StemCell Therapy

Genetic matchmaking is entering the mainstream. The prospect of meeting and selecting potential romantic partners based upon purported DNA compatibilityuntil very recently the subject of science fiction from films like The Perfect 46 to independently published romances by Clarissa Lakehas increasingly garnered both scientific and commercial attention. Earlier this year, Nozze, a well-established Japanese dating service, established a DNA Matching Course and hosted a related DNA Matching Party, both first-time offerings in that nation. For 86,400 yen ($790), men are paired with prospective dates based upon 16,000 variations in HLA gene complexes.

Nozze joins a market commercializing the science of attraction that already includes Swiss pioneer GenePartner, Houston-based Pheramor and services that combine genetic and non-genetic profiles like Instant Chemistry and SingldOut. Considerable media attention has been devoted to investigating the science behind these services; unfortunately, both the ethical and sociological implications have received relatively short shrift.

The underlying science itself is hardly convincing. Since the 1970s, researchers have found that variations in the genes of the major histocompatability complex (MHC) play a role in mate selection in mice. Similar patterns have subsequently been found in fish, pheasants and bats, but not in sheep. The possibility that MHC plays a role in human mate selection first arose as a result of a well-known experiment by Swiss biologist Claus Wedekind that is colloquially known as the sweaty T-shirt study. Researchers had men wear T-shirts for extended periods of time before placing the shirts in boxes; then they had women sniff the shirts to rate the former wearers sexual attractiveness. They found an inverse correlation between MHC similarity and attraction score.

Since that time, studies in human beings have yielded mixed results. The most persuasive data come from an investigation of Hutterite couples in North America who appear to display nonrandom MHC assorted mating preferences. But this correlationgiving genetic matchmaking the benefit of the doubtestablishes at most a natural preference, and a natural preference is a far cry from connubial compatibility. To our knowledge, nobody has actually surveyed married Hutterite couples to determine whether MHC compatibility plays a role in their levels of marital bliss, or the quality of their dinner conversation, or the frequency of their escapades between the sheets. On a more global scale, no data have yet established a relationship between MHC compatibility and lower divorce rates.

One must ask precisely what we mean by compatibility. At the most fundamental level, couples with MHC-dissimilarity (and thus more so-called mating compatibility) demonstrate lower rates of spontaneous abortion. The dissimilarity may also increase genetic polymorphism, which in turn may lower the manifestation of recessive diseases. However, the impact of MHC-dissimilarity on either of these phenomena is likely to prove relatively small, and therefore should not be expected to play a significant role in the marital happiness or cohesion of many couples.

In addition, genetic polymorphism may help species survive environmental challengesyet evolutionary advantage is probably not a major variable that most couples consider when seeking romantic bliss. One cannot also ignore the unknowns: Matching couples based on MHC markers may pose some survival benefits, but nobody knows at what cost; it is theoretically possible that the offspring of such couples are also more aggressive or less creative, just to name two traits arbitrarilyand magnifying these effects artificially might prove significantly deleterious to our civilization in the long run.

Harvard geneticist George Church has championed another version of compatibility. Using whole genome sequencing, he hopes to match couples so as to reduce or eliminate many recessively inherited diseases. In Ashkenazi populations, the Committee for Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases (better known as Dor Yeshorim) already uses a voluntary testing and matching system to prevent disorders such as Tay-Sachs, Canavan and Niemann-Pick. Church hopes to implement a variation of this program for couples everywhere, claiming it could end some 7,000 genetic diseases and save 50 million lives a year.

The ethical implications of Churchs proposal are complex. If couples are encouraged to use his pairing system, then those who find love outside the realm of genetic matchmaking and produce offspring with genetic disorders may be unfairly stigmatized. At a more practical level, even if the elimination of recessive illnesses is a social good, it is clearly not the sort of compatibility most daters seek in a matchmaking service.

When most people speak of romantic compatibility, the odds are that they mean factors like temperament, tastes and interests. To date, no study has connected these with any genetic variable. MHC-dissimilarity is as likely to lead to partners with temperamental and aesthetic difference as to those with similarities. Ironically, even compatibility appears to have minimal impact on satisfaction in relationships. Multiple studies have shown that universal traits such as kindness, rather than similarities, are the keys to marital happiness.

Genetic matchmaking reflects two concerning trends in modern society. The first is the pandemic loneliness and search for connection that has arisen in the wake of the breakdown of traditional community structures. To use a metaphor first introduced by political scientist Robert Putnam, we are a society bowling alone. We are increasingly willing to shell out a few hundred dollars or a few thousand yen for anything that smacks of a cure.

Genetic matchmaking also manifests the misguided belief that science can solve all of our problems. Unfortunately, we cannot discover, pay or invent our way out of our isolation. Science may ultimately provide tools that help us rebuild societal cohesion, but without meaningful changes in social policy and human behavior, science alone has little to offer. In this case, the science in question is, at best, being misusedand arguably not science at all.

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The Illusion of Genetic Romance - Scientific American

At-home DNA testing companies 23andMe and Ancestry each laid off about 100 employees over the past month, cutting around 14 and 6 percent of their workforces, respectively.

23andMe pointed to declining sales as the reasons for the layoffs, and Ancestry CEO Margo Georgiadis cited a slowdown in demand across the entire DNA category in a blog post. Interest in DNA testing skyrocketed through 2016, 2017, and 2018, with millions of people buying kits from direct-to-consumer companies. But in 2019, interest started to wane Illumina, which makes products used by these companies, said that the market was weak.

Thats probably because the market is saturated, and most people who would want to buy a DNA test kit already have, says David Mittelman, founder and CEO of the forensic genomics company Othram and former chief scientist at Family Tree DNA. That market is a certain size, and its being tapped out, he says.

It may also just be that all of the early adopters have bought and used DNA testing kits, says Shawn Baker, a genomics consultant and former scientist and manager at Illumina. They need to broaden out past the early adopters to everyone else, he says.

Compounding the problem, the service doesnt lend itself to repeat customers. You get tested once and youre done, Baker says. Theres also no real reason for users to return to the platform, except to see if any previously unknown or distant relatives have joined the service. But even then, the companies dont see additional revenue.

23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki speculated that genetic privacy concerns could be one reason for the dip in sales. But Mittleman doesnt think that plays a big role. Im sure some people are worried about privacy, he says. I think people are burned by privacy more with Facebook than with genetic testing. Thats what they worry about.

23andMe and Ancestry did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

Ancestrys growth was also linked to their advertising spending they spent over $100 million on television ads in 2016, for example. Their growth was proportional to their spending, but thats since plateaued, Mittelman says. Acquiring more customers, who arent already inclined to be interested in existing products, would be expensive, he says.

But bringing in more customers for personal testing kits may no longer be the priority at these companies: instead, theyre turning their focus towards health. Ancestry says its shifting focus towards Ancestry Health, and plans to introduce new products that give customers information about their health risks. 23andMe plans to concentrate its research on a drug development arm, which has already proven lucrative: it started partnering with pharmaceutical companies in 2018, and in January, the company sold the rights to a drug it developed in-house.

The companies may want to keep pulling in customers to bolster their databases of genetic information, Baker says. Subscriber growth matters in terms of how good that database is.

But over the past few years, both companies have built up their databases of genetic data, and they may already be large enough to answer health care questions. These databases only need so much information before they can be useful to researchers and drug developers. If theyve reached that point, and it will take expensive marketing and advertising to pull in new customers, it might not be worth the investment to try and expand the pool, Mittelman says.

From the outside, that seems to be what the situation is, he says. You dont see 23andMe running sales trying to get people on board. Its not the priority.

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Layoffs at genetic testing companies reflect the changing market - The Verge

As to diseases, make a habit of two things to help, or at least, to do no harm.

Hippocrates

The increasing ability of human beings to treat formerly lethal diseases has had a massive effect on the quality of our lives over the past century. However, many damaging genetic diseases such as Tay-Sachs and cystic fibrosis have remained outside of this pattern.

While certain drugs and treatments for these conditions do exist, they only can ameliorate the symptoms, not cure them.

Yet, the fact that the genomics industry is working to remedy this situation by developing gene-editing tools like CRISPR also provides new opportunities for investors. For instance, the ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (BATS: ARKG) provides investors with exposure to companies around the world that are involved in the genomics revolution, regardless of sector.

As of right now, most of its holdings are in U.S health care companies, most of which (71.93%) are in the biotech sector. Its other top sectors include advanced medical equipment and technology (12%), medical equipment, supplies and distribution (6.49%), health care facilities & services (4.21%) and pharmaceuticals (4.13%).

Its top holdings include Invitae Corp. (NYSE: NVTA), Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ: CRSP), Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTLA), Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ: CGEN), Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ: EDIT) and Teladoc Health, Inc. (NYSE: TDOC).

