[3] or 70.7 years (68.2 years for males and 73.2 years for females) for 2009 according to The World Factbook.[4] According to the World Health Organization (WHO), women on average live longer than men in all countries, except in Tonga.

The countries with the lowest overall life expectancies per the WHO are Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Somalia, Swaziland, Angola, Chad, Mali, Burundi, Cameroon, and Mozambique. Of those countries, only Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique in 2011 were suffering from an HIV prevalence rate of greater than 10 percent in the 1549 age group.[5]

Comparing life expectancies from birth across countries can be problematic. There are differing definitions of live birth vs stillbirth even among more developed countries and less developed countries often have poor reporting.[6]

Data published in 2015.[7] (Retrieved on 11 February 2016)

On July 2014, the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), released World Population Prospects, The 2015 Revision.[3] The following table shows the life expectancy at birth for the period 2010 to 2015.

over 80

77.5-80.0

75.0-77.5

72.5-75.0

70.0-72.5

67.5-70.0

65.0-67.5

60-65

55-60

50-55

45-50

under 45

not available

The Global Burden of Disease 2010 study published updated figures in 2012,[8] including recalculations of life expectancies[9] which differ substantially in places from the UN estimates for 2010 (reasons for this are discussed in the freely available appendix to the paper, pages 2527, currently not available). Although no estimate is given for the sexes combined, for the first time life expectancy estimates have included uncertainty intervals.

>80

>77.5

>75

>72.5

>70

>67.5

>65

>60

>55

>50

>45

>40

<40

The US CIA published the following life expectancy data in its annual world factbook 2012.[1]

Figures are from the CIA World Factbook 2009[1] and from the 2010 revision of the United Nations World Population Prospects report, for 20052010,[3] (data viewable at http://esa.un.org/wpp/Sorting-Tables/tab-sorting_mortality.htm, with equivalent spreadsheets here, here, and here).

Only countries/territories with a population of 100,000 or more in 2010 are included in the United Nations list. WHO database 2013 http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/EN_WHS2013_Full.pdf

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List of countries by life expectancy - Wikipedia, the free ...

The 4thEuropean conference on Predictive Preventive Personalized Medicine 2016 will be held on November 28-29, 2016 at Valencia, Spainwill be organized around the theme Emphasizing the knowledge of personalized Medicine whichcomprises 14Sessions/Tracksto outline the theme of the conference organized byOmics InternationalConferences. The main aim of the conference is to highlight the achievements and innovations in the various fields of Personalized Medicine across the globe.

Track 1: Personalized Medicine And Its Innovation

Personalized medicineis a developing routine of prescription that uses an individual's hereditary profile to guide choices made with respect to the anticipation, analysis, and treatment of malady. Information of apatient's hereditaryprofile can offer specialists some assistance with selecting the best possible pharmaceutical or treatment and regulate it utilizing the correct dosage or regimen. Utilized for the treatment as Personalized malignancy solution, Diabetes-related malady:hazard evaluation and administration,Personalized pharmaceuticalNew systems and financial ramifications,Implications of customizedprescription in treatment of HIV, Applications of customized drug in uncommon ailments,Translational Medicine.

Track 2: Market Strategies And Challenges In Personalized Medicine

P4 prescription is an arrangement to fundamentally enhance the nature of human life through biotechnology. Inward medication or general prescription is the therapeutic forte managing the counteractive action, conclusion, and treatment of grown-up sicknesses. Crisis medication is a therapeutic claim to fame including tend to grown-up and pediatric patients with intense sickness or wounds that require prompt restorative consideration.

Track 3: Pharmacogenomics: Convergence Of Pharmacology And Genomics

Customized drug can be utilized to find out around a man's hereditary cosmetics and to disentangle the science of their tumour. Utilizing this data, specialists want to recognize anticipation, screening, and treatment procedures that might be more successful and cause less symptoms than would be normal with standard medicines. By performing more hereditary tests and investigation, specialists might modify treatment to every patient's needs.

Track 4: Genomics And Personalized Medicine

Genomics is a control in hereditary qualities that applies recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing strategies, and bioinformatics to arrangement, amass, and break down the capacity and structure of genomes. Progresses in genomics have set off a transformation in revelation based exploration to see even the most complex organic frameworks, for example, the cerebrum. The field incorporates activities to decide the whole DNA arrangement and human genome variation of life forms and fine-scale hereditary mapping. The field additionally incorporates investigations of intragenomic marvels, for example, heterosis, epistasis, pleiotropy and different associations in the middle of loci within the genome and metagenomics.

