StemCell Therapy

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A serial child rapist is going behind bars for life after being sentenced to up to 126 years in jail. Meanwhile, a couple is being charged with arson and insurance fraud after allegedly setting fire to their newspaper business. In Pittsburgh, a UPMC researchers new gene therapy could cure diabetes. Also, with Easter on the horizon, Cadbury is on the hunt for a different kind of bunny -- and one Pennsylvania llama is throwing its hat in the race.

Those are the stories we are covering in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Julia Hatmaker. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories in the state.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

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Great start to the day! Julia provides the most-needed details on the days news, and makes a great way to begin the morning. Just as important, Julia gives us the lede to stories we now know to look for the in-depth article on the website.

Thanks, Julia, for giving us a boost on a ho-hum morning!"

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Serial child rapist sentenced to up to 126 years in jail; new gene therapy from UPMC could cure diabetes: Tod - PennLive

Significantly Expands Companys R&D Capabilities to Advance Industrys Largest Portfolio of Rare Disease Gene Therapy Programs

State of the Art 75,000 Sq. Ft. Research Facility Across From University of Pennsylvania Strengthens Collaboration with Wilson Lab

CRANBURY, N.J. and PHILADELPHIA, March 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amicus Therapeutics (FOLD) today announced the official opening of the companys Global Research and Gene Therapy Center of Excellence in uCity SquareinPhiladelphia to advance its industry leading portfolio of rare disease gene therapy programs. In 2019, Amicus and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) announced a major expansion of their Gene Therapy Collaboration which provides Amicus with disease-specific worldwide rights to Penns Next Generation Gene Therapy Technologies from the Wilson Lab for the majority of lysosomal storage disorders, as well as twelve additional more prevalent rare diseases including Rett Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome and select other muscular dystrophies.

John F. Crowley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ofAmicus Therapeutics, Inc., stated, This is a remarkable advancement in the history of Amicus and further strengthens our great collaboration with Dr. Jim Wilson and the Gene Therapy Center at Penn. Philadelphia is a magnet for talent in gene therapy and an engine for innovation. This new global research center located in the cradle of liberty will become part of the cradle of cures as we move many gene therapy programs forward toward patients in need. With exclusive global rights to 50 rare diseases in collaboration with Dr. Wilsons team we hope to be able to alleviate an enormous amount of human suffering with the great science work that will be done in this new facility.

The 75,000 sq. ft. Center is located on the top three floors of the new building at 3675 Market Street and consists of office and state-of-the-art laboratories. It will ultimately house approximately 200 researchers and drug developers focused exclusively on gene therapies.

A by invitation only ribbon cutting event takes place today to celebrate the opening with special guests to include Dr. Jim Wilson, government officials and patients living with rare diseases and their families.

About Amicus TherapeuticsAmicus Therapeutics (FOLD) is a global, patient-dedicated biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering novel high-quality medicines for people living with rare metabolic diseases. With extraordinary patient focus, Amicus Therapeutics is committed to advancing and expanding a robust pipeline of cutting-edge, first- or best-in-class medicines for rare metabolic diseases. For more information please visit the companys website at http://www.amicusrx.com and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.

CONTACTS:

Media:Christopher ByrneExecutive Director, Corporate Communicationscbyrne@amicusrx.com(609) 662-2798

Continued here:
Amicus Opens New Global Research and Gene Therapy Center of Excellence in Philadelphia - Yahoo Finance

Allergan and Editas Medicine have made history after scientists used a CRISPR treatment developed by the partners to edit cells inside the human body.

Until now, researchers have used CRISPR in human trials, but removed patients cells and edited them outside the body before re-injecting them a process known as ex vivo treatment.

Allergan and Editas gene therapy AGN151587 or EDIT-101 is designed to treat a rare, inherited form of blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis 10 (LCA10).

The condition often first occurs in infancy, and those with the condition have specific mutations in the genes responsible for the development of the retina, the part of the eye that detects light.

The historical CRISPR moment occurred in the phase 1/2 BRILLIANCE study, after the first LCA10 patient was dosed with the CRISPR genome editing medicine inside the body or in vivo treatment.

Allergan and Editas plan to treat a further 18 LCA10 patients with EDIT-101, to evaluate the treatments safety, tolerability and efficacy.

Although there is a gene therapy available for Lebers Sparks Luxturna it doesnt work for the specific gene mutation which causes LCA10.

In comparison to gene therapies, which insert a working copy of the gene which is missing in a rare disorder, CRISPR therapies are designed to modify the gene itself, instead of supplying a working copy.

CRISPR technology does this by breaking a specific place within DNA which triggers a self-repair mechanism.

However, instead of repairing the original sequence, CRISPR serves as a new template that can be used to modify the sequence and correct a faulty gene.

Although Allergan and Editas have claimed the first in vivo instance of CRISPR treatment, a number of pharma companies and biotechs are carrying out research in the area.

That includes Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics the partners recently revealed initial positive data from the first to patients treated with their investigational CRISPR/Cas9 therapy CTX001 for the treatment of severe haemoglobinopathies.

AstraZeneca is also making a play in the CRISPR field, with a collaboration on a CRISPR-focused research programme with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, the Innovative Genomics Initiative, Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Broad Institute.

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Allergan and Editas claim a CRISPR first in inherited blindness study - PMLiVE

Second highest year for global financings in regenerative medicine, with nearly $10 billion raised globally

Washington, DC, March 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) today announced the release of its 2019 Annual Report and Sector Year in Review, highlighting the organizations key priorities and initiatives, as well as offering an in-depth look at trends and metrics for the cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue engineering sector.

ARM, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019, is the premier international advocacy organization representing the cell and gene therapy and broader regenerative medicine sector. In its 2019 annual report, the organization provides an update on its work with industry, national and international regulatory agencies, public and private payers, patient organizations and other stakeholders to create a positive environment for the development of and access to these innovative therapies.

Using data sourced from ARMs data partner Informa, the report also provides analysis on industry-specific statistics and trends from nearly 1,000 leading cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering, and other regenerative medicine companies worldwide. Key features of the report include total financings for the sector, partnerships and other deals, clinical trial information, anticipated near-term product approvals and regulatory filings, and expert commentary from industry representatives in the US and Europe.