This funds performance has been solid in both the short run and the long run. As of February 10, 2020, ARKG is up 4.70% over the past month and up 19.95% over the past three months. It currently is up 6.59% year to date.

The fund currently has $514.19 million assets under management and an expense ratio of 0.75%, meaning that it is more expensive to hold in comparison to other ETFs.

Chart courtesy of http://www.StockCharts.com

While ARKG does provide an investor with a chance to profit from the world of genetics, the sector may not be appropriate for all portfolios. Interested investors always should conduct their due diligence and decide whether the fund is suitable for their investing goals.

As always, I am happy to answer any of your questions about ETFs, so do not hesitate to send me an email. You just may see your question answered in a future ETF Talk.

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Accessing the World of Genetics - Stock Investor

Dwarf woolly mammoths that lived on Siberia's Wrangel Island until about 4,000 years ago were plagued by genetic problems, carrying DNA that increased their risk of diabetes, developmental defects and low sperm count, a new study finds.

These mammoths couldn't even smell flowers, the researchers reported.

"I have never been to Wrangel Island, but I am told by people who have that in the springtime, it's just basically covered in flowers," study lead researcher Vincent Lynch, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University at Buffalo in New York, told Live Science. "[The mammoths] probably couldn't smell any of that."

Related: Mammoth resurrection: 11 hurdles to bringing back an ice age beast

Wrangel Island is a peculiarity. The vast majority of woolly mammoths died out at the end of the last ice age, about 10,500 years ago. But because of rising sea levels, a population of woolly mammoths became trapped on Wrangel Island and continued living there until their demise about 3,700 years ago. This population was so isolated and so small that it didn't have much genetic diversity, the researchers wrote in the new study.

Without genetic diversity, harmful genetic mutations likely accumulated as these woolly mammoths inbred, and this "may have contributed to their extinction," the researchers wrote in the study.

The team made the discovery by comparing the DNA of one Wrangel Island mammoth to that of three Asian elephants and two other woolly mammoths that lived in larger populations on the mainland.

"We were lucky in that someone had already sequenced the [Wrangel mammoth's] genome," Lynch said. "So, we just went to a database and downloaded it."

After comparing the mammoths' and elephants' genomes, the researchers found several genetic mutations that were unique to the Wrangel Island population. The team had a company synthesize these tweaked genes; then, the researchers popped those genes into elephant cells in petri dishes. These experiments allowed the researchers to analyze whether the proteins expressed by the Wrangel Island mammoth's genes carried out their duties correctly, by sending the right signals, for instance, in the elephant cells.

The team tested genes involved in neurological development, male fertility, insulin signaling and sense of smell. In a nutshell, the Wrangel Island mammoths were not very healthy, the researchers found, as none of those genes carried out their tasks correctly.

That said, the study looked at only one Wrangel Island mammoth, so it's possible that this individual's comrades didn't have similar genes. But "it's probably unlikely that it was just this one individual that had these defects," Lynch said.

In fact, the case of the Wrangel Island mammoths is a cautionary tale about what can happen to a population that is too small and therefore lacks genetic diversity, he said.

The findings build on those from a study published in 2017 in the journal PLOS Genetics that found that the Wrangel Island mammoth population was accumulating damaging mutations.

The new study was published online Feb. 7 in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.

Originally published on Live Science.

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The last woolly mammoths on Earth had disastrous DNA - Livescience.com

It was funny once. The perfectly square bit of dirt on the window. The shocked reactions of Craggy Islands Chinese community. The local farmer who doesnt have much time to be a racist, because he just likes to have a cup of tea in the evening. The feckin Greeks

Dermot Morgans finest televisual moment that evocation of Nazi speech-making in front of the greatest window in comedy is perhaps a little less funny now that prime minsters or presidents of Hungary, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States are happy and comfortable to spout racist statements, and not merely get away with it but be applauded for it by their supporters.

How have we reached this point? Its the very question asked by geneticist and broadcaster Dr Adam Rutherford. Hes the Rutherford in the BBCs popular radio programme The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry, in which he and Dr Hannah Fry try to solve listeners scientific queries.

In the case of the resurgence of publicly acceptable racism, Rutherford decided that a radio show was insufficient and that a book would be needed. How to Argue with a Racist is published this week, and Rutherford will be delivering a lecture on the subject during the Northern Ireland Science Festival.

So, how did we get back here? I find myself asking the same question, Rutherford says. I find myself in lectures thinking how strange it is that Im now talking about this, because these are mostly questions that were parked, in my field genetics years ago. Maybe decades ago. And we keep discovering interesting things about evolution and population differences, and migration, and so on, but the question of how race as a concept relates to biological diversity, that ended a while back.

Having these conversations in the academy is one thing, but as someone who tries to communicate science, to talk about it, as a broadcaster and as a writer, I found I was suddenly having very different conversations. Conversations about race, when we were talking about ancestry In some ways, science has failed to convey to the public what is correct, and so I want to equip people with what current scientific thinking is, so that when the question comes up, they have the tools to respond. To say, Yes, there hasnt been a white man in the Olympic 100m final since 1980, but no thats not because of any lack of African-American ancestry.

Its precisely that sort of casual, inauspicious racism that Rutherford looks to quash with his book. The idea that Olympic athletes with African heritage are somehow better because their genes are imbued with extra strength is rubbish, he says. For a kick-off, using athletes as a test sample is a daft idea because anyone with the sort of genetic gifts that allow them to perform at the highest level is a poor sample of what a broader population is like. Beyond that, theres a simpler rebuttal if those with African heritage are inherently genetically better at running very quickly than others, then where are the Olympic 100m champions from South America, Europe or elsewhere with populations that can trace heritage to Africa?

Besides, tracing your genetic lineage in that manner, looking for secrets and answers to why you are so underprivileged compared with others, is a nonsense, says Rutherford. I do think that part of the change in culture which means I kind of had to write this book is to do with the rise of nationalism and the more open discussion of race. Certainly there are more open discussions of public racism than at any point I can remember in my lifetime. There are other factors, though, such as the rise in genetic ancestry testing kits. Now, theyre not pernicious in themselves, but I argue that they have fostered a misunderstanding of what genetics means, and specifically in the form of a sort of reversion to essentialism. So a notion that were determined by our genes and our ancestry, which as a geneticist I just dont think are scientifically valid nor verifiable to the extent that people adopt them.

So, when you take one of these tests and it comes back saying that youre 10 per cent Swedish, or 15 per cent Irish, these are very broad strokes, that are not scientifically meaningless, but they are of only trivial relevance. But people attribute very great significance to them. For instance, I sometimes talk about the fact that, genetically speaking, there is no such coherent ancestral group as Celts. But try telling that to an audience in Glasgow and see what happens.

Over in Ireland youve got some of the best genetic genealogists in the world, people like Dan Bradley [head of the school of genetics at Trinity College Dublin] who has been tracking the story of the Irish for years, and thats really important work, its important to understand the movement of peoples and the migration of peoples. But theyre always complex. Ancestry is a matted web, not linear family trees.

For example, I have a friend who told me that hes descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages, and they can trace their ancestry back to him. Well, theres two things about that. One, no one is actually really sure if Niall of the Nine Hostages existed, which is problematic for a starter.

The second thing, though, is that if he did exist, he lived in the fourth or fifth century, and thats a date which comes before the isopoint, which is the time at which everyone in Europe is descended from everyone else. So if Niall did exist, and if my friend Bill is directly descended from him, then so too am I. And so are you. And so is a guy in southern Italy, and in Turkey, and literally everyone else in Europe. So if you can attach some kind of tribal identity to that, that idea that youre descended from some fifth-century Irish king, well everyone else is too.

This is a relatively recent revelation. One that has the power to stun those who claim kinship with any royal lineage, or who might have notions of racial purity. The simple, genetic, fact is that your family tree isnt a neat family tree at all. Its more like an overgrown shrub, especially the farther back you go. And because everyone elses is, too, it means that the family shrubs intertwine and merge until, once you go back a surprisingly few generations, were all related to everyone else.

Thus the late actor Christopher Lees claim to be directly descended from Charlemagne is accurate, but also meaningless. Not everyone can prove it using family trees. Christopher Lee could, because he was the descendent of an Italian contessa, so they had the paper trail of her family going back. The whole Danny Dyer story, which showed that he was a direct descendent of Edward III, they were able to paper-trail that too, and very few people can actually do that, but I calculated out a mathematical proof that anyone with long-standing English heritage is also 100 per cent descended from Edward III.