Track 5: Genetics Of Ebola Outbreak

Succession investigation of Ebola infection Genome is the second through the 6th qualities of the Ebola infection (EBO) genome demonstrates that it is sorted out correspondingly to rhabdoviruses and paramyxoviruses and is basically the same as Marburg infection (MBG). Researchers utilized genomic sequencing advances to distinguish the cause and track transmission of the Ebola infection in the ebb and flow flare-up in Africa.

Track 6: Approaches To Stem Cell

Personalized Medicine can be used to learn about a persons genetic makeup and to unravel the biology of their tumor. Customized prescription can be utilized to find out around a man's hereditary cosmetics and to disentangle the science of their tumor. Utilizing this data, specialists want to recognize avoidance, screening, and treatment methodologies that might be more powerful and cause less symptoms than would be normal with standard medicines. By performing more hereditary tests and examination, specialists might redo treatment to every patient's needs.

Track 7: Nanotechnology Future Of Personalized Medicine

Nanotechnology ("nanotech") is the control of matter on a nuclear, atomic, and supramolecular scale. The most punctual, across the board depiction of nanotechnology referred to the specific mechanical objective of correctly controlling particles and atoms for manufacture of macro scale items, likewise now alluded to as sub-atomic nanotechnology. Utilizations of pharmaceutical Nano tools, Cell based treatment Molecular components are the methods and instrument in Nano innovation and biotechnology.

Track 8: Personalized Medicine In 21st Century

Personalized Medicine is a developing routine of prescription that uses an individual's hereditary profile to guide choices made with respect to the counteractive action, conclusion, and treatment of illness. Learning of a patient's hereditary profile can offer specialists some assistance with selecting the best possible prescription or treatment and manage it utilizing the best possible dosage or regimen. Utilized for the treatment as Personalized malignancy medication, Diabetes-related infection: hazard appraisal and administration, Personalized drug: New systems and financial ramifications, Implications of customized pharmaceutical in treatment of HIV, Applications of customized prescription in uncommon illnesses, Translational Medicine.

Track 9: Personalized Drug Therapy

Prescient prescription is a field of drug that involves foreseeing the likelihood of illness and initiating preventive measures with a specific end goal to either keep the sickness out and out or fundamentally diminish its effect upon the patient, (for example, by counteracting mortality or constraining grimness). Systems and examines incorporate Newborn screening, Diagnostic testing, Medical bioinformatics, Prenatal testing, Carrier testing, Preconception testing. Infant screening is a general wellbeing program intended to screen babies soon after conception for a rundown of conditions that are treatable, however not clinically apparent in the infant period. Pre-birth testing: Prenatal testing is utilized to search for infections and conditions in a hatchling or incipient organism before it is conceived.

Track 10: Advances In Molecular Diagnostics

Molecular diagnostics is a strategy used to dissect organic markers in the genome and proteome, understanding the estimation of customized prescription the individual's hereditary code and how their cells express their qualities as proteins, by applying sub-atomic science to restorative testing.

Track 11: Paths Of Biomarkers

In prescription, a biomarker and sub-atomic markers are the quantifiable pointer of the seriousness or vicinity of some illness state. All the more by and large a biomarker is anything that can be utilized as a marker of a specific illness state or some other physiological condition of a living being Drug-Diagnostic Co-Development. In the present period of stratified medication and biomarker-driven treatments, the center has moved from expectations in view of the conventional anatomic organizing frameworks to manage the decision of treatment for an individual patient to an incorporated methodology utilizing the hereditary cosmetics of the tumour and the genotype of the patient.

Track 12: Clinical Case Reports

A clinical case report depends on intraspecies contrasts. It is proverbial that little contrasts in hereditary make-up can bring about sensational contrasts in light of medications or illness and societal effect of customized drug. To express this in more broad terms: in any given complex framework, little changes in introductory conditions can bring about significantly diverse results.

Track 13: Lifestyle Medicine

Way of life Medicine (LM) is the utilization of way of life intercessions in the treatment and administration of illness. LM is turning into the favoured methodology for the anticipation as well as the treatment of most constant illnesses, including Type-2 Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease, Hypertension, Obesity, Insulin Resistance Syndrome, Osteoporosis, tumour preventions.

Track 14: Preventive Medicines

Preventive Medicine is honed by all doctors to keep their patients sound. It is additionally a remarkable therapeutic claim to fame perceived by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Preventive Medicine concentrates on the soundness of people, groups, and characterized populaces. It is likewise utilized for the treatment for weight, visual impairment. The Epidemiology Division applies research techniques to comprehend the examples and reasons for wellbeing and infection in the populace and to make an interpretation of this learning into projects intended to anticipate disease.

We would be delighted to have your gracious presence at the 4thEuropean Conference on Personalized, Preventive Medicine & Molecular Diagnostics during November 28-29, 2016 Valencia, Spain.