Key findings from the 2019 annual report include:

Globally, companies active in gene and cell therapies and other regenerative medicines raised nearly $10 billion in 2019, the second highest year on record. Venture financings were particularly strong, making up more than $4 billion in global financings a 33% increase over 2018.

There were 1,066 clinical trials underway worldwide by year-end 2019. 10+ product candidates are poised for approval, and the number of approved gene therapies will likely double in the next one to two years.

Companies headquartered in Europe raised $3 billion, the strongest year on record, and were sponsoring 260 trials by the end of the year.

There is a supportive policy environment for regenerative medicines, with policymakers showing a strong interest in promoting the development of, and patient access to, these innovative therapies.

ARM will continue to update this information through new reports to be released after the close of each quarter, tracking sector performance, key financial information, clinical trial numbers, and clinical data events.

Story continues

The report is available to download onlinehere, with interactive data and downloadable infographics availablehere. Past reports, issued quarterly and annually, are availablehere.

About The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is an international multi-stakeholder advocacy organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine worldwide. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, providing business development and investor outreach services to support the growth of its member companies and research organizations. Prior to the formation of ARM in 2009, there was no advocacy organization operating in Washington, D.C. to specifically represent the interests of the companies, research institutions, investors and patient groups that comprise the entire regenerative medicine community. Today, ARM has more than 350 members and is the leading global advocacy organization in this field. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visithttp://www.alliancerm.org.

Kaitlyn Donaldson Dupont803-727-8346kdonaldson@alliancerm.org

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The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Releases 2019 Annual Report and Sector Year in Review - Yahoo Finance

An emergency room physician, initially unable to diagnose a disoriented patient, finds on the patient a wallet-sized card providing access to his genome, or all his DNA. The physician quickly searches the genome, diagnoses the problem and sends the patient off for a gene-therapy cure. Thats what a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist imagined 2020 would look like when she reported on the Human Genome Project back in 1996.

The Human Genome Project was an international scientific collaboration that successfully mapped, sequenced and made publicly available the genetic content of human chromosomes or all human DNA. Taking place between 1990 and 2003, the project caused many to speculate about the future of medicine.

In 1996, Walter Gilbert, a Nobel laureate, said, The results of the Human Genome Project will produce a tremendous shift in the way we can do medicine and attack problems of human disease. In 2000, Francis Collins, then head of the HGP at the National Institutes of Health, predicted, Perhaps in another 15 or 20 years, you will see a complete transformation in therapeutic medicine. The same year, President Bill Clinton stated the Human Genome Project would revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases.

It is now 2020 and no one carries a genome card. Physicians typically do not examine your DNA to diagnose or treat you. Why not? As I explain in a recent article in the Journal of Neurogenetics, the causes of common debilitating diseases are complex, so they typically are not amenable to simple genetic treatments, despite the hope and hype to the contrary.

The idea that a single gene can cause common diseases has been around for several decades. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, high-profile scientific journals, including Nature and JAMA, announced single-gene causation of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and alcoholism, among other conditions and behaviors. These articles drew massive attention in the popular media, but were soon retracted or failed attempts at replication. These reevaluations completely undermined the initial conclusions, which often had relied on misguided statistical tests. Biologists were generally aware of these developments, though the follow-up studies received little attention in popular media.

There are indeed individual gene mutations that cause devastating disorders, such as Huntingtons disease. But most common debilitating diseases are not caused by a mutation of a single gene. This is because people who have a debilitating genetic disease, on average, do not survive long enough to have numerous healthy children. In other words, there is strong evolutionary pressure against such mutations. Huntingtons disease is an exception that endures because it typically does not produce symptoms until a patient is beyond their reproductive years. Although new mutations for many other disabling conditions occur by chance, they dont become frequent in the population.

Instead, most common debilitating diseases are caused by combinations of mutations in many genes, each having a very small effect. They interact with one another and with environmental factors, modifying the production of proteins from genes. The many kinds of microbes that live within the human body can play a role, too.

Since common serious diseases are rarely caused by single-gene mutations, they cannot be cured by replacing the mutated gene with a normal copy, the premise for gene therapy. Gene therapy has gradually progressed in research along a very bumpy path, which has included accidentally causing leukemia and at least one death, but doctors recently have been successful treating some rare diseases in which a single-gene mutation has had a large effect. Gene therapy for rare single-gene disorders is likely to succeed, but must be tailored to each individual condition. The enormous cost and the relatively small number of patients who can be helped by such a treatment may create insurmountable financial barriers in these cases. For many diseases, gene therapy may never be useful.

The Human Genome Project has had an enormous impact on almost every field of biological research, by spurring technical advances that facilitate fast, precise and relatively inexpensive sequencing and manipulation of DNA. But these advances in research methods have not led to dramatic improvements in treatment of common debilitating diseases.

Although you cannot bring your genome card to your next doctors appointment, perhaps you can bring a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between genes and disease. A more accurate understanding of disease causation may insulate patients against unrealistic stories and false promises.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read more here:
Why Sequencing the Human Genome Failed to Produce Big Breakthroughs in Disease - Discover Magazine

Ascension St. John Jane Phillips in Bartlesville will present Diabetes Prevention Program, a year-long class, led by certified lifestyle coaches at the end of the month.

Sessions will be weekly March 25th through July 1dt from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., then monthly for the year. Cost is $5 per month. For questions or more information, call 918.331.1143.

Classes are held at the Medical Park Center, 3400 SE Frank Phillips Blvd., Suite 200 in the Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Diabetes and Nutrition Education classroom.

Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Over 88 million American adults have prediabetes thats 1 in 3 adults. Of those 88 million, more than 8 in 10 of them dont even know they have it. Without taking action, many people with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years.

Diabetes is a serious disease that can cause heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, or loss of feet or legs.

The good news is Type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented in people with prediabetes through effective lifestyle programs. With modest lifestyle changes including healthy eating and increased physical activity men and women can decrease the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes.