At which point I suggest that we should use our now undisputed and mathematically proven royal lineage to, shall we say, take back control, but Rutherford politely declines my invitation to insurrection. The point is, of course, more profound than working out where you stand in line for a throne. Its the fact that every white supremacist has, if you trace their genetic code back, African ancestry. Every Nazi has Jewish heritage. Every Briton is a mish-mash of European bloodlines.

The problem, of course, is that while all of this science is correct and provable, its also useless in the face of racism. As someone once said: You can argue with a racist; you can argue with a Labrador retriever, too, for all the good it will do you.

Rutherford agrees, but says theres a more important battle, on two fronts, to be fought. Part of the book discusses actual neo-Nazis and white supremacists, because they are obsessed with genetics. And their misunderstanding of genetics makes them think that they can prove some sort of racial purity, which is a nonsense. Arguing with those guys using science is a demonstration of the old Jonathan Swift maxim that you cant reason someone out of a position that they didnt reason themselves into, he says.

Who Im really interested in reaching, though, are those who arent racists, and who dont think like that. But because of relying on stereotypes, or myths, or the cultural sphere that says that race is real, or that some factors are biologically encoded and that those factors segregate by race, I want those discussions to be the ones that are informed by science. Because those people arent fundamentally racist, so when youre armed with facts, and youre armed with a knowledge of history, then I think that is your best route to change. Science is a powerful ally, its the best ally we have, I think. But whats the Bob Dylan line? I know my song well before I start singing.

One of the ideas I explore is that scientists need to get more involved. Its no longer good enough to simply say: Heres the data and let society decide. Racists have no such compunctions, and will use every tool at their disposal to spread their message. So if we. as scientists, sit back and say, Hey, its just the data and I dont know what the political ramifications are, thats for others to discuss, then were volunteering ourselves to defeat, and for our voices to be silenced in favour of populist, emotive arguments, and thats the political landscape in which we now live.

Racism isnt wrong because its drawn from and based on a misunderstanding, or specious scientific ideas. Racism is wrong because its an affront to basic human dignity. What Im saying is, if you want to be a racist, fine, fill your boots, go ahead, but you cant have my scientific tools, my weapons, to justify your position.

How to Argue with a Racist by Adam Rutherford is published by Orion. Northern Ireland Science Festival runs February 13th-23rd. nisciencefestival.com

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How to turn racists genetic arguments against them - The Irish Times

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released new information regarding feed use and livestock production in Mexico in a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) on Friday.

Increasing livestock production in Mexico has been supported by the movement toward vertical integration in production and improved biosecurity, the FAS reported. Stable feed prices and better zoo-sanitary conditions suggest that the expansion will continue.

Feed price consistency has allowed livestock breeders to seek better genetics, the agency said.

Feed prices did slightly fluctuate in the last two quarters of 2019, but industry expects overall grain and feed price stability to prevail through 2020, the agency said. The stability in feed prices as well as steady domestic livestock prices allow producers to focus their operations more on breeding than slaughtering.

In marketing year (MY) 2020, beef production is expected to reach 2.1m metric tons (MT) and consumption is expected to reach 1.9m MT, the FAS said. Industry growth from 2015 through 2019 averaged about 2% annually, despite changes in prices for feed and grains.

The Mexican beef industry has kept a steady pace of investments, adaption of new and improved production practices, as well as improved technology to stimulate the beef production sector, the agency said.

Swine production in MY 2020 is anticipated to be a 20.3m head based on increasing consumer demand and supported by vertical integration of producers, the agency said. Pork production is forecast to reach 1.47m MT.

According to industry studies, pork consumption has increased as a share of domestic consumption from 28% to close to 32%, with poultry retaining the biggest share at over 60%, the agency said.

During the 2018-19 export cycle, Mexicos exports of cattle to the US reached 1.313m animals an increase of 17.6% from the previous year, the FAS said. Trade has been valued at more than $760m.

Trade is expected to continue expanding, if more slowly, during MY 2020, the agency said.

A pilot program has been established to regulate trade and improve zoo-sanitary status in live cattle coming in from Guatemala, the agency said. The agreement emphasizes that cattle to be exported from Guatemala will come from ranches certified by the Ministry of Agriculture of Guatemala (MAGA) as free of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis, which will be tagged with the Central American Electronic Earring and utilizes radio reference technology.

Personnel from MAGA and the International Regional Agency for Agricultural Health (OIRSA) will verify the fulfillment of a 21-day quarantine of cattle at the ranch of origin or in the feedlots constituted for it, FAS said. Currently, 70 ranches in Guatemala have been certified, and the program is set to run through November 2024.

Beef imports in MY 2020 are expected to increase to 212,000 MT, the agency said. The United States remain the main beef provider to Mexico with 86% market share, followed by Canada with 7.5%, and Nicaragua with 4.7%.

Exports of beef in MY 2020 are forecast to increase by 10% and reach 347,000 MT, the FAS said. Expanding the use of feedlot-based production is one factor supporting the increased exports.

Japan is consolidated as the second most important export market for Mexican beef, comprising 7% of Mexicos beef exports, followed by Hong Kong with 4%, the agency said. For many years, South Korea was the third most important Mexican beef export destination, but now holds the fourth position with 2% of market share.

On the swine side, the forecast for MY 2020 calls for live hog imports of 41,000 head and pork imports of 1m MT, the agency said. Mexico is dependent on imports to meet domestic demand, but imports have been slow based on the countrys economy.

In MY 2020, imports will rise compared to their low in 2019, as pork consumption continues its positive trend and growing exports to China compete with domestic consumption, the FAS reported.Mexico will resume imports from the United States in order to satisfy the domestic demand.

Pork exports are predicted to reach a record 250,000 MT as Mexico focuses on supplying Asian markets, the agency said.

Mexican pork exports have grown considerably through 2019, especially to Japan, the agency said.The trend will continue as the industry is expecting an important growth of exports for 2020, especially to China.

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Mexico: Feed prices allow for production growth, genetic focus - FeedNavigator.com

Kiyohiro Yamazaki,1 Yuta Yoshino,1 Kentaro Kawabe,1 Tomomasa Ibuki,1 Shinichiro Ochi,1 Yoko Mori,1 Yuki Ozaki,1 Shusuke Numata,2 Jun-ichi Iga,1 Tetsuro Ohmori,2 Shu-ichi Ueno1

1Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan; 2Department of Psychiatry, Course of Integrated Brain Sciences, Medical Informatics, Institute of Health Biosciences, the University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan

Correspondence: Jun-ichi IgaDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, JapanTel +81-89-960-5315Fax +81-89-960-5317Email iga.junichi.it@ehime-u.ac.jp

Introduction: Although ATP-binding cassette sub-family A member 7 gene (ABCA7) is known to be associated with Alzheimers disease, the relationship between ABCA7 and schizophrenia has been unknown.Methods: Schizophrenia patients (n = 50; 24 males, 62.1 0.50 years old) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 50) were recruited for the mRNA analysis. Additionally, a case-control study for the rs3764650 genotypes was performed with 1308 samples (control subjects; n = 527, schizophrenia patients; n = 781). All participants were Japanese, unrelated to each other, and living in the same area.Results: The distributions of the rs3764650 genotypes in schizophrenia patients were not different from that of controls. However, the ABCA7 mRNA expression levels in schizophrenia patients were significantly higher than those in controls by a logistic regression analysis. Additionally, the ABCA7 mRNA expression levels in schizophrenia patients were correlated with the rs3764650 genotypes in a dose-dependent manner.Discussion: The ABCA7 mRNA expression levels in peripheral blood with the rs3764650 genotypes may be related to pathological mechanisms in schizophrenia and may be a biological marker for schizophrenia.

Keywords: schizophrenia, ATP-binding cassette sub-family A member 7 gene, single nucleotide polymorphism, rs3764650, mRNA expression

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

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ABCA7 Gene Expression and Genetic Association Study in Schizophrenia | NDT - Dove Medical Press

New research from the UK has revealed that the build-up of proteins in neuronal cellsthe hallmark of Alzheimers diseasemight be affecting the activity of genes implicated in the disease. This novel discovery may help shed more light on how and why these proteins build up, and how they lead to neuronal death and destruction.

Currently, no treatments are available that can change the course of Alzheimers disease. [This new information can be used to help scientists in their] understanding the interaction between genes and progression of the disease, said Prof. Jonathan Mill, of the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the project.[It] will help us identify new targets for treatment, which we hope will one day lead to drugs that can effectively treat this terrible disease.

Alzheimers disease is a disease of the elderly, commonly associated with loss of memory as it progressives, and eventual loss of all cognitive function. How it develops is not a well understood process, but it is suspected that genetics play a role. The tale-tell histological confirmation of Alzheimers disease is the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (made up of the protein tau)each the product of normal proteins which become over-expressed in diseased neuronal brain tissue to the point the neurons are poisoned and die. These proteins are found in lower amounts in normal brains, and the number of plaques and tangles found in patients tends to correspond to the severity of the disease phenotype.