Personalized Medicine is alluded as individualized treatment which implies the solution of particular medications and therapeutics. Personalized Medicine 2016 highlights the topic "Emphasizing the Knowledge of Personalized Medicine" alongside the logical system clears an approach to assemble visionaries through the exploration talks and presentations. A definitive mission of the meeting is to advance numerous interesting the Novel Approaches and Innovations in customized prescription and social insurance, serves a motivation for the progression of Molecular Diagnostics, a brief talk on Protein Biomarkers, extraordinary spotlight on Genetics Informed Personalized Immunotherapy and Stem Cells Therapy as the Future of Personalized Medicine. Customized Medicine guarantees numerous restorative advancements, and can possibly change the way medications are found and utilized.

OMICS Internationalis devotedly involved in conducting 300+ International Conferences Every Year across Europe, USA (Baltimore, Chicago, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and San Antonio) and almost all other parts of the world with support from 1000 more scientific societies and Publishes 400+ Open access journals which contains over 30000 eminent personalities, reputed scientists as editorial board members.

Personalized medicine therapeutics and companion diagnostic market have huge opportunities for growth in healthcare and will improve therapeutic effectiveness and reduce the severity of adverse effects approach to drug therapies. Personalized cancer medicine is self-made samples of translating cancer genetics into medical. There is a huge contribution of Genomic medicine by revealing genomic variations; have an effect on health, sickness and drug response.Biomarker also play vital role in the biological characteristic which can be molecular, anatomic, physiologic and chemical change drug development research which turns biomarkers into companion diagnostics.

Importance and Scope:

Personalized Medicine is an affecting learning method around a man's hereditary cosmetics and to unwind the science of their growth. Utilizing this data, specialists plan to distinguish counteractive action, screening, and treatment systems that might be more successful and cause less symptoms than would be normal with standard medications. By performing more hereditary tests and examination, specialists might modify treatment to every patient's needs

Personalized Cancer Medicineand treatments: Deciding the odds that a man will create disease and selecting screening procedures to bring down the danger, Matching patients with medications that will probably be powerful and cause less reactions, Predicting the danger of repeat (return of cancer).It is a developing field of pharmaceutical in which medicines are customized to the individual patient. Customized Diagnostics are medicinal gadgets that offer specialists some assistance with deciding which medications to offer patients and which measurements to give, custom-made particularly to the patient, says Elizabeth A. Mansfield, Ph.D., Deputy Office Director for Personalized Medicine in FDA's Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health. The friend analytic is fundamental to the sheltered and compelling utilization of the medication.

Personalized Medicine Diabetes is the utilization of data about the hereditary cosmetics of a man with diabetes to modify strategies for anticipating, recognizing, treating, or observing their diabetes. The act of PMFD includes four procedures. Initially is the ID of qualities and biomarkers for diabetes and additionally for corpulence. Second, is designation of assets to anticipate or recognize the diabetes and/or weight phenotype in high-hazard people, whose danger depends on their genotype. Third is determination of individualized treatments for influenced people. Fourth is estimation of flowing biomarkers of diabetes to screen the reaction to counteractive action or treatment.

Personalized Medicine World Conference will serve as a drive for the progression of sub-atomic investigation by associating researchers the whole way across the world at gatherings and presentations that would make a situation helpful for data trade, era of new thoughts and speeding up of uses. Customized Medicine Conference guarantees numerous restorative advancements, and can possibly change the way medications are found and utilized.

Cancer chemotherapy is in advancement from non-particular cytotoxic medications that harm both tumour and typical cells to more particular specialists and immunotherapy approaches Targeted operators are coordinated at one of a kind sub-atomic components of growth cells, and resistant therapeutics regulate the tumour insusceptible reaction; both methodologies plan to create more prominent viability with less danger. The advancement and utilization of such operators in biomarker-characterized populaces empowers a more Personalized Medicine Oncology treatment than already conceivable and can possibly lessen the expense of disease consideration.

The expression "Personalized medicine" is regularly depicted as giving "the right patient with the right medication at the right dosage at the correct time." More comprehensively, customized solution (otherwise called accuracy prescription) might be considered as the customizing of medicinal treatment to the individual qualities, needs, and inclinations of a patient amid all phases of consideration, including counteractive action, conclusion, treatment, and postliminary. Worldwide mastery Gathering on Personalized Medicine World Congress.

Personalized Medicine will move therapeutic practices upstream from the responsive treatment of infection, to proactive social insurance administration including screening, early treatment, and counteractive action, and will adjust the parts of both doctor and patient. Customized pharmaceutical requires a frameworks way to deal with usage. Be that as it may, in a social insurance economy that is profoundly decentralized and advertise driven, it is occupant upon the partners themselves to advocate for a steady arrangement of approaches and enactment that make ready for the reception of customized prescription. To address this need, the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) was shaped as a non-benefit umbrella association of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, demonstrative, and data innovation organizations, social insurance suppliers and payers, understanding backing bunches, industry approach associations, real scholastic foundations, and government offices.