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News Diabetes Prevention Program to be Offered Soon - Bartlesville Radio

Brushing your teeth frequently may reduce your risk for diabetes, new research suggests.

Using Korean government health records and self-reports, researchers gathered health and behavioral data on 188,013 men and women, average age 53, who were free from diabetes. More than 17 percent had periodontal disease. Over the course of the 10-year study, 31,545 developed diabetes.

After controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, lipid levels, hypertension and other factors, they found that people with periodontal disease had a 9 percent increased risk for developing diabetes. The study is in Diabetologia.

Compared with people who did not brush or brushed only once a day, those who brushed twice a day had a 3 percent reduced risk for diabetes, and those who brushed three times a day an 8 percent reduced risk. The loss of 15 or more teeth was associated with a 21 percent increased risk for developing diabetes.

Neither the number of visits to the dentist or the frequency of professional tooth cleaning was associated with the incidence of diabetes.

The lead author, Dr. Yoonkyung Chang, a professor of neurology at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said that healthy lifestyle has more powerful effects on diabetes prevention than tooth brushing.

But, she said, Frequent tooth brushing reduces local inflammation and bacteremia, and if good brushing habits persist for a long time, this can affect systemic diseases.

The rest is here:
Frequent Tooth Brushing Tied to Lower Diabetes Risk - The New York Times

Coronavirus and Diabetes: What You Need to Know

Unless youve been living under a rock the past few weeks, you have heard of a new and deadly virus that has quickly been spreading around the world: Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which is a highly infectious, acute respiratory disease. This disease only affects mammals and birds, and seems to have originated from a seafood market in the Wuhan Province of China. The numbers are changing daily, but the most recent numbers show that over 76,000 people have been infected with the virus, with 99% of them occurring within mainland China.

Because diabetes education is my passion, I wanted to share some information from author Christine Fallabel, Diabetes Daily. So how dangerous is the Coronavirus, and what do you need to know as a person living with diabetes? Many people who are infected with the virus never seek treatment. According to the World Health Organization, signs of the infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. If you suspect you may be infected, see your doctor right away.

To protect yourself from getting any type of seasonal virus, its best to avoid contact with other sick people, wash your hands frequently (especially and always after using the restroom and before preparing food!), wear a protective mask when traveling through airports or busy bus/train stations, get your flu vaccination, maintain a healthy sleep schedule, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. According to the CDC, Coronavirus is spread by respiratory droplets in the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. The virus can also be spread when an uninfected person touches a surface where the virus is (bathroom countertops or door handles), and then touches their face or mouth. Carrying antimicrobial hand sanitizer with you can help to eliminate this threat.

Sometimes your diabetes gives clues when youre starting to get sick, and one of those clues is higher-than-normal blood sugars. If youre starting to see your numbers creep up for no reason, it could be a sign that youre coming down with something. Stay on top of your diabetes when you get ill. This will include more frequent blood glucose testing, staying hydrated, checking ketones, and if on insulin, might require extra dosages.

Even though most cases are mild, having a chronic illness and a virus at the same time can cause major trouble. Seek help from a physician if you suspect something is beyond your control. Even though we are not in crisis mode concerning the Coronavirus in the United States, always be prepared with extra diabetes supplies lancets, test strips, medications. The main goal is to be proactive in protecting yourself and being aware of how your body responds.

Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes Series

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes and dont know what to do next? Are you afraid of complications? Are you confused about which foods spike your blood glucose? Do you know what your blood glucose ranges should be? Are you wondering what a hemoglobin A1c is and what yours should be?

All of these questions and concerns will be answered in this informative series! Pharmacists, diabetes specialists, and more will be on hand to lead the sessions and allow you to interact, ask questions, and share experiences. You still have time to sign up by calling the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Sulphur Springs at 903-885-3443. Topics to be covered include glucose monitoring, nutrition/meal planning, sick day management, medications, role of physical activity, delaying/preventing complications, or if you already have complications, how to manage them.

Cost is only $25 for the entire series, payable at the first session and includes materials, refreshments, and a chance for door prizes. Sessions will take place at the Hopkins County Extension Office on Mondays and Thursdays, March 9. 12. 16. 19, and 23.

Closing Thought

No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, and disciplined unknown

Article by Johanna Hicks,Texas A&M AgriLife Extension,Family & Community Health Agent

Originally posted here:
Coronavirus and Diabetes: What You Need to Know by Johanna Hicks, Family & Community Health Agent - frontporchnewstexas.com

Diabetes is the signature cause of Lions clubs around the world, as well as right here in Barton County. The Great Bend Evening Lions Club last week presented diabetic emergency kits to area schools.

In all, 14 of the kits went to schools in Great Bend and four to schools in Hoisington, said club member and project organizer Stan Jantz. These are for nurses or students to use.

The kits include snacks and other items for students with blood sugar issues or in some other form of diabetic distress, he said. However, they do not include insulin or other medications.

Approximately 293,860 people in Kansas, or 12.6% of the adult population, have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Of these, an estimated 69,000 have diabetes but dont know it, greatly increasing their health risk.

Nationally, 30.3 million people, or 9.4% of the U.S. population, have diabetes, the ADA notes. An estimated 23.1 million people, or 7.2% of the population, have been diagnosed with diabetes.

But, this is also a global issue. Lions Club International has partnered with the International Diabetes Federation to fight this disease.

In March 2018, Lions Clubs International and the International Diabetes Federation signed a memorandum of understanding, on the occasion of Lions Day at the UN, to establish a cooperative alliance in the global fight against diabetes.

The two organizations came together to help prevent diabetes and improve the quality of life for those living with diabetes worldwide, a joint statement reads.

According to the IDF, In 2019:

Approximately 463 million adults (20-79 years) were living with diabetes; by 2045 this will rise to 700 million.

The proportion of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing in most countries.

79% of adults with diabetes were living in low- and middle-income countries.

1 in 5 of the people who are above 65 years old have diabetes.

1 in 2 (232 million) people with diabetes were undiagnosed.

Diabetes caused 4.2 million deaths.

Diabetes caused at least USD 760 billion dollars in health expenditure in 2019 10% of total spending on adults.