Researchers at the University of Exeter, working in collaboration with Eli Lilly, and funded by Alzheimers Research UK and Alzheimers Society, have examined the brains of mice with mutations in the genes that code for amyloid and tau proteins, hoping to build an animal model to understand the disease better. The build-up of both proteins in specific regions of the brain is known to play a role in Alzheimers disease, so by recreating the genetic conditions, they hope to be able to determine what else must occur for disease development.

The results of this study were published inCell Reports, and the researchers found evidence that the levels of gene activity changed dramatically as tau and amyloid accumulated in the brain. The team also observed significant changes in the levels of gene expression involved with regulating inflammation through the immune system, which became more active as tau levels increased. The research also found new pathways potentially involved in the progression of Alzheimers disease, which adds weight to theories of brain inflammation being a key component in the build-up of tau.

First author Dr. Isabel Castanho, of the University of Exeter, said: Our results suggest that the genes which are disrupted through the build-up of tau and amyloid in the entorhinal cortex region of the brain influence the function of the immune response in the brain, which is known to be a key component of Alzheimers disease.

The team monitored the build-up of both proteins in the brain and the expression levels of their corresponding genes as the mutant mice aged, so they could track the same corresponding time associated in humans with disease worsening. The sequence of events is believed to be similar in the model organism.

Castanho and her team observed the expected build-up of both tau and amyloid, and noted that these changes corresponded to widespread changes in gene expression particularly in the case of tau.

This new information suggests that the accumulation of tau might have a more dramatic effect on gene regulation in the brain than amyloid. Furthermore, several genes observed to be upregulated in this experiment are also known risk factors for Alzheimers disease, and the overall changes observed in the mutant mice mirrored those seen in human Alzheimers disease brains, suggesting this is a sound model.

Dr. Sara Imarisio, head of Research at Alzheimers Research UK, added: Genetics plays an important role in the development diseases like Alzheimers and teasing apart the processes contributing to disease is crucial in the hunt for new breakthroughs, which will change lives. Future research capitalizing on genetic findings like this is a top priority for dementia researchers around the world. Its only thanks to the generosity of our supporters that Alzheimers Research UK is able to fund vital dementia research like this.

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Amyloid, Tau Buildup in AD Spur Gene Expression that Causes Brain Inflammation - Clinical OMICs News

Some of the first biological evidence of the incongruence transgender individuals experience, because their brain indicates they are one sex and their body another, may have been found in estrogen receptor pathways in the brain of 30 transgender individuals.

Twenty-one variants in 19 genes have been found in estrogen signaling pathways of the brain critical to establishing whether the brain is masculine or feminine, saysDr. J. Graham Theisen, obstetrician/gynecologist and National Institutes of Health Womens Reproductive Health Research Scholar at theMedical College of GeorgiaatAugusta University.

Basically and perhaps counterintuitively these genes are primarily involved in estrogens critical sprinkling of the brain right before or after birth, which is essential to masculinization of the brain.

Variants investigators identified may mean that in natal males (people whose birth sex is male) this critical estrogen exposure doesnt happen or the pathway is altered so the brain does not get masculinized. In natal females, it may mean that estrogen exposure happens when it normally wouldnt, leading to masculinization.

Both could result in an incongruence between a persons internal gender and their external sex. The negative emotional experience associated with this incongruence is called gender dysphoria.

They are experiencing dysphoria because the gender they feel on the inside does not match their external sex, Theisen says. Once someone has a male or female brain, they have it and you are not going to change it. The goal of treatments like hormone therapy and surgery is to help their body more closely match where their brain already is.

It doesnt matter which sex organs you have, its whether estrogen, or androgen, which is converted to estrogen in the brain, masculinizes the brain during this critical period, saysDr. Lawrence C. Layman, chief of the MCG Section of Reproductive Endocrinology, Infertility and Genetics in theDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology. We have found variants in genes that are important in some of these different areas of the brain.

These brain pathways are involved in regions of the brain where the number of neurons and how connected the neurons are typically differ between males and females.

They note that while this critical period for masculinizing the brain may seem late, brain development actually continues well after birth and these key pathways and receptors already need to be established when estrogen arrives.

While its too early to definitively say the gene variants in these pathways result in the brain-body incongruence called gender dysphoria, it is interesting that they are in pathways of hormone involvement in the brain and whether it gets exposed to estrogen or not, says Layman.

He and Theisen are co-corresponding authors of the study in the journalScientific Reports.

This is the first study to lay out this framework of sex-specific development as a means to better understand gender identity, Theisen says. We are saying that looking into these pathways is the approach we are going to be taking in the years ahead to explore the genetic contribution to gender dysphoria in humans.

In fact, they already are exploring the pathways further and in a larger number of transgender individuals.

For this study, they looked at the DNA of 13 transgender males, individuals born female and transitioning

to male, and 17 transgender females, born male and transitioning to female. The extensive whole exome analysis, which sequences all the protein-coding regions of a gene (protein expression determines gene and cell function) was performed at the Yale Center for Genome Analysis. The analysis was confirmed by Sanger sequencing, another method used for detecting gene variants.

The variants they found were not present in a group of 88 control exome studies in nontransgender individuals also done at Yale. They also were rare or absent in large control DNA databases.

Reproductive endocrinologist/geneticist Layman says his experience with taking care of transgender patients for about 20 years, made him think there was a biological basis. We certainly think that for the majority of people who are experiencing gender dysphoria there is a biologic component, says Theisen. We want to understand what the genetic component of gender identity is.

While genetics have been suggested as a factor in gender dysphoria, proposed candidate genes to date have not been verified, the investigators say. Most gene or gene variants previously explored have been associated with receptors for androgens, hormones more traditionally thought to play a role in male traits but, like estrogen in males, also are present in females.

MCG investigators and their colleagues decided instead to take what little is known about sex-specific brain development that estrogen bath needed in early life to ensure masculinization of the brain to hone in on potential sites for relevant genetic variances. Extensive DNA testing initially revealed more than 120,000 variants, 21 of which were associated with these estrogen-associated pathways in the brain.

Animal studies have helped identify four areas of the brain with pathways leading to development of a male or female brain, and the investigators focused on those likely also present in humans. Laboratory studies have indicated that disrupting these brain pathways in males and females during this critical period results in cross sex behavior, like female rodents mounting and thrusting and males taking on a more traditional female posture when mating. These cross sex behaviors, which also have been documented in non-human primates, emerge during the natural sex hormone surge of puberty.

While sex specific brain development has not been thoroughly evaluated in humans, as with animals, the effects typically play out most at the time of puberty, a time when sex hormones naturally surge, when the general awareness of our sexuality really begins to awaken and when the complex state of gender dysphoria may become easier for adolescents to articulate, the investigators say. Layman notes that many individuals will report experiencing gender incongruent feelings as early as age 5.

Theisen notes that we all are full of genetic variants, including ones that give us blue eyes versus brown or green, and the majority do not cause disease rather help make us individuals. I think gender is as unique and as varied as every other trait that we have, Theisen says.

The investigators suggest modification of the current system for classifying variants that would not imply that a variant means pathogenic, or disease causing.

Last year, the World Health Organization said that genderincongruenceis not a mental health disorder and six years before thatThe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, replaced gender identity disorder with general dysphoria.

About 0.5 to 1.4% of individuals born male and 0.2 to 0.3 % of individuals born female meet criteria for gender dysphoria. Identical twins are more likely than fraternal twins to both report gender dysphoria.

Gender affirming therapies, like hormone therapies and surgeries along with mental health evaluation and support, help these individuals better align their bodies and brains, the physician-scientists say.

Transgender individuals experience increased rates of discrimination, sexual violence and are at increased risk of depression, substance abuse and attempted suicide. About 26% report use of alcohol or other drugs to help cope; 19% have been denied medical care by a physician or other provider, some report verbal harassment in a medical environment and insurance companies do not consistently cover the cost of gender affirming hormone or surgical therapies.

A problem, the investigators say, is an overall lack of understanding of the biologic basis of gender dysphoria.

While their study of 30 individuals they now have data on more than 30 others appears to be the largest to date, the sample size prompted them to classify the published findings as preliminary.

Reference: Theisen et al. (2019).The Use of Whole Exome Sequencing in a Cohort of Transgender Individuals to Identify Rare Genetic Variants. Scientific Reports.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53500-y.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Genetic Variants Linked to Disparity Between a Persons Internal Gender and Their External Sex - Technology Networks

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) A bill that aims to add a disease to newborn testing in Virginia passed in the House on Monday in a 85-12 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate.