Pharmacogenomics is a piece of a field called customized solution, additionally called individualized or exactness pharmaceutical that means to redo medicinal services, with choices and medications custom-made to every individual patient inside and out conceivable. Despite the fact that genomic testing is still a generally new improvement in medication treatment, this field is extending. At present, more than 100 medications have name data with respect to Personalized Medicine Pharmacogenomics biomarkers: some quantifiable or identifiable fragment of hereditary data that can be utilized to coordinate the utilization of a medication.

Propels in human genome examination are opening the way to another worldview for honing solution that guarantees to change social insurance. Customized solution, the utilization of marker-helped conclusion and focused on treatments got from an individual's atomic profile, will affect the way medications are created and pharmaceutical is honed. The customary straight procedure of medication disclosure and improvement will be supplanted by an incorporated and heuristic methodology. What's more, Personalized Medicine Patient Care will be altered using novel atomic inclination, screening, analytic, prognostic, pharmacogenomics and observing markers. Albeit various difficulties should be met to make customized drug a reality, with time, this methodology will supplant the conventional experimentation routine of medication.

Customized way of life prescription is a recently created term that alludes to a way to deal with medication in which an individual's wellbeing measurements from purpose of-consideration diagnostics are utilized to create way of life drug situated remedial systems for enhancing singular wellbeing results in overseeing incessant infection. Customized way of life pharmaceutical can give answers for incessant harnessing so as to wellbeing issues imaginative and advancing advances in view of late disclosures in genomics, epigenetics, frameworks science, life and behavioral sciences, and diagnostics and clinical solution.

Market Analysis

The Euro market estimation for customized drugs is anticipated to develop at the exacerbated yearly development rate of 7.5% amid 2009 to 2015. This development in future is required to be driven by various elements such as cost investment funds on medicines, early conclusion of ailment, medication wellbeing, quiet consistence, and improvement of treatments. Right now, America commands the business sector for customized pharmaceutical; be that as it may, progression in innovation and advancements in the field of DNA is required to set up Personalized Medicine Market in USA, UK, France, India, China, and Japan.

Quick advances in innovation have made it attainable to recognize a man's one of a kind genome. One individual varies from another by a large number of varieties in the genome, and a considerable lot of these varieties influence weakness to infection and reaction to medications. More noteworthy comprehension of individual genomes is permitting researchers and clinicians to start to "customize" medication. The Personalized Genomic Medicine insurgency will yield more viable medications with less unfavorable reactions and lead to longer, more beneficial lives and lower human services costs. The customized pharmaceutical industry in the United States as of now produces $286 billion every year in incomes and is developing by 11% every year, as indicated by Price water house Coopers Research at JAX Genomic Medicine will add to customized solution by uncovering how genomic varieties influence wellbeing, malady and medication reaction.

The worldwide Personalized Medicine Industry was esteemed at 8,956.14 billion EUR in 2014 and is relied upon to achieve 2179.32 billion EUR in 2022, developing at a CAGR of 11.8% over the gauge period. Key drivers of the business sector incorporate developing improvement of cutting edge sequencing, entire genome innovation, partner diagnostics and developing number of retail facilities.

The3rd International Conference on Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine & Molecular Diagnostics, hosted by theOMICS Internationalwas held duringSeptember 01-03, 2015at Valencia, Spain with the theme A new era for Healthcare and Medicine". This one-stop meeting provided comprehensive updates, education, and information on current and emerging Personalized Medicine issues and challenges.

The Conference was accomplished by the support of personalized specialty world molecular biologists, diagnostic therapists, physicians, bioinformaticians, academic scientists, industry researchers, scholars, decision makers, public health professionals and other health care professionals representing more than 25 countries, who made this conference fruitful and productive.