More than 1.1 million children and adolescents are living with type 1 diabetes.

More than 20 million live births (1 in 6 live births) are affected by diabetes during pregnancy.

374 million people are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

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Evening Lions present diabetic kits to local schools - Great Bend Tribune

The findings of a study suggest that health care providers and organizations should follow a set of guidelines for producing engaging, easily digestible YouTube content that helps patients with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, managing their diagnoses.

The researchers specifically focused on how users engage with medical information on diabetes because it stands as one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the US.

The study, conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Utah, the University of Arizona, and Michigan State University, was published in the journalMIS Quarterly.

To conduct this study, the researchers used over 200 search terms to compile a list of 19,873 unique YouTube videos that were uploaded by individual users as well health care organizations, such as Mayo Clinic, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Nutrition Association. Next, they used a deep learning method to identify medical terms found in videos before grouping videos based on how much medical information they contained. They also focused on different ways these videos presented information, via text and images. Subsequently, the researchers assessed the data to determine how viewers collectively paid attention to the videos in different ways.

According to the results of the study, viewers who watched YouTube videos that contained limited medical information (e.g. videos filled with unsubstantial claims or excessive ads) typically did not engage with the videos, suggesting the need for medical content. However, the study also found that viewers who watched YouTube videos saturated with medical terms also struggled to maintain attention. The authors noted that considering the low levels of health literacy in the US, viewers may become intimidated by seeing an abundance of medical terminology.

Our study helps health care practitioners and policymakers understand how users engage with medical information in video format, says study co-author Rema Padman, professor of management science and healthcare informatics at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Heinz College in a press release. It also contributes to enhancing current public health practices by promoting the development of guidelines for the content of educational videos that aim to help people cope with chronic conditions.

Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that specific guidelines should be developed for individuals and organizations that produce YouTube content so they can provide engaging and relevant material to patients with chronic conditions. They recommend using automated video retrieval a method which identifies, and labels videos based on their level of content to accommodate patients varying levels of comprehending medical information.

As organizations produce health-related educational materials for patients, they should think not only about what medical information to deliver, but also how to meet the interest, information needs, and health-literacy levels of the consumers, Prof. Padman suggests. Creators of these materials should use technology and online solutions to reach patients with complex chronic conditions with personalized, contextualized, and just-in-time content.

Originally posted here:
Study Suggests Guidelines to Improve YouTube Video Content for Patients with Diabetes and Other Chronic Health Conditions - DocWire News

Brant Morefield, PhD; Lisa Tomai, MS; Vladislav Slanchev, PhD; and Andrea Klemes, DO

We examine the effects of MDValue in Prevention (MDVIP) enrollment on Medicare expenditures and utilization among fee-for-service beneficiaries with diabetes over a 5-year period.

Objectives:

Study Design: We obtained participating physician and beneficiary enrollment lists from MDVIP and Medicare FFS claims data through the Virtual Research Data Center to compare changes in outcomes, before and after enrollment dates, with those of nonenrolled beneficiaries receiving primary care in the same local market.

Methods: We employed propensity score matching to identify comparison beneficiaries similar in observed characteristics and preenrollment trends. Individual fixed effects were used to control for time-consistent differences between treatment and comparison populations.

Results: We found that enrollment is statistically associated with reductions in outpatient expenditures, Medicare expenditures in year 5, emergency department (ED) utilization, and unplanned inpatient admissions, accompanied by significant increases in evaluation and management visits and expenditures. Total Medicare expenditures over the 5-year period, as well as all inpatient admissions, were not statistically different between the MDVIP and comparison groups.

Conclusions: Our finding of reduced unplanned inpatient admissions and ED utilization supports the previous findings regarding MDVIP enrollees. We did not find significant changes in overall third-party expenditures, although savings were estimated in year 5, the last year of observation, and may occur later. Our approach, however, strengthens controls for baseline characteristics of the population and uses a comparison population drawn from the same markets who do not experience the loss of their primary care physician at the time of enrollment.

Am J Manag Care. 2020;26(3):In Press

We used claims data to examine how healthcare utilization and third-party Medicare expenditures change after individuals with diabetes enroll in the MDValue in Prevention (MDVIP) model.

Prior research suggests that enrollment in MDVIP reduces utilization of inpatient or emergency department (ED) services. Musich et al analyzed medical utilization of MDVIP members in comparison with a sample of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who did not join the model and showed that participation in MDVIP led to savings in medical expenditures for 2 years after joining, resulting from reduced hospitalizations and ED visits.3 Similar reductions in healthcare utilization related to MDVIP membership were found by Klemes et al4 and Musich et al,5 who used patient-level data from 5 states within the Intellimed data set and a sample of patients with a UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored health plan, respectively. Our study continues this evidence base by examining the role of the MDVIP model on third-party Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) expenditures and healthcare utilization for the older Medicare FFS population. Further, we chose to focus on a population with diabetes, a common and costly chronic condition, because patients with chronic conditions may experience differential effects of personalized primary care arrangements from those presented in prior research.

As physician and patient participation is voluntary and involves enrollment fees for patients, we expect that MDVIP physicians and patients may differ from others who are part of the Medicare FFS population. A review of the work of Klemes et al4 by the American College of Physicians raised questions regarding identification of an MDVIP effect without further adjustment for baseline health and socioeconomic factors.6 We addressed such factors in this study by matching comparison beneficiaries on observed characteristics, including baseline health, and controlling for time-consistent unobserved characteristics using fixed effects.

METHODS

We obtained lists of MDVIP-participating physicians and MDVIP-enrolled beneficiaries 65 years or older, as well as their associated program enrollment dates, from MDVIP, and 2000-2015 Medicare claims (parts A and B) and Master Beneficiary Summary File Chronic Conditions segment data from the Virtual Research Data Center. The Chronic Conditions segment applies algorithms to identify the incidence of chronic conditions based on diagnosis and service codes in beneficiaries claims histories. We used these chronic condition flags to identify beneficiaries meeting the diabetic criteria at the time of MDVIP enrollment or potential enrollment.