The parents of a young Newport News boy living with the disease say this is a step in the right direction in their fight for Nikolas law.

Nikola Grujicic was born March 15, 2018. He was 6 pounds, 6 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. He was born a healthy and happy little boy, and he had his parents wrapped around his fingers.

His parents, Dragan and Lana Grujicic, say Nikola was perfect.

From day one, he barely ever cried, he was just so content. He just wanted to be loved and cuddled.

However, before his six month appointment, their smileylittle boy starting changing. In fact, the last time Lana and Dragan Grujicic saw their son smile was when he was 16 months old at Disney World.

Nikola is now almost 2 years-old.

I turned around, and I was like oh my god, hes really grinning, Lana Grujicic said.

Shortly before his six-month check-up, Nikola became frequently cranky and would scream.Lana Grujicic also noticed Nikola was clenching his fists often. At the appointment, she told the pediatrician about her concerns and when a few reflex tests didnt come back as they should have, a neurologist was recommended.

The pediatric neurologist ran a battery of tests on Nikola and after an agonizing three-week wait, the Grujicics were called in to get the results.

The news was devastating: Nikola was diagnosed with a rare, inherited condition called Krabbe Disease.

I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemy. I dont want a simple family to go through what weve been through, what we are going through, said Dragan Grujicic.

The myelin or white matter in the brain is affected by Krabbe Disease and patients lose their ability to move, speak, see, hear, eat and drink. Life expectancy for infantile Krabbe Disease is less than two years.

Its the reason why the family created Nikolas law, or House Bill 97.The family wants to add Krabbe disease and otherLeukodystrophies that affect the brain and spinal cord to the newborn screening in Virginia.

If I could go back and save him, I would, but I cant. This way I can. His legacy can be he can save other lives, said Dragan Grujicic.

With the help of advocates like Hunters Hope in New York and Del. Jason Miyares, the bill was written.

I made a promise to the family that I would introduce this legislation and advance this, Miyares said.My hope is that we can get this on the books so other parents dont go through the agony weve seen in this situation.

Last month, the Health, Welfare and Institutions committee voted to move Nikolas Law (HB 97) to the appropriations committee. It went under re-review and, in a big push forward, it was approved 85-12 in the House.

The bill now moves to the Senate.

For Nikola, his mother can only manage the disease. He was diagnosed too late for treatment that would help alleviate his symptoms and slow their progression. Treatment involves the use of umbilical cord blood shortly after birth. Cells that carry proteins the Krabbe patient is missing are transplantedlike a blood transfusion.

The procedure, however, can only be done shortly after birth because the disease progresses so quickly. As a result, a newborn screening test is the best method to know whether or not an infant has Krabbe.

I remember asking doctors, Why didnt you test me for this? You tested me for everything while I was pregnant,' Lana Grujicic said.

The test, she says, would have cost $6. It would happen during the routine blood test at three months into a pregnancy.

I cant understand why its so difficult to run another blood test and why you wouldnt want to, Lana Grujicic said.We are not going to stop. Its only a matter of when. We are not going to be willing to see other babies go through this and have Nikola go through this for nothing.

One in 125 people carry Krabbe disease.

Its only an issue if two carriers have a baby. If they do have a child, theres a 25 percent chance the baby will be affected.

See more here:
Bill moves forward to add rare genetic disease to newborn health screening in Va. - WAVY.com

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) heads to a new destination in sunny San Antonio, Texas in 2020. Named one of the fastest growing meetings in the USA by Trade Show Executive Magazine, the ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting continues to provide groundbreaking research and news about the latest advances in genetics, genomics and personalized medicine. To be held March 17-21, the 2020 ACMG Annual Meeting will feature more than 40 scientific sessions as well as three Short Courses, a variety of workshops, TED-Style talks and satellite symposia, and more than 750 poster presentations on emerging areas of genetic and genomic medicine.

Interview those at the forefront in medical genetics and genomics, connect in person with new sources and get story ideas on the clinical practice of genetics and genomics in healthcare today and for the future. Learn how genetics and genomics research is being integrated and applied into medical practice.

Topics include gene editing, cancer genetics, molecular genomics, exome sequencing, pre- and perinatal genetics, biochemical/metabolic genetics, genetic counseling, health services and implementation, legal and ethical issues, therapeutics and more.

Credentialed media representatives on assignment are invited to attend and cover the ACMG Annual Meeting on a complimentary basis. Contact Reymar Santos at rsantos@acmg.net for the Press Registration Invitation Code, which will be needed to register at http://www.acmgmeeting.net.

Abstracts of presentations are available online at http://www.acmgmeeting.net. A few 2020 ACMG Annual Meeting highlights include:

Program Highlights:

Cutting-Edge Scientific Concurrent Sessions:

Three Half-Day Genetics Short Courses on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17:

Photo/TV Opportunity: The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine will present bicycles to local children with rare genetic diseases at the Annual ACMG Foundation Day of Caring on Friday, March 20 from 10:30 AM 11:00 AM at the Henry B. Gonzlez Convention Center.

Social Media for the 2020 ACMG Annual Meeting: As the ACMG Annual Meeting approaches, journalists can stay up to date on new sessions and information by following the ACMG social media pages on Facebook, Twitterand Instagramand by usingthe hashtag #ACMGMtg20 for meeting-related tweets and posts.

Note be sure to book your hotel reservations early.

The ACMG Annual Meeting website has extensive information at http://www.acmgmeeting.net.

About the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

Founded in 1991, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) is the only nationally recognized medical society dedicated to improving health through the clinical practice of medical genetics and genomics and the only medical specialty society in the US that represents the full spectrum of medical genetics disciplines in a single organization. The ACMG is the largest membership organization specifically for medical geneticists, providing education, resources and a voice for more than 2,400 clinical and laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals, nearly 80% of whom are board certified in the medical genetics specialties. ACMG's mission is to improve health through the clinical and laboratory practice of medical genetics as well as through advocacy, education and clinical research, and to guide the safe and effective integration of genetics and genomics into all of medicine and healthcare, resulting in improved personal and public health. Four overarching strategies guide ACMG's work: 1) to reinforce and expand ACMG's position as the leader and prominent authority in the field of medical genetics and genomics, including clinical research, while educating the medical community on the significant role that genetics and genomics will continue to play in understanding, preventing, treating and curing disease; 2) to secure and expand the professional workforce for medical genetics and genomics; 3) to advocate for the specialty; and 4) to provide best-in-class education to members and nonmembers. Genetics in Medicine, published monthly, is the official ACMG journal. ACMG's website (www.acmg.net) offers resources including policy statements, practice guidelines, educational programs and a 'Find a Genetic Service' tool. The educational and public health programs of the ACMG are dependent upon charitable gifts from corporations, foundations and individuals through the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine.

Raye Alford, PhD ralford@acmg.net

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

http://www.acmg.net

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Press Registration Reminder! Countdown to the 2020 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting - PRNewswire

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc. (MYGN), a leader in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine, announced that R. Bryan Riggsbee, president and CEO, is scheduled to present at the SVB Leerink Global Healthcare Conference at 10:30 a.m. EST on February 25, 2020 in New York City.

The presentation will be available to interested parties through a live audio webcast accessible through a link in the investor information section of Myriads website at http://www.myriad.com.

About Myriad GeneticsMyriad Genetics, Inc., is a leading precision medicine company dedicated to being a trusted advisor transforming patient lives worldwide with pioneering molecular diagnostics. Myriad discovers and commercializes molecular diagnostic tests that: determine the risk of developing disease, accurately diagnose disease, assess the risk of disease progression, and guide treatment decisions across six major medical specialties where molecular diagnostics can significantly improve patient care and lower healthcare costs. Myriad is focused on five critical success factors: building upon a solid hereditary cancer foundation, growing new product volume, expanding reimbursement coverage for new products, increasing RNA kit revenue internationally and improving profitability with Elevate 2020. For more information on how Myriad is making a difference, please visit the Company's website: http://www.myriad.com.

Myriad, the Myriad logo, BART, BRACAnalysis, Colaris, Colaris AP, myPath, myRisk, Myriad myRisk, myRisk Hereditary Cancer, myChoice, myPlan, BRACAnalysis CDx, Tumor BRACAnalysis CDx, myChoice CDx, EndoPredict, Vectra, GeneSight, riskScore Prolaris, ForeSight and Prequel are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the United States and foreign countries. MYGN-F, MYGN-G.

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Myriad Genetics to Present at the SVB Leerink Global Healthcare Conference - Yahoo Finance

Yesterday I flew down to Grand Cayman to once again allow some of my patients access to advanced cultured stem cells. This morning I would also like to compare and contrast what we do here from whats done in Panama. Hence, this will be one of my first official Panama stem cell clinic reviews.