We are also thankful to the following exhibitor for their participation and interactive sessions:

ExScale Biospecimen Solutions,

The meeting was carried out through various sessions, in which the discussions were held on the following major scientific tracks:

Current Focus on Personalized Medicine

Clinical aspects of Personalized Medicine in Human, Animal models

Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics

Biomarkers

Nanotechnology and Biotechnology

Predictive Medicine in Pharmaceutical Analysis

Preventive Medicine

Health Care Medicine and P4 Medicine

Lifestyle Medicine

Genomics

Cancer Immunology & Oncology

OMICS International would like to convey a warm gratitude to all the Honorable guests and Keynote Speakers of Diabetes-2014:

Vincent S Gallicchio, Clemson University, USA

Ananda S Prasad, Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA

ConstantinPolychronakos, The Research Institute of the McGill Health Centre, Canada

MarangelesPajares, Instituto de InvestigacionesBiomdicas Alberto Sols, Spain

Anatoly Skalny, Trace Element Institute, Russia

SangeetaShukla, Jiwaji University, India

Mohamed Abdulla, Swedish Medical Board, Sweden

Our special thanks to the editors ofJournal of Pharmacogenomics & Pharmacoproteomics,Translational Medicine and Journal of Pharmaceutics & Drug Delivery Researchand the organizing committee members, Chair and Co-Chairs for their immense support and beneficial approach.

With the enormous feedback from the participants and supporters ofPersonalized Medicine 2015, OMICS International Conferences is glad to announce4thInternational Conference on Genomics and Personalized Medicineto be held duringJune 27-29, 2016 at Valencia, Spainalong with the5thInternational Conference on Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine & Molecular Diagnosticsto be held atBerlin, Germanyin the month ofJuly 21-22, 2016.

Personalized Medicine 2014

OMICS International 2ndInternational Conference on Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine & Molecular Diagnosticsat Embassy Suites Las Vegas, USA during November 3-5, 2014 was organized with a focus on Critical Review on Emphasizing the Knowledge of Personalized Medicinewas a great success where eminent keynote speakers from various reputed institutions made their resplendent presence and addressed the gathering.

Personalized Medicine-2014 witnessed an amalgamation of peerless speakers who enlightened the crowd with their knowledge and confabulated on various newfangled topics related to the field of Personalized Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics.

Personalized Medicine-2014 Organizing Committee would like to thank the Moderator of the conference,Dr.Sergey Suchkov, I M Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Russia who contributed a lot for the smooth functioning of this event.

OMICS International would like to convey a warm gratitude to all the Honorable guests and Keynote Speakers of Personalized Medicine -2014:

Vincent Gallicchio, Clemson University, USA Mukesh Verma, National Cancer Institute USA Claudio Nicolini, University of Genova, Italy Sergey Suchkov, I M Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Russia Ananda Prasad,Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA

OMICS International, on behalf of the conference, congratulates theBest Poster awardeesfor their outstanding performance and appreciates all the participants who put their efforts in poster presentations and sincerely wishes them success in future endeavors. We would like to thank the Poster Competition JudgeDr.Ananda Prasad,Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA for his valuable time.

Best Poster Winners: Vladimir Sergeevich Chernyy, Novosibirsk State University, Russian Federation

OMICS International Conferences llc also took the privilege of felicitating Personalized Medicine-2014Organizing Committee, Editorial Board MembersofJournal of Pharmacogenomics & PharmacoproteomicsandTranslational Medicine, Keynote Speakers, Chair and Co-Chairs and Moderator whose support made conference a great success.

With the enormous feedback from the participants and supporters of Personalized Medicine -2014, OMICS International Conferences is glad to announce

Personalized Medicine-2013

"International conference on Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine & Molecular Diagnostics"was held during August 5-7, 2013 at Holiday Inn Chicago North shore, USA.

OMICS Group Personalized Medicine - 2013 has swirl up the scientific thoughts and proved its importance in the booming area of research with stash of results by following the sequence of the human genome. Examples of relevant areas for personalized medicine include genomics, proteomics, epigenomics, pharmacogenomics etc.

The Conference has gathered support from American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine 2013, and Bioadvance. The citing can be viewed at webpages of Media Partners. American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Sigma Aldrich has participated as an exhibitors in this conference.

All accepted abstracts have been indexed inOMICS Group Translational Medicine Journal as a special issue.

The highlights of the meeting were the eponymous Keynote lectures and Honorable Guests

Vincent Gallicchio- Clemson University, UNESCO, USA Toshihisa Ishikawa RIKEN Omics Science Centre, Japan Dik C. Van Gent- Erasmus MC, Netherlands

Following organizations took part in Personalized Medicine- 2013

We are also obliged to various delegate experts, company representatives and other eminent personalities who supported the conference by facilitating active discussion forums. We sincerely thank theEditorial Board Members and OCM's for their gracious presence, support, and assistance towards the success of PersonalizedMedicine -2013

With the constant patronage of the Translational Medicine Journal, OMICS Group Conferences is glad to divulge our2nd International Conference on Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine & Molecular DiagnosticsduringNovember 3-5, 2014 at Embassy Suites, Las Vegas, USA.

The move towards personalized medicine can be seen as an evolutionary rather than revolutionary process. Although some personalized medicine approaches have already been introduced into practice in Europe, we are at an early stage of its implementation. Significant paradigm shifts will need to take place in major fields of medical research and health care for this innovative area to be fully exploited.