Study Populations

We first identified all Medicare FFS beneficiaries receiving at least 1 Part B service from an MDVIP-affiliated physician in a 15-month period ending when the physician joined MDVIP, including both beneficiaries who did and did not join the MDVIP model. Among beneficiaries receiving care from future MDVIP-affiliated physicians, we cross-referenced sex, date of birth, and zip code in Medicare records with MDVIP enrollment files. Using this approach, we uniquely identified 90% of FFS beneficiaries listed by MDVIP.

We also identified unaffiliated primary care physicians operating in the same primary care service area (PCSA) and the population of patients receiving care from these non-MDVIP physicians in the 15 months prior to when the MDVIP physicians joined. As such, we selected a population of potential comparison beneficiaries who received primary care in the same market at the same time as beneficiaries who enroll in MDVIP, where markets are defined as PCSAs.7

Because more than 90% of beneficiaries enrolled in MDVIP within 30 days of their providers enrollment, and 95% within 90 days, we used the providers enrollment dates as the start of MDVIP for the enrolled population. For beneficiaries seeing non-MDVIP providers, the intervention start date was defined as the enrollment date of the linked local MDVIP provider.

From the providers enrollment dates, we extracted beneficiaries Medicare FFS claims 3 years prior to and up to 5 years post enrollment. We only included years in which the beneficiary was enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B and not enrolled in Medicare managed care.

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Payer Effects of Personalized Preventive Care for Patients With Diabetes - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Photo (c) loooby - Getty ImagesIncluding plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet can help keep you healthy, but a recent study shows that one particular type of fruit could be more beneficial than previously thought.

Researchers from Western University say that a molecule called nobiletin that is found in oranges and tangerines can help reverse negative symptoms linked to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. The team believes that their findings could be good news for health care providers who are always looking for new ways to promote better health.

"Obesity and its resulting metabolic syndromes are a huge burden to our health care system, and we have very few interventions that have been shown to work effectively," said Dr. Murray Huff. "We need to continue this emphasis on the discovery of new therapeutics."

The researchers came to their conclusions after studying mice who were fed a diet high in fat and cholesterol. While some of the mice were only given foods high in these substances, others were also given nobiletin.

After observing the physical changes in the mice over time, the team concluded that the mice that also received nobiletin were leaner and had lower levels of insulin resistance and blood fats when compared to the control mice. Huff says that these results strongly suggest that nobiletin can be used as a health intervention.

We've shown that in mice that already have all the negative symptoms of obesity, we can use nobiletin to reverse those symptoms, and even start to regress plaque build-up in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis, he said.

The team hopes to continue their research with human trials to see if nobiletin has the same effect on people. The full study has been published in the Journal of Lipid Research.

The rest is here:
Eating oranges and tangerines can help reduce risk of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes - ConsumerAffairs

People with diabetes are at high risk for kidney disease, but there are steps they can take to protect their kidneys.

Meda E. Pavkov, MD, PhD, medical epidemiologist in the Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative within the Division for Diabetes Translation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a co-author of the Kidney Disease in Diabetes chapter in the NIDDK publication Diabetes in America, 3rd Edition. Here, she discusses the link between diabetes and kidney disease and the importance of early detection and management of kidney disease.

Q: What is the link between diabetes and kidney disease?

A: Diabetes is the most frequent cause of chronic kidney disease, not only in the United States but in most industrialized countries. Kidney disease in people with diabetes is caused by multiple factors, including diabetic changes in the kidneys as well as vascular changes due to hypertension. People with diabetes have high glycemia, or blood glucose, which can damage the kidneys and lead to kidney disease.

When people are diagnosed with diabetes, they may already have hypertension. Hypertension is an additional risk factor for diabetic kidney disease because high blood pressure damages the kidneys, which may prevent proper function.

Q: What are the benefits of talking about kidney disease risk factors with patients who have diabetes?

A: Most of the risk factors for kidney disease in patients with diabetes can be modified. We can treat and manage them. However, like many other chronic diseases, kidney disease has very few early symptoms. For instance, a patient may have albuminuria, which is the earliest sign of kidney disease. It means that there is too much of the protein albumin in the urine, but a patient may not have any symptoms specific to the albuminuria.

The prevalence of kidney disease in the United States is about 15 percent, yet awareness of kidney disease is very low. Patients can have kidney disease for a long time without having symptoms or knowing that they have the disease. We found that many transplant patients and new dialysis patients had little awareness of their kidney disease and did not know what they could have done to help prevent or slow the disease before kidney failure.

It is especially important to talk to patients with diabetes about kidney disease risk factors because they are more than twice as likely to develop kidney disease than those without diabetes. By talking with patients who have diabetes about kidney disease, the disease may be diagnosed early, and patients can take steps to help slow its progression.

Q: Why is it so important to diagnose kidney disease in patients with diabetes as early as possible?

A: By diagnosing kidney disease as early as possible, we can treat the disease earlier, which means slowing disease progression. The end goal for treating kidney disease as early as possible is to prevent kidney failure, which is when the kidneys have lost most of their ability to function. By preventing kidney failure, you avoid end-stage renal disease, which is the stage at which dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed to survive.

Patients with diabetes who know they have kidney disease can

Diagnosing and managing kidney disease early can prevent complications, particularly cardiovascular complications. Many physicians and researchers are not aware that among people with diabetes, kidney disease doubles the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Beyond the positive health implications of diagnosing and treating kidney disease early, CDC has published studies demonstrating that diagnosing and treating the disease early to avoid kidney failure and other complications is cost effective.

Q: What are the recommended guidelines for kidney disease testing?

A: Kidney disease is diagnosed and tracked using two tests. One is a blood test, called serum creatinine, used to calculate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), or kidney function, which assesses how well the kidneys are filtering blood. A GFR below 60 for at least 3 months indicates chronic kidney disease.

The other test used to diagnose and monitor kidney disease checks for albumin in the urine. Anyone with a urine albumin result above 30 milligrams per gram for at least two out of three albumin tests in a 3-month period is considered to have kidney disease. Physicians should be aware of the importance of the urine albumin test, because it is able to detect early kidney disease.