The cell therapies offered in the US are either autologous (from the patient) or allogeneic (from a donor). The only therapy in the US that has real stem cells and thats currently permitted by US law is bone marrow concentrate. All other donor cell offerings such as umbilical cord or amniotic tissue have no live and functional mesenchymal stem cell content (1-3).

Outside the US, the big difference is that the cells can be grown to larger numbers in a process called culture expansion. This means that the stem cells are grown over days to weeks in culture. They can also be saved for future use in cryopreservation.

There are three places close to the US that allow cells to be culture expanded and that have been around and stable for years. They are:

Today I will compare and contrast Regenexx Cayman with the Stem Cell Institute in one of my first Panama stem cell clinic reviews.

So why did I fly down to the Cayman Islands yesterday to treat my patients versus fly to Panama? As I have blogged before, the problem with Panama and Mexico and many Latin American clinics is that these countries dont usually permit US physicians to get a medical license. US patients have become very accustomed to the level of training we have in the states, but those US physicians cant be found in Latin America. Hence, one reason is that US physicians can and are licensed in Grand Cayman.

Another big difference is the technology offered. In Grand Cayman, the focus is on using the patients own stem cells from bone marrow and growing those in culture. In Panama, birth tissue cells are culture expanded. If we look at the amount of data published in human clinical trials on the use of cultured stem cells for orthopedic problems, theres simply much more safety and efficacy data published using bone marrow than birth tissues.

Finally, as I always discuss, precise injections of stem cells into specific areas require advanced training and tools. Meaning, the doctors in Cayman (including myself) are all US physicians who have additional training (certifications through IOF) on the use of fluoroscopy and ultrasound in how to place cells into the damaged musculoskeletal system. Having treated patients who were first treated in Panama, what you tend to get is blind and not image-guided advanced injections.

Heres a real patient stem cell order form the Cayman clinic this morning:

These are highly complex injections using both ultrasound and C-arm fluoroscopy. They cant be performed by an orthopedic surgeon or neurologist who doesnt have additional and advanced interventional training and there is no way to replicate these in Panama. In fact, from the patients that Ive treated who have also been treated there, the best that they could do would be blind injections in the knee, hand, and shoulder joints and to start an IV.

The upshot? Im here in Cayman instead of Panama because its the most advanced site close to the US to get orthopedic stem cell therapy. It allows US physicians to get licensed and only permits doctors who have advanced image-guided injection training to staff the clinic. Finally, there are the tools here that I need to do my work.

(1) Berger D, Lyons N, Steinmetz, N. In Vitro Evaluation of Injectable, Placental Tissue-Derived Products for Interventional Orthopedics. Interventional Orthopedics Foundation Annual Meeting. Denver, 2015.https://interventionalorthopedics.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/AmnioProducts-Poster.pdf

(2) Becktell L, Matuska A, Hon S, Delco M, Cole B, Fortier L. Proteomic analysis and cell viability of nine amnion-derived biologics. Orthopedic Research Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, 2018.https://app.box.com/s/vcx7uw17gupg9ki06i57lno1tbjmzwaf

(3) Panero, A, Hirahara, A., Andersen, W, Rothenberg J, Fierro, F. Are Amniotic Fluid Products Stem Cell Therapies? A Study of Amniotic Fluid Preparations for Mesenchymal Stem Cells With Bone Marrow Comparison. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019 47(5), 12301235. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546519829034

Category: Uncategorized

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Panama Stem Cell Clinic Reviews - Regenexx

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) -- Imagine the pain from nerve damage so severe you can hardly move, but hope for relief is being offered by a company pitching stem cell injections that dont come cheap

Ron Elliott may be willing to endure financial pain.

Elliott, a Neuropathy sufferer said, It could be $5,000 or so and whether insurance would cover any of it or not.

Thats the low-end cost of stem cell injections pitched by Vitality Nebraska in advertised seminars at metro area hotel conference rooms.

Vitality Nebraska presentation said, The reason this works so well is because of the source of the stem cells were using, very young vital capable cells from Dr. Riordans lab.

Neil Riordans resume lists a leading stem cell laboratory in Panama.

Many pain sufferers, mostly senior citizens attend the seminars and our request to record was denied, so Dr. James Billups wore a hidden camera.

The next day after the needle went in there it made me feel better, read the presentation.

Dr. James Billups said, They make broad claims on the ability to do this. Everything they presented was anecdotal and anecdotal is not science.

In a statement to Six on Your Side Vitality, Nebraska states, each patient is evaluated by a licensed practitioner to see if regenerative medicine is a viable option. We do not make any promises or guarantees.

Some of the worlds leading research in the use of stem cells for treatment is being done here at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. We brought the seminar video here to get a second and third opinion.

Dr. James Armtage an Oncologist said, You need to know for example with stem cells how are the cells being made, there are standards for the use of these things.

Dr. Lynell Klassen an Immunologist said, Its hard for me to understand how those cells would actually stay around long enough to repurpose itself and transform and reprogram in order to be a functioning cell.

Continued here:
Health care professionals offer insight to stem cell injection claims - WOWT

TOKYO A Japanese man with a sweet tooth who believes in smiles has become the worlds oldest male at 112 years and 344 days old, according to Guinness World Records.

Chitetsu Watanabe, who was born in Niigata in northern Japan in 1907, received a certificate for his accomplishment on Wednesday at a nursing home in the city.

The previous record holder, Masazo Nonaka, another Japanese, died last month. The oldest living person is also Japanese, Kane Tanaka, a 117-year-old woman.

Until about a decade ago, Watanabe used to do bonsai, the Japanese traditional art of raising small sculpted trees, and had his work exhibited.

These days, he loves desserts such as custards and cream puffs, Guinness said.

Watanabe graduated from agricultural school and then moved to Taiwan to work at Dai-Nippon Meiji Sugar on sugar cane plantation contracts.

He lived in Taiwan for 18 years. He married Mitsue and they had five children, Guinness said in a statement.

After the end of World War II, Watanabe returned to Niigata and worked for the prefectural government until retirement. He also grew fruit and vegetables on the family farm.

Asked about the secret to longevity, Watanabe has this advice: Dont get angry and keep smiling.

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Worlds oldest man, 112, shares the secret to longevity - Tampa Bay Times

I want to start by congratulating Damian [Green] and the whole APPG on the brilliant work youve done to get this issue onto the agenda.

Today is a day for detailed discussion about the proposals in your new Strategy.

But before we get to the policy I want to say a few words about the (small-p) politics.

Among policymakers especially in government our ageing society has traditionally been framed as a problem, a liability.

A source of pressure on public services. An unwelcome modern trend, like cybercrime or falling bee numbers.

But this is looking at things through the wrong end of the telescope.

Because of course its great news were all living longer.

And language matters. The words we use colour perception.

So lets hear less about our ageing society, and more about healthy longevity.

Less about the burden and the pressure and more about the reward of getting this right.

Because our final years should be an act of enjoyment. Not a task of endurance.

That positive framing is important because too often as a society we sweep these issues under the carpet.

We dont like to think about getting older. We dont like to think about our bodies failing. So we dont give healthy ageing the attention it deserves.

Which brings me to the policy question.

For most of the 70 years the NHS has been in existence weve focused on life span.

This has seen extraordinary successes.

Mass-vaccination. The collapse in the adult smoking rate from 45% in the 1970s to 14% today.

But as the NHS enters its eighth decade, it needs to focus more on health span: the number of years a person can expect to live healthily and independently.

In our manifesto we committed to an extra 5 healthy years by 2035. This is the primary long-term clinical goal weve set the NHS.

Both parts are important: extra years and healthy years. Adding years to life, and life to years.

The next question is how do we get there?

Today I want to touch on 3 things.

The first is place and its relationship to people.

Because however you choose to measure the evidence is clear: your chance of a healthy old age is closely tied to where you live.

A man born in Blackpool can expect only 53 years of healthy life, while a man born in Buckingham gets 68.

Thats wrong.

Tackling this postcode inequality matters to this government. Its what we mean when we talk about levelling up.

The underlying factors are a complex interaction between demography and economy.

But because healthcare inequalities are geographically concentrated, it means we can take a targeted approach.

This starts with improving access to healthcare.

50 million more GP appointments. 50,000 more nurses. 40 new hospitals. Its what those flagship commitments are all about.

And we can boost access even further: by using more of our brilliant community pharmacists as a first port of call for people seeking primary care, by using technology to reduce the burden on clinicians, by having everyone in every part of the NHS operating right at the top of their licence.

But having the right NHS services is just one part of building healthier places.

Its about warm, properly insulated homes, low-crime neighbourhoods, and action on the environment like our cross-government work on air quality.