Link:
Personalized Medicine Conference | Medical Events | 2016 ...

Gene therapy is the insertion of genes into an individual's cells and tissues to treat a disease, and hereditary diseases in which a defective mutant allele is replaced with a functional one.

Although the technology is still in its infancy, it has been used with some success.

Antisense therapy is not strictly a form of gene therapy, but is a genetically-mediated therapy and is often considered together with other methods.

In most gene therapy studies, a "normal" gene is inserted into the genome to replace an "abnormal," disease-causing gene.

A carrier called a vector must be used to deliver the therapeutic gene to the patient's target cells.

Currently, the most common type of vectors are viruses that have been genetically altered to carry normal human DNA.

Viruses have evolved a way of encapsulating and delivering their genes to human cells in a pathogenic manner.

Scientists have tried to harness this ability by manipulating the viral genome to remove disease-causing genes and insert therapeutic ones.

Target cells such as the patient's liver or lung cells are infected with the vector.

The vector then unloads its genetic material containing the therapeutic human gene into the target cell.

The generation of a functional protein product from the therapeutic gene restores the target cell to a normal state.

In theory it is possible to transform either somatic cells (most cells of the body) or cells of the germline (such as sperm cells, ova, and their stem cell precursors).

All gene therapy to date on humans has been directed at somatic cells, whereas germline engineering in humans remains controversial.

For the introduced gene to be transmitted normally to offspring, it needs not only to be inserted into the cell, but also to be incorporated into the chromosomes by genetic recombination.

Somatic gene therapy can be broadly split in to two categories: ex vivo, which means exterior (where cells are modified outside the body and then transplanted back in again) and in vivo, which means interior (where genes are changed in cells still in the body).

Recombination-based approaches in vivo are especially uncommon, because for most DNA constructs recombination has a very low probability.

Follow this link:
Gene therapy - ScienceDaily

We at the Foundation Fighting Blindness have been receiving questions about acupuncture for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), namely because of feasibility research conducted by Ava Bittner, O.D., Ph.D., at Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with Andy Rosenfarb, N.D., L.Ac, who specializes in acupuncture and ophthalmic Chinese medicine. Their project was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Cutting to the chase, that study did not provide us with enough information to know if acupuncture can save or restore vision in people with RP. I will, in a moment, report on what we have learned thus far, as well as on the design of Dr. Bittners forthcoming acupuncture study, which will hopefully tell us more.

But I have one important comment before I discuss the research: I strongly recommend that people affected by RP and other retinal diseases hold off on trying acupuncture therapy for their retinal conditions until more is known about its risks and benefits. While Dr. Rosenfarb has used acupuncture to treat people with RP in his clinical practice, his approach has not yet been formally studied in a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Furthermore, Dr. Bittner informed us that acupuncture needles, if not properly administered by an acupuncturist trained in specific needling techniques for treating RP, can potentially cause nerve damage, infection and other problems. So, there are real risks if the therapy is administered by someone who does not have the appropriate skill and expertise, especially given that Dr. Rosenfarbs protocol involves administration around (not in!) the eyes. By all means, do not try this at home.

With that important disclaimer out of the way, let me tell you what we know about acupuncture. First, it is being widely used and studied by the Western medical community, especially for the treatment of chronic pain and discomfort related to a variety of diseases and conditions. Also, I recently compiled a list of about 60 acupuncture studies that are currently funded by the NIH. So, acupuncture definitely has additional potential benefits, and the breadth of those is being aggressively explored.

Second, we have evidence from a 2006 lab study that electroacupuncture in which a low-intensity electrical current is passed through needles might be therapeutic for retinal degenerations. An Italian research team led by Dr. Lucia Pagani showed that electroacupuncture released neurotrophic (i.e., protective) proteins in the retinas of rats with retinal degeneration. While vision in the rats was not measured, treated rats had thicker and healthier retinas than those that were untreated.

Last, we have Dr. Bittners recently completed 12-person feasibility study of electroacupuncture for people with RP. Results of the research were published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Optometry. In the study, participants received 10 half-hour treatments over a two-week period from Johns Hopkins acupuncturist Jeff Gould, who was trained by Dr. Rosenfarb to administer a standardized protocol designed specifically for the RP trial.

Dr. Bittner reported that eight of those participants had significant vision improvements in night vision, dark adaptation and/or visual field. She followed three of those patients for approximately a year, and their night-vision improvements were sustained. She continues to follow those three individuals to see how their night vision changes over time.