Guidelines recommend that anyone with one or more risk factors for kidney diseasepeople with diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease; those with a family history of kidney disease or diabetes; people older than 50 years; and those who smokebe tested for kidney disease. Testing for kidney disease is inexpensive and easy and is critical to identifying and treating the disease early.

Q: How can health care professionals help to prevent or slow kidney disease from progressing in patients with diabetes?

A: Its important for health care professionals to educate patients about their risk for kidney disease, how the disease might affect their health, what they need to avoid, and how they can modify their lifestyle to prevent or slow the disease. When patients understand their risks, they may be more likely to talk with their health care professional about getting tested for kidney disease and more aware of the importance of keeping their kidneys healthy.

In general, kidney disease progresses relatively slowly with few or no symptoms, so there is a very long window of opportunity to personalize and adjust treatment to a patient's situation. The first and most important way to prevent or slow kidney disease in people with diabetes, whether its type 1 or type 2 diabetes, is to manage blood glucose levels. Glucose levels should be monitored regularly. Another way to help prevent or slow kidney disease progression is by managing blood pressure. This is particularly important in patients with type 2 diabetes, who often have high blood pressure. Lifestyle changes and medications such as ARBs, or angiotensin receptor blockers, often play a key role in controlling blood pressure in people with diabetes.

Ultimately, the best way to prevent kidney disease is to prevent type 2 diabetes, because nearly 40 percent of people with diabetes will develop kidney disease.

Q: Is there anything else that health care professionals should know about kidney disease in people with diabetes?

A: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced an important new kidney disease initiative called Advancing American Kidney Health. The initiative has three main goalsto reduce the number of Americans developing kidney failure, encourage home dialysis rather than treatment in dialysis centers, and increase the number of kidneys available for transplant.

This initiative is exciting because it recognizes kidney disease as an important public health issue and creates an official policy framework to improve kidney care in the United States. It aims to improve prevention and treatment, redesign dialysis to improve the quality of life among dialysis patients and increase their life expectancies, and create incentives for individuals to donate kidneys.

Continued here:
The Link Between Diabetes and Kidney Disease - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Published: March, 2020

As we've reported before, eating or drinking heavily processed foods like sugary drinks, chicken nuggets, frozen dinners, or sweetened cereals is associated with an increased risk for weight gain, heart disease, and even early death. Now a large observational study published online Dec. 16, 2019, by JAMA Internal Medicine links the consumption of such "ultraprocessed" food to an increased risk for developing diabetes. Researchers evaluated the questionnaire responses of more than 100,000 diabetes-free people (average age about 43) over six years. People who ate the most ultraprocessed foods (about 22% of their diet) had a higher risk for developing diabetes compared with people who ate the least amount of ultraprocessed foods (about 11% of their diet). The risk for developing diabetes went up 15% for a 10-percentage-point increase in the amount of ultraprocessed food in the diet. The connection held up even after scientists accounted for known risk factors for diabetes, such as weight and physical activity. The takeaway: Skip processed foods in favor of whole foods, including lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.

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Disclaimer:As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Heavily processed foods tied to diabetes - Harvard Health

Global Diabetic Footwear Market, By Product (Slippers, Sandals and Shoes), By End User (Women and Men), By Distribution Channel (Store-based Vs. Non-store based), By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025.

New York, March 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Diabetic Footwear Market, By Product, By End User, By Distribution Channel, By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05872172/?utm_source=GNW

Global diabetic footwear market is projected to reach $ 9.7 billion by 2025 on account of rising adoption of diabetic footwear as they are designed to minimize the risk of skin breakdown caused by poor circulation, neuropathy and foot deformities. Moreover, these footwears offer a variety of features like non-binding uppers, stretchable uppers, orthotic support, extra depth design for a pressure-free fit, deep-toe-box, functional soles, and others in order to protect diabetic feet. These designed footwears are mostly used by athletes and common people that are suffering from foot deformities caused by diabetes. Diabetes leads to poor control over blood sugar levels and thus can damage nerves and vessels of feet. Therefore, consumers with diabetes are more likely to have foot problems which are the key factor anticipated to influence the demand for diabetic footwear across the globe in the coming years. Rising prevalence of diabetes and growing disposable income are some of the major factors anticipated to propel the global diabetic footwear market in the coming years. However, the market growth is likely to be negatively affected on account of lack of proper knowledge about using diabetic footwear among potential users as well as low awareness about proper foot care in diabetic patients, particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries. The global diabetic footwear market is segmented based on the product, end-user, distribution channel and region.Based on the product, the market can be segmented into slippers, sandals and shoes.

Among them, the shoe footwear type dominated the market in 2019, and the product segment is expected to maintain its leadership position in the coming years as well which can be attributed to the higher preference of shoes in both men and women. Office going population always prefers wearing shoes since a formal attire includes shoe, which is increasing the demand for these shoes, thereby boosting the growth of this segment in the market. Major players operating in the diabetic footwear market are Podartis S.r.l., American Aetrex Worldwide, Inc., Orthofeet Inc, Drew Shoes (U.S.), Dr. Comfort, DJO Global Inc (U.S.), Dr. Zen Products, Inc. (U.S.), Propet USA, Inc. (U.S.), DARCO International, I-Runner (U.S.), Finn Comfort (U.S.), Pilgrim shoes (U.S.), Hush Puppies Retail, Inc., New Balance, Inc., and others.

Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2015-2018 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Period: 20202025

Objective of the Study:

To analyze and forecast the market size of the global diabetic footwear market. To classify and forecast global diabetic footwear market based on the product, end-user, distribution channel, company and regional distribution. To identify drivers and challenges for the global diabetic footwear market. To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in the global diabetic footwear market. To conduct a pricing analysis for the global diabetic footwear market. To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in the global diabetic footwear market. The analyst performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study.Initially, the analyst sourced a list of diabetic footwear manufacturers across the globe.

Subsequently, the analyst conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies.While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors.

Through this technique, the analyst could include the manufacturers which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. The analyst examined the distribution channels and presence of all major players across the globe. The analyst calculated the market size of global diabetic footwear market by using a bottom-up approach, wherein data for various end-user segments were recorded and forecast for the future years. The analyst sourced these values from the industry experts and company representatives and externally validated through analyzing historical data of these product types and applications for getting an appropriate, overall market size.