Its the kind of urban design that supports healthy living, more opportunities for walking and cycling bearing down on the 40% of car journeys that are less than 2 miles.

This is something that the Prime Minister is strongly personally committed to, and our announcement yesterday of 250 miles of new cycling routes is another milestone on that journey.

One of the biggest health impacts a place can have is whether it supports good local jobs.

By good jobs I mean jobs that are purposeful and rewarding, not just well paid. Where employers invest in things like mental health or muscular-skeletal support as part and parcel of being a good employer.

And this absolutely includes jobs in the NHS.

As one of the countrys biggest employers, the NHS can have an outsized impact on the opportunities available to local communities.

For example, Im proud of the work were doing with the Princes Trust to get 10,000 school leavers job-ready for roles in the NHS and social care.

The second part of this agenda and closely linked to place is a recognition that healthy longevity is not just the NHS.

Only around a quarter of what leads to longer, healthier lives is the result of what goes on in hospitals.

The rest is down to genetics, the environment, and the lifestyle choices we make.

Yes, we can and we should use the infrastructure of the NHS to help support healthier choices. Measures like dedicated alcohol care teams in hospitals, or targeted anti-smoking interventions aimed at CVD patients.

But increasingly we understand that there are effective, non-clinical approaches to healthier living and ageing.

Look at the use of homeshares to tackle loneliness. Bringing together people with spare rooms and people who are happy to chat and lend a hand around the house in return for affordable accommodation.

Or take the social prescribing revolution.

A growing body of evidence suggests that activities like joining a book group or singing in a choir or learning to play an instrument can have huge health and wellbeing benefits.

Benefits that include everything from sleep quality to reduced anxiety to improved memory.

Over the next few years we want to bring these kinds of treatments to almost a million people.

Weve set up a National Academy for Social Prescribing to aimed at making the NHS a world-leader in this field.

Third, and this wont be a surprise coming from me, is better technology.

More proactive, preventative healthcare depends on a strong data infrastructure. On being able to link disparate datasets from different parts of the system to create a complete narrative about a persons care.

Lets take an example.

We know that atrial fibrillation irregular heartbeat is a common cause of stroke, but the risk varies from person to person.

By analysing lots of different data points for atrial fibrillation patients age, frailty, previous bleeding and so on you can create an individualised risk score.

In turn, this allows GPs to take pre-emptive action, for example prescribing anticoagulants.

In the past assembling all the information needed to produce that score was so time-consuming as to be impractical. It was held on different databases in different formats, often as free text rather than machine-readable code.

But now we can do it with AI.

In fact, a team right here at Kings Dr Dan Bean and Dr Paul Scott have built an AI tool thats able to replicate the analysis of human experts in a fraction of the time.

Adult social care is increasingly a site of healthtech innovation.

Internet-linked devices can help people live at home for longer and stay connected to family and friends.

They can also help providers deliver smarter, more responsive care.

For example, theres a provider up in Warwickshire WCS Care doing great things with acoustic monitoring.

The tech lets the staff hear crying or breathing problems, sending an alert to a monitoring station staffed by a night manager.

It means that staff arent knocking on residents doors every hour and disturbing people.

Everyone sleeps better, and staff estimate that night-time falls have reduced by 34%.

Interestingly, when they analysed the data they found that lots of people were staying awake late into the night.

This led the care home to set up a wide awake club to support night owls and get them back into a healthier rhythm.

I want to spread this kind of innovation far and wide, and Ive set up a dedicated adult social care unit in NHSX.

This will focus on setting technical standards, improving data sharing, enhancing skills and fixing the digital infrastructure.

Like longevity itself, better tech is an opportunity we wholeheartedly embrace.

Ill end where I began, and this is the message I want to leave you with.

Longer life is not a problem to be tackled but a goal to be pursued.

And not just for government, or even the NHS, but for each and every one of us.

Theres a huge prize ahead if we get this right: 5 more years of healthy life. More enjoyment out of life. More time for the things that matter most in life.

Im looking forward to working with you all to make it happen.

The rest is here:
Adding years to life and life to years: our plan to increase healthy longevity - GOV.UK

Expert in Aging, Ken Dychtwald, to Deliver Keynote Address. Powerhouse Speakers Represent AARP, NIA, Ziegler LinkAge, Home Instead.

ATLANTA, Feb. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- What's Next Longevity Business Summit kicks off its 17th year as the premier curator of 300 thought leaders in aging March 26, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta with networking and discussions about trends, innovations and opportunities for serving age 50+ consumers. The conference will feature power-packed panels on the theme of "Mobility, Memory, Money and Marketing" and how to capitalize on the $7.6 trillion longevity economy.

"This summit is like earning a mini-MBA in the longevity market," said Mary Furlong, a successful entrepreneur and author in aging. Her company, Mary Furlong & Associates,has produced What's Next summits for 17 years to spot trends, match investors with innovators and close deals in the lucrative longevity market. "There's a gold mine in the golden years. In 2020, I believe we will see more women at the epicenter of global purchasing power and innovative solutions for an aging society."

Entrepreneurs will hear from investors Ziegler LinkAge, Nationwide Ventures and Portfolia on how to obtain funding; companies like Home Instead about opportunities in deal-making with distribution partners; top research agencies about customer insights and market research trends; researchers about innovative programs driving dementia care and brain health and so much more.

This year's keynote address, "The Next Wave: How Boomer Retirees Will Redefine Money, Consumerism, Family, Work, Housing, Mobility, Health and Success," will feature one of the visionaries in aging, Ken Dychtwald, author and co-founder of Age Wave.

"I'm looking forward to sharing my latest ideas on which industries, products and services will dominate the emerging longevity marketplace many of which are hiding in plain sight," said Dychtwald. "I'll be covering everything from medical technologies on the horizon that have the potential to dramatically transform health and aging to how aging baby boomers' time affluence will redefine the travel and leisure, housing, education, media and financial services industries."

Maddy Dychtwald, author and Age Wave co-founder, will moderate an inspirational panel of businesswomen discussing female economic influence and fiscal makeovers for 2020 and beyond.

Summit attendees will receive business coaching on: scaling a business; leveraging senior housing and transportation deals; delivering for home as the new health hub; using emerging technology including Virtual Reality, Voice First and Artificial Intelligence to change consumer habits and enhance workforce development; understanding fintech and privacy issues; changes in Medicare Advantage reimbursement models; how to incorporate aging vitality and caregiver wellness into a business model; marketing success using content development and social media; designing with aging in mind and more.

What's Next Longevity Business Summit is co-produced by Lori Bitter, founder of The Business of Aging, and Sherri Snelling, CEO of Caregiving Club,and has been held concurrent with the American Society of Aging's annual Aging in America conference for the last 17 years. Summit lead sponsors include AARP Innovation Labs, GreatCall, Ageless Innovation, CareLinx, VitalTech, Medterra CBD, The Business of Aging, Susan Davis International, Caregiving Club, iN2L, Hamilton CapTel, Home Instead, myFamilyChannel, SilverRide, Outpatient, Naboso Technology, Nationwide, Portfolia, Embodied Labs, Caremerge, Stay Smart Care and Thrive. Visit boomersummit.com for more information.

About Mary Furlong/Mary Furlong & Associates

Founded in 2003, Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA) is a strategy, business development and marketing company. A serial entrepreneur, Mary founded SeniorNet.org, and ThirdAge Media (acquired by Ancestry.com), prior to MFA. For 17 years, Mary has produced the industry leading What's Next Longevity Business Summit and Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, adding the Washington Innovation Summit and What's Next Canada in recent years. Author of Turning Silver into Gold, How to Profit in the Boomer Market and The MFA Longevity Market Report, Mary has been recognized by ASA, Fortune, Time and as one of the top 100 Women in Silicon Valley. She is an adviser to the Ziegler LinkAge Fund, CABHI and numerous startup companies in addition to her private client practice.

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About Lori Bitter/The Business of Aging

Lori K. Bitter provides strategic consulting, research and development for companies seeking to engage with mature consumers at her consultancy, The Business of Aging. Her current research, Hacking Life Shifts, in collaboration with RTI research and Collaborate, was championed by AARP, and funded by Proctor & Gamble, Bank of America, Unilever and others. She is a 2017 Influencer in Aging, named by Next Avenue and author ofThe Grandparent Economy. She was president of J. Walter Thompson's Boomer division, JWT BOOM, the nation's leading mature market advertising and marketing company, and led that firm's annual Boomer marketing event for five years.