Later this year, Dr. Bittner will launch a one-year, 21-person study of electroacupuncture funded by the National Eye Institute. In this research effort, she and her colleagues will compare a control group to two therapeutic approaches: electroacupuncture and transcorneal stimulation, which involves sending a small electrical current through a wire placed on the surface of the eye.

Transcorneal stimulation has had encouraging results (increases in visual field) in small-scale German clinical trials. Dr. Bittner and her colleagues will also look at additional parameters of retinal health and vision improvement, including retinal blood flow and retinal sensitivity as measured by an electroretinogram.

Even after the small-scale, one-year study is completed, there will still be much that we dont know about acupuncture for retinal degenerations. If there is a benefit, we still wont know which forms of RP will benefit most and/or if acupuncture will save vision in people with other retinal diseases. Additional research will be needed, but I think Dr. Bittner and her colleagues are on the right track to getting the answers. Good research takes time.

If you are interested in participating in Dr. Bittners forthcoming study, send her an email at akiser@jhsph.edu.

Well be sure to report any new findings on acupuncture as we learn about them.

Visit link:
Is Acupuncture a Beneficial Treatment for Retinitis ...

In the UK, there are almost 2 million people living with sight loss. Of these, around 360,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted.

Being toldyouhave a visual impairment that can't be treated can be difficult to come to terms with. Somepeople go through a process similar to bereavement, where they experience a range of emotions including shock, anger, and denial, before eventually coming to accept their condition.

If you're blind or partially sighted, you may be referred to a specialist low-vision clinic, which is often located within a hospital. Staff at the clinic can help you understand your condition and come to termswith your diagnosis. They can also advise you about practical things, such as lighting and vision aids, and let you know about further sources of help and support.

Ask your local hospital if they have an Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO), whose role involves providing support to people with vision loss in eye clinics.

If you're blind or partially sighted, you may find it helpfulto contact a support group for people with visionloss.

TheRoyal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)is the UKs leading charity for people with vision loss, and it has a useful page on its website about coming to terms with sight loss.

The RNIB's helpline is open Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 5.30pm. The number is 0303 123 9999, with calls costing no more than a standard rate call to an 01 or 02 number. You can alsoemail helpline staff (helpline@rnib.org.uk).

The RNIB's website is specially designed for people with sight loss and provides a wide range of useful information and resources, including an online community andonline shop.

Action for Blind Peopleis another national charity that provides blind and partially sighted people with practical help and support.

For example, the charity can provide you withsupport and information about the day-to-day practicalities of living with a visual impairment, such as adjusting your home to make it easier to get around.

Other national charities that specialise in vision loss and you may find useful include:

There are also many local voluntary organisations around the country that help and support people with vision problems. You can search by postcode on a website called Visionaryto find local support organisations near you.

If your vision has deteriorated to a certain level, you may choose to register as visually impaired. Depending on the severity of your vision loss you'll either be registered as sight impaired (previously"partially sighted") or severely sight impaired (previously "blind").

Your eye specialist (ophthalmologist) will measure your visual acuity (ability to see detail at a distance) and your field of vision (how much you can see from the side of your eye when looking straight ahead).

These measurements will help yourophthalmologist determine whether youre eligible to be certified as sight impairedor severely sight impaired. If you are,they will complete an official certificate with the results of your eye examination.

In England and Wales this certificate is called the Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI), in Scotland its called BP1, and in Northern Ireland its called A655.

Your ophthalmologist will send a copyof the certificate to you, a copy to your GP and a copy toyour local social services department. Upon receiving the certificate,your local social services team will contact you to ask whether you want to be added toits register of visually impaired people.

After you're registered, social services will contact you again toarrange for an assessment to be carried out. The aim is to assess your needs and find out what help you require to remain independent, such as help with cleaning and cooking, or help with mobility and transport.

Registering as visually impaired isn't compulsory, but it canentitle you to a range of benefits including:

The RNIB website has more information about registering your sight loss. You can also read more aboutregistering vision impairmenton GOV.UK.

Most visually impaired people can continue to live at home. However, you'llprobably need to makesome changes to your home, particularly if you live on your own.

Below is a list of someimportant pieces of equipment you may find useful.

The way your house is painted can also make it easier to find your way around. Using a two-tone contrast approach, such as black and white, can make it easier to tell the difference between nearby objects, such as a door and its handle or the stairs and its handrail.

There are several options available if you're having problems reading standard text in books, newspapers and magazines.

One of the simplest options is to usea magnifying device that can make print appear bigger to help you read. These can be obtained from a number of places including hospital low vision services, optometrists, local voluntary organisations, and the RNIB.

The RNIB also has a collection of large print publications you can borrow, as do most libraries.

You could alsouse an e-reader to help you read.E-readers are handheld devices that allow you to download books and subscribe to newspapers and magazines on the internet. You can choose a setting that allows you to display text at a larger size.