Various secondary sources such as company websites, news articles, press releases, company annual reports, investor presentations and financial reports were also studied by the analyst.

Key Target Audience:

Diabetic footwear manufacturers, suppliers and other stakeholders Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policymakers Organizations, forums and alliances related to diabetic footwear Market research and consulting firms The study is useful in providing answers to several critical questions that are important for the industry stakeholders such as manufacturers, suppliers and partners, etc., besides allowing them in strategizing investments and capitalizing on market opportunities.

Report Scope:

In this report, the global diabetic footwear market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below: Market, By Product: o Shoes o Sandals o Slippers Market, By End User: o Men o Women Market, By Distribution Channel: o Store-based o Non-store based Market, By Region: o North America United States Mexico Canada o Asia-Pacific China Japan India South Korea Australia o Europe Germany France United Kingdom Italy Spain o South America Brazil Colombia Argentina o Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the global diabetic footwear market.

Available Customizations:

With the given market data, we offers customizations according to a companys specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

Company Information

Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05872172/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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Global diabetic footwear market is projected to reach $ 9.7 billion by 2025 - Yahoo Finance

Diabetic foot ulcers continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes despite several standard of care options. A paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology highlights new trends in the management of diabetic foot ulcers, including the use of adjunctive therapies.

Pressure relief, debridement, infection management, and revascularization comprise the current gold standard of care for diabetic foot ulcers. Despite the potential benefit of each component, this regimen alone may not be sufficient for the prevention and management of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes. Although prevention is key, new trends in diabetes foot ulcer management have been shown to greatly improve treatment beyond current standard of care.

For ulcers that persist beyond the 4-week standard of care treatment recommendation, adjunctive approaches may be an option. Negative pressure wound therapy, for instance, may potentially assist in promoting wound healing via the application of intermittent or continuous negative pressure to a wound. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is another adjunctive approach that has been suggested for diabetic foot ulcers; however, the efficacy of this strategy is considered controversial, according to the published literature.

There is an increasing trend toward the use of bioengineered skin substitutes as adjunct therapy for treating and closing diabetic foot ulcer wounds. Skin substitutes used for diabetic foot ulcers include dermal substitutes consisting of either acellular or cellular extracellular matrix and composite substitutes of dermal and epidermal components. In addition, a growing trend has been observed in the use of topical growth factors for diabetic foot ulcers.

There is currently only 1 topical recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes. The product may be more cost effective compared with standard of care alone. Although promising, high doses of this adjunctive approach have been linked to an increased risk for cancer.

Electrical stimulation is another emerging technologic approach for treatment of hard to treat foot ulcer wounds. Evidence to support this strategy is mostly found in individual case reports and small studies. The newest trend in diabetic foot ulcer adjunctive therapy pressure and temperature feedback devices is increasingly used in foot ulcer prevention strategies in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Although many of the emerging approaches are novel and most lack sufficient evidence to support their clinical efficacy, the investigators wrote that the new standard of care for the management of diabetic foot ulcers should integrate a multimodal approach that addresses the many factors that contribute to ulcer development as well as those that promote wound healing.

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Reference

Aldana PC, Khachemoune A. Diabetic foot ulcers: appraising standard of care and reviewing new trends in management [published online December 17, 2019]. Am J Clin Dermatol. doi:10.1007/s40257-019-00495-x

This article originally appeared on Dermatology Advisor

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Prevention and Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers May Benefit From Multimodal Approach - Endocrinology Advisor

New research has found that brushing teeth three times a day could lower an individual's risk of diabetes, while neglecting oral hygiene could actually increase the risk.

Carried out by researchers at Seoul Hospital and Ewha Woman's University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, the new study looked at data gathered from 188,013 subjects who had provided information on their past medical history, oral hygiene behaviors, such as the number of times they brushed their teeth each day, how often they went to the dentist, and how often they had their teeth professionally cleaned and their number of missing teeth.

The findings, published in the journalDiabetologia, showed that after taking into account possible influencing factors such as age, sex, weight, height and blood pressure, brushing teeth three times a day or more is linked to an 8 percent lower risk of developing diabetes.

On the other hand, individuals with dental disease had a 9 percent higher risk of developing diabetes, and those with numerous teeth missing (15 or more) had a 21 percent higher risk.

The researchers also found that diabetes risk differed by age and gender.

For the participants age 51 and younger, brushing twice a day was linked to a 10 percent reduced risk of developing diabetes compared with those who brushed once a day or not at all, while brushing teeth three times a day reduced the risk by 14 percent.

However, for those aged 52 and older, it made no difference whether the participants brushed twice a day, once a day, or not at all there was no difference in diabetes risk unless the participants brushed three or more times per day, which was linked with a 7 percent decreased risk.

Read also: You do it at least twice a day, but are you brushing your teeth right?

Periodontal disease also increased the risk of diabetes by 14 percent for younger adults, whereas in the older group the increased risk was just 6 percent.

There were also stronger associations between increasing brushing and reduced diabetes risk in women. For women, brushing two or three times per day was linked with an 8 and 15 percent reduced risk, respectively, of developing diabetes, whereas for men, there was only a 5 percent reduction in risk of diabetes for those brushing three times or more per day, and no statistically significant difference in risk between brushing twice a day, once a day or not at all.

The researchers point out that the study does not explain how exactly oral hygiene could lead to the development of diabetes, however, they add that tooth decay can contribute to chronic and systemic inflammation, and inflammation has been found in previous studies to be linked to diabetes.

They conclude that, Frequent tooth brushing may decrease the risk of new-onset diabetes, and the presence of periodontal disease and increased number of missing teeth may increase that risk. Overall, improving oral hygiene may be associated with a decreased risk of occurrence of new-onset diabetes.