About Sherri Snelling/Caregiving Club

Sherri Snelling is a corporate gerontologist and founder/CEO of Caregiving Club, a strategic consulting and content creation firm focused on biopsychosocial aging, Alzheimer's and caregiver wellness. Her innovative wellness programs include the Me Time Monday and 7 Ways to Caregiver Wellness workshops. She is the author of A Cast of Caregivers Celebrity Stories to Help You Prepare to Care, a contributing columnist and national speaker on caregiving and has done work for AARP, Keck Medicine of USC, UnitedHealthcare, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, LifeCare, QVC. She was chairman of the National Alliance for Caregiving and is on an Alzheimer's Association board.

Contact:

Jennifer BantaEvent Manager(925) 405-2217233385@email4pr.com

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SOURCE Mary Furlong & Associates

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There's a Gold Mine in the Golden Years: What's Next Longevity Business Summit Helps Entrepreneurs Tap $7 Trillion Market - Yahoo Finance

KEY POINTS

Zion Williamson is as good as advertised but his weight remains a critical issue. Being the third heaviest player behind Tacko Fall and Boban Marjanovic, there is no question that the top pick of the 2019 NBA Draft needs to shed off some weight if he wants to play pro ball continuously.

Currently at 284 pounds, Williamson is about the same weight as Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Among the top five players in the NBA, he is the only one who is undersized and is not a center. Though most reason that Charles Barkley was able to survive with that frame during his prime, the NBA today is far different.

For now, all Williamson can do is heed the advice of the New Orleans Pelicans. He needs to think long-term and be made aware that longevity counts, ESPN reported. The good news is that the 19-year-old is listening, aware that all of this is for his own good. He sat out the game against their game against the Indiana Pacers but returned emphatically with a star-caliber performance against the Portland Trail Blazers, Yahoo Sports reported.

The minutes of Williamson for the Pelicans for the remainder of the season will be interesting. New Orleans currently sits at the 11th spot of the NBA Western Conference with a 23-31 win-loss card. With a string of wins, the Pels could catch the last bus to the NBA playoffs. However, they are likely to encounter rough sailing getting beyond the first round.

New Orleans could be tempted to field in Williamson and go beyond the managed minutes they have in place. But the risk behind that could be catastrophic, placing the former Duke Blue Devil's future at risk. Based on his showing against the Blazers, there is no denying that Williamson is a future star but adjustments are needed as far as his playing weight is concerned.

Williamson is likely to work on his weight problem by the summer. If he intends to play continuously and longer, he needs to burn some calories and reach the ideal playing weight for a 6-foot-6 individual. A look at multicare.org shows that someone who stands at that height would ideally have a weight ranging from 193 to 235 lbs. Doing the math, this means Williamson will need to shed off about 50 pounds or more to be at his optimum best. This could also help address potential injuries such as his knees, something that kept him from playing the earlier part of the 2019-20 NBA season.

Zion Williamson seems bent on joining the Phoenix Suns next NBA season. Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. Photo: Getty Images/Patrick Smith

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NBA Rumors: Zion Williamson Longevity Comes First, Losing Weight Strongly Urged - International Business Times

A staff member sets up a conference room at the Congress Centre ahead of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

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The 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos shone its annual January spotlight on global concerns with a lot of expert dialogue. As always, the mindset of organizational leadership was focused on the search for solutions and in todays world, the challenges feel especially urgent.

Consider a few of the themes that emerged this year at Davos. There was, for example, a high level of debate about how to measure progress on topics such as environmental, social and governance (ESG)-aligned investing and achieving positive societal change and sustainability. And the issue of longevity and the realities of living longer and working longer face all organizations.

Climate change was very much top of mind, though, as reflected in the 2020 Global Risks Report published by the WEF with the support of Marsh & McLennan, in which the top five risks cited in the report had to do with climate. Measuring real change and avoiding greenwashing (unsubstantiated claims about environmental benefits) is important. Companies making efforts to achieve positive change are driven by a desire to do the right thing as well as to stay ahead of looming regulation. This is driving innovation for example, in shipping, where global firms have self-regulated and are working to reduce emissions through new designs and technology.

Unsurprisingly, there was much discussion of the risk of a pandemic, given the current coronavirus outbreak in China. However, the risk of noncommunicable diseases was recognized as a bigger issue. Most countries spend increasingly more on managing health, but its just as important to continue investing in good health promotion, especially disease prevention and addressing social determinants of health to keep people out of hospitals, as that is where the cost of health care dramatically rises. This becomes even more important in the context of todays aging populations.

Meanwhile, innovative investors are taking action to address key global risks, as noted at an executive dialogue at Davos focused on Transformational Investment. A panel of leaders from sovereign wealth and pension funds large-asset funds that can make a real difference in world markets discussed how they can transform capitalism through co-investment and co-creation with business partners. Together they are addressing risks such as climate change, water scarcity, populism and extreme weather events.

Another key theme: While theres been increased momentum toward achieving gender diversity, we still have far to go, according to the newest WEF Gender Gap Report. The discussion on gender diversity has shifted from building the case to putting plans into action, and there are more men in the conversation. A hopeful view is that we have built some muscle for gender diversity, which gives us a path to drive other forms of diversity, including age diversity.

Mercers 2020 When Women Thrive, Businesses Thrive research, to be released in March, was previewed at Davos as well. Some bright spots: 86% of participating companies say improving D&I is high or very high on their agenda, and 66% say senior executives are now actively engaged in D&I. And nearly half (48%) of companies say that men are engaged in gender equality efforts, up from 38% in 2016. Plus, the number of women at executive levels has increased 3% since 2016.

Unfortunately, the new research also shows that companies are behind in the area of accountability for D&I progress. Slow progress on that front calls for leaders who align the values of diversity and inclusion throughout the organization not just as a mandate, but as a powerful component of the culture.

Another Davos event, focused on longevity, Redesigning Retirement for Longer Working Lives, got to the heart of the challenge.

Lets be clear. Longevity is one aspect of a brighter future for the worlds workforce, so long as organizations and leadership get it right. It calls for a change of mindset, adapted health care and savings programs, more opportunities for continuous learning and, of course, longer careers. Its a chance for employers and experienced workers to embrace upskilling, reskilling and continuously adapting.

Theres no doubt that longevity is a serious social issue. Life expectancies are increasing globally, and children born today are likely to live beyond the age of 100. Already, at many of Mercers clients, the ratio of employees 50 years and older compared to the rest of the workforce has doubled in just five years with people living and working longer, its clear much of our world will look much older in the years ahead.

In partnership with Mercer, the WEFexamined data for retirement savings, including both government and company pensions as well as individual savings, from eight major economies. In the U.S., it is expected that people will outlive their savings by almost 10 years. When we look at Europe, the gap grows to 11.5 years, and in Japan its nearly 18 years.

A number of large employers and policymakers in countries and industry sectors most affected by an aging population attended the Mercer longevity event and crafted practical solutions to some of our identified personas. For example:

The longevity event at Davos offered an optimistic view, and attendees seemed passionate about the possibilities. Longevity is a reality that companies and employees cant ignore if theyre going to build sustainable futures over the short- and long term. Events like this can help organizations and their leaders to find their purpose, and purpose-led companies are destined for the long haul. They are the sort of companies that define Davos to make the future brighter for everyone.

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Reflecting on Davos and Its Most Urgent Themes - BRINK

MAPLEWOOD, NJ -- Maplewoods oldest business, Woolley Home Solutions, spoke with TAPintoTV about their long history in town and how they've been able to maintain their success for 95 years.

Its a lot to live up to, said Norman E. Woolley. Its important to support the town thats allowed you to thrive and be able to be successful for that long.

The family-owned company started in 1924, specializing in coal and ice delivery. As fuels changed, the business changed with them, evolving into a fuel oil and heating business by the end of World War 2.

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Change is a big thing, said Norman W. Woolley, Jr. I think you have to change, you cant stay where you are.

Five years ago, they diversified their business and rebranded as Woolley Home Solutions, offering added services like HVAC, sewer and plumbing. Its making sure that everybodys comfortable in the entire house, said Norman E. Woolley, and making sure it can be as efficient as possible.

While the company still sells fuel, such as home heating oil and propane, they also offer more environmentally-friendly products, like bioheat and biodiesel. In fact, Woolley installed the very first biodiesel station in New Jersey. The companys plan is to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

What are some ways Woolley has maintained its success over the years? We all learned the business from the ground up, said Norman W. Woolley, Jr. I think thats an important thing to do.

The company also prides itself on excellent customer service. Your best marketing is your customer telling their neighbor about how happy the experience they had with us, Norman E. Woolley.

To learn more about Woolleys products, services, and history, visit them online at http://www.woolleyfuel.com.

Editors Note: Woolley Home Solutions is an advertiser of TAPintoSOMA.

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Small Business Spotlight: Maplewood, NJ's Oldest Business Shares the Lessons of their Longevity - TAPinto.net