If you're unable to read at all you could sign up to the:

You can also install screen-reading software on your computer that will read out emails, documents and text on the internet.

A charity called Communication for Blind and Disabled People has released a free screen reader for the PC called Thunder. Similar software is available for Apple devices, although you may have to pay a small fee.

There are also voice recognition programmes where you speak into a microphone and the software translates what you say into writing. These programmes can also be usedto issue commands, such as closing down the internet and moving from one website to another.

Some people with severe sight loss, particularly those who've had the problem from a young age,choose to learn Braille. Braille is a writing system where raised dots are used as a substitute for written letters.

As well as Braille versions of books and magazines, you can buy Braille display units, which can be attached to computers that allow you to read the text displayed ona computer screen. Braille computer keyboards are also available.

The RNIB website has more information aboutreading and Braille.

There are several different methods you can use toget around independentlyif you have a problem with your vision.

You may find a long cane useful when travelling. These type ofcanes are usually foldable andcan help you get around by detecting objects in your path. The cane will also make drivers and other pedestrians aware that you have sight loss.

To get the most from a longcane,it's a good ideato attend a training course that will teach you how to use it. The RNIB or Guide Dogs canprovide you with further details about training.

The charityGuide Dogs has been providing guide dogsfor people with vision lossfor many years. Guide dogs can help you get around, and provide both a sense of independence and companionship.

If you apply for a guide dog, Guide Dogs provide all the essential equipment free of charge and can also offer financial assistance if needed for things like food or vet costs.

You don't need to have lost all your sight to benefit from a guide dog and you don't have to be officially registered as blind or partially-sighted to apply for one. The Guide Dogs website has more information about applying for a guide dog.

Guide Dogs alsooffer a number ofother servicesfor people with a visual impairment (even if you don't have a guide dog), such asChildren and Young People's Servicesand mobility training.

The charityalso providesthe My Guide service, whichaims to reduce the isolation that many people with sight loss experience, helping to rebuild their confidence and regain their independence.

A global positioning system (GPS) is a navigational aid that uses signals from satellites to tell you where you are and help plan your journeys.

GPS devices are available as stand-alone units that can be programmed using a Braille keyboard, which tell you your current location and give you directions to where you want to go.

If you have a smartphone, there are a number of GPS apps you can download.

The RNIB website has more information abouttechnology and products for people with sight loss, includingGPS.

If you're diagnosed with a condition that affects your vision, you have a legal obligation to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Failure to do so is a crime and can result in a fine of up to 1,000.

Visit GOV.UK for more information aboutdriving with a disability or a health condition.

If you're registered as having a sight impairment, the DVLA will assume your driving licence is no longer valid and you'll no longer be able to drive.

Exceptions are occasionally made for people with mildvision impairment. If you think this applies to you, then your doctor will need to fill in a DVLA medical information questionnaire (PDF, 265kb).

You're only legally allowed to drive if you can read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres (65 feet), and an eyetest shows your visual acuity is at least 6/12. You're allowed to wear glasses or contact lenses when reading the plate or letter chart.

There are also standards relating to your visual field and driving. If you have a condition that mayreduce your visual field, the DVLA may ask you to completea visual field test to demonstrate you're safe to drive.

If you're currently employed and have recently been diagnosed with a visual impairment, you should contact theAccess to Work scheme.

Access to Work is a scheme run by Jobcentre Plus that provides advice and support about what equipment and adjustments may be required to enable you to do your job.

They also offer a grant to contribute towards the costs of any equipment or training you may need, such as voice recognition software, a Braille keyboard and display unit and a printer that can convert text into Braille (Braille embossers).

Depending on the size of the company you work for, the grant can pay for 80-100% of costs, up to 10,000.

If you're currently looking for work, there are three main organisations that can provide extra advice and support:

You don't have to disclose that you have a visual impairment when applying for a job, but it'susually recommended that you do.

If you feel you've been turned down for a job because of your disability, and you were capable of doing the job, you can make a complaint under the Equality Act 2010.

Some people with a visual impairment decide to become self-employed, often because it allows them the flexibility to work at home for hours they choose.

Action for Blind People has self-employment advisers who can provide information and training on issues such as drawing up a business plan, obtaining funding and book-keeping.

The RNIB website hasmore information and advice aboutwork and employment. You can also read more about employmenton the Action for Blind People website.

If you havevision loss, it's still important to have regular sighttests so your optometrist (eye specialist) can check for further changes in your eyes and give you advice about how to make thebest use of your vision.

Find an optician near youandread more aboutNHS eye care services.

Page last reviewed: 08/07/2015

Next review due: 08/07/2017

More here:
Blindness and vision loss - NHS Choices