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Brushing teeth three times a day could lower the risk of diabetes - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta Post

Home Topics Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes

Potent topical corticosteroids should be used sparingly, and screening for type 2 diabetes should continue to be a routine part of chronic disease prevention and management, according to a critical appraisal published in the British Journal of Dermatology.1

Although topical corticosteroids are widely used to treat inflammatory or pruritic skin conditions, the impact of their systemic absorption on the risk for hyperglycemia and subsequent type 2 diabetes is unclear.1 Anderson et al conducted 3 analysis studies that found that topical corticosteroid use was associated with incident type 2 diabetes, and 2 of the studies demonstrated a dose-response relationship with higher potencies of topical corticosteroids.2 Consequently, the investigators made a strong recommendation to consider alternative treatments to high-potency topical corticosteroids that are potentially diabetogenic.

The studies had several strengths, including the replication of results across case-control and cohort designs with large, high-quality datasets and the inclusion of major confounders related to patient demographics, clinical comorbidities, and healthcare utilization.1 However, healthcare data do not capture actual medication use and exposure definitions do not fully reflect how topical corticosteroids are often used intermittently in practice. In addition, the association between topical corticosteroid use and incident type 2 diabetes may be less clear because itchiness and other inflammatory skin conditions are both associated with diabetes and topical corticosteroid prescribing, as noted in the appraisal.

The authors concluded that these findings suggest, there is a potential signal for an association with incident type 2 diabetes but should not be used to infer causality.1 They added that, potent topical corticosteroids should continue to be used sparingly, weighing the benefits and risks, and screening for type 2 diabetes should continue to be a routine part of chronic disease prevention and management.

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References

This article originally appeared on Dermatology Advisor

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Potent Topical Corticosteroids and Development of Type 2 Diabetes - Endocrinology Advisor

If you're confused, think about HIV/AIDS. Human-immunodeficiency virus infects people. If left untreated, HIV can lead to autoimmune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Some people might get infected with SARS-CoV-2 and not get sick at all. Others will come down with symptoms of the disease Covid-19. (Yeah, it sounds like the name of a robot raven to us, too.)

The first cases were identified at the tail end of 2019 in Wuhan, the capital city of Chinas Hubei province, when hospitals started seeing patients with severe pneumonia. Like the viruses that cause MERS and SARS, the new coronavirus appears to have originated in bats, but its not clear how the virus jumped from bats to humans or where the first infections occurred. Often, pathogens journey through an intermediary animal reservoirbats infect the animals, and humans come into contact with some product from that animal. That could be milk or undercooked meat, or even mucus, urine, or feces. For example, MERS moved to humans through camels, and SARS came through civet cats sold at a live animal market in Guangzhou, China.

Scientists dont know why some coronaviruses have made that jump while others havent. It may be that the viruses havent made it to animals that humans interact with, or that the viruses dont have the right spike proteins, so they cant attach to our cells. Its also possible that these jumps happen more often than anyone realizes, but they go unnoticed because they dont cause serious reactions.

Coronaviruses are divided into four groups called genera: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. These little invaders are zoonotic, meaning they can spread between animals and humans; gamma and delta coronaviruses mostly infect birds, while alpha and beta mostly reside in mammals.

Researchers first isolated human coronaviruses in the 1960s, and for a long time they were considered pretty mild. Mostly, if you got a coronavirus, youd end up with a cold. But the most famous coronaviruses are the ones that jumped from animals to humans.

Coronaviruses are made up of one strip of RNA, and that genetic material is surrounded by a membrane studded with little spike proteins. (Under a microscope, those proteins stick up in a ring around the top of the virus, giving it its namecorona is Latin for crown.) When the virus gets into the body, those spike proteins attach to host cells, and the virus injects that RNA into the cells nucleus, hijacking the replication machinery there to make more virus. Infection ensues.

The severity of that infection depends on a couple of factors. One is what part of the body the virus tends to latch onto. Less serious types of coronavirus, like the ones that cause the common cold, tend to attach to cells higher up in the respiratory tractplaces like your nose or throat. But their more gnarly relatives attach in the lungs and bronchial tubes, causing more serious infections. The MERS virus, for example, binds to a protein found in the lower respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal tract, so that, in addition to causing respiratory problems, the virus often causes kidney failure.

The other thing that contributes to the severity of the infection is the proteins the virus produces. Different genes mean different proteins; more virulent coronaviruses may have spike proteins that are better at latching onto human cells. Some coronaviruses produce proteins that can fend off the immune system, and when patients have to mount even larger immune responses, they get sicker.

This story was last updated on 3/3/20 2:15pm ET

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What Is the Coronavirus? - WIRED

A new population of stem cells that can generate bone has been revealed by researchers, which they say could have implications in regenerative medicine.

A population of stem cells with the ability to generate new bone has been newly discovered by a group of researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Dental Medicine, US.

The researchers present a new population of cells that reside along the vascular channels that stretch across the bone and connect the inner and outer parts of the bone.

This is a new discovery of perivascular cells residing within the bone itself that can generate new bone forming cells, said lead investigator Dr Ivo Kalajzic. These cells likely regulate bone formation or participate in bone mass maintenance and repair.

Stem cells for bone have long been thought to be present within bone marrow and the outer surface of bone, serving as reserve cells that constantly generate new bone or participate in bone repair. Recent studies have described the existence of a network of vascular channels that helped distribute blood cells out of the bone marrow, but no research has proved the existence of cells within these channels that have the ability to form new bones.

In this study, Kalajzic and his team are the first to report the existence of these progenitor cells within cortical bone that can generate new bone-forming cells osteoblasts that can be used to help remodel a bone.

To reach this conclusion, the researchers observed the stem cells within an ex vivo bone transplantation model. These cells migrated out of the transplant and began to reconstruct the marrow cavity and form new bone.

While this study shows there is a population of cells that can help aid formation, more research needs to be done to determine the cells potential to regulate bone formation and resorption, say the scientists.

According to the authors of the study: we have identified and characterised a novel stromal lineagerestricted osteoprogenitor that is associated with transcortical vessels of long bones. Functionally, we have demonstrated that this population can migrate out of cortical bone channels, expand and differentiate into osteoblasts, therefore serving as a source of progenitors contributing to new bone formation.

The results are published inSTEM CELLS.

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Stem cells that can grow new bone discovered by researchers - Drug Target Review