StemCell Therapy

A primary project for Garrett Gibbons, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR), is to develop novel tau antibodies as possibletherapies to treat Alzheimers disease. When in the thick of it, the scientific process becomes a huge, timelyand sometimes redundanttask.

One particular experiment comes to mind: Gibbons and his colleagues were injecting tau into mice models, which the mice developed antibodies against, and when they were harvested, the cells were paired with another cell to make a hybridoma. The problem? After two times running the full experiment, the antibodies still didnt meet certain criteria to be applicable.

Gibbons, quite disheartened, told his adviserVirginia Man-Yee Lee, a Perelman School of Medicine professor and director of CNDR, that the benchmark was too high.

Virginia was like, Well, try again, Gibbons recalled. She pushed back and said how she thought we could do better.

Although admittedly frustrated at the time, Gibbons rethought the project, and, ultimately, underwent a revamped test a third time.

And we got better antibodies, performing better than the previous ones, he said. They are now the candidates that we are evaluating as immunotherapy in mice, as potential treatments for Alzheimers disease.

It is safe to say, noted Gibbons, that without this kind of persistence from Lee, Alzheimers research wouldnt be nearly as developed as it is today. A pioneer in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, Lee was recently recognized for her four decades of work with a $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, an award backed by major technology leaders from companies including Google and Facebook.

Growing up in Hong Kong in a very traditional Chinese family, my mother never wanted me to become a professional, let alone a scientist, Lee said to the crowd, while accepting her Breakthrough Prize at the Oscars of Science in Silicon Valley in early November. Thankfully John Trojanowski, my life partner and collaborator, convinced me to embark on this wonderful journey with him, identifying proteins that are involved in devastating neurological diseases, which affect more and more of us, but have no effective treatment.

Lee, with a background in biochemistry and neuroscience, and Trojanowski, who studied pathology and neuropathology, have toiled alongside each other at Penn since the mid-1980s. They began work in Alzheimers research when it was very uncommon to do soin fact, their mentors urged them to stay far, far away from it.

What [our mentors] saw as a swamp, said Trojanowski, we saw as a huge challenge and opportunity that has led to an engaging career.

Before Lee and Trojanowski, prior studies had determined that an Alzheimers patients brain progressively accumulates plaques, abnormal clusters of protein fragments called beta-amyloid, that build up between nerve cells, and tangles, which form inside dying cells. Using this as a starting point, the duo detected their first major finding in 1991: that tau is the building block protein of the neurofibrillary tangles.

In 1997, Lee and Trojanowski found that Lewy bodies, the hallmark brain pathology of Parkinsons disease, are formed by alpha-synuclein. Knowing what causes Lewy bodies is important to Alzheimers researchers because about 50 percent of Alzheimers patients have Lewy bodies that contribute to cognitive deficits.

Then, in 2006, they discovered the pathological protein deposits in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and frontotemporal degeneration, or FTD, are formed by TDP-43, a multifunctional DNA- and RNA-binding protein, and these deposits are also present in a large number of Alzheimers patients brains.

Lee was specifically recognized for the Breakthrough Prize for discovering TDP-43 protein aggregates in FTD and ALS, and revealing that different forms of alpha-synuclein, in different cell types, underlie Parkinsons disease and Multiple System Atrophy.

This is exceptionally important work, and we are very proud that it is taking place at Penn. Penn President Amy Gutmann

The discoveries led by Dr. Lee and her team are extraordinary, and absolutely worthy of the prestigious Breakthrough Prize, said Penn President Amy Gutmann, who went to Silicon Valley to support Lee in receiving her honor. Dr. Lee and her team have worked to fully understand the different segments of Alzheimers disease and other related disorders, using that knowledge to develop models that are becoming the foundation for therapies that will, hopefully, stop or reverse these diseases. This is exceptionally important work, and we are very proud that it is taking place at Penn.

Its rewarding, Lee said, to reflect on how researchers are becoming increasingly interested in TDP-43s involvement in neurodegenerative diseases, and the biology that is able to follow, now.

It is gratifying that people can, and people are very interested in, using the system that weve built to identify potential therapies, Lee explained. I am really optimistic that maybe some treatment for Alzheimers and Parkinsons will become available in the next, lets say, one or two decades.

Gibbons, who can distinctly remember being a teenager and watching his grandfather cope with all the stages of Alzheimers, as well as the impact it had on his family, knew rather early it would be a field he would want to pursue. But, it wasnt until he was immersed in the research that he realized how complicated it really was.

When I first got to Penn, I was kind of blown away with the challenge and sort of became cynical and pessimistic, Gibbons said. But I like the way that Dr. Lee continues to forge ahead and isnt overwhelmed as a young investigator, that gives me a lot of inspiration and hope. Of course there will be failures, and of course science is hard. This is worthwhile, and we will get there.

In terms of Lee as a leader, Mike Henderson, a research associate in her lab, said he appreciates the way she guides him in his learning, but also provides him with the independence needed to encourage innovative, out-of-the box thinking.

She really shows you what it takes to be a good scientist in the field, he said, adding how inquisitive Lee always is. Shes very curious and I think thats really what has driven her lab and what has made her so successful.

The main reason Henderson came to Penn, he noted, was to work not only with Lee and Trojanowski, but also with the team theyve assembled through the creation of the CNDR, which celebrated its 25th year in 2018. About 50 people are part of the center today.

From the Maloney Building on Penns campus, where CNDR is housed, Lee and Trojanowski have been able to foster multidisciplinary collaborations between basic and clinical scientists, and provide resources to enable the very best research projects, including a brain and biosample bank, a drug discovery program, data management and biostastic support, and expertise in biochemistry, histology, molecular biology, microscopy, tissue culture, and genetics.

John and I spent a lot of time developing an infrastructure to do this type of work, and Penn has been such a fantastic environment, said Lee, who acknowledged all of her collaboratorsstudents, postdocs, and staff scientistsat the Breakthrough event. I truly want to thank them for their dedication and commitment, she said.

Talking later, Trojanowski added, They have made possible all that we have accomplished.

There is no doubt about it: Talking about his beloved wife of 40-plus years is probably one of Trojanowskis favorite things to do. Shes always pushing herself to be better, and shes always pushing me to be better. She is driven, hardworking, very bright, determinedall of the things that you expect to see and need to see in people that are going to be as successful as she is.

Not only is she passionate about science, he adds, shes determined to solve any problem she ever sets her eyes on. Plus, shes an amazing preceptor, trainer, encourager of science in young people. She is just exceptional, he added.

Trojanowski attended the Breakthrough event with his wife, thrilled to stand by her side on such an exciting day. Its an outstanding recognition, he said.

One might think a $3 million check in the bank could be a ticket out of work, but for Lee, she was back in Philadelphia after just a couple days. As always, she rode her bike to the officeready and willing to take on her next challenge.

What Id like to do in the next 10 to 20 years, Lee said, is really work with companiespharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companiesto come up with treatments.

Virginia Man-Yee Lee is the John H. Ware 3rd Endowed Professor in Alzheimers Research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicinein the Perelman School of Medicine.

John Q. Trojanowski is the William Maul Measey - Truman G. Schnabel, Jr., M.D. Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicinein the Perelman School of Medicine.

The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, founded in 2013, honors transformative advances toward understanding living systems and extending human life. It is sponsored by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Pony Ma, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki.

Homepage photo: Today, about 50 people make up the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, led by Lee and Trojanowski, who both expressed how thankful they are for such a great team.

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An Alzheimer's research pioneer, right here at Penn - Penn: Office of University Communications

When we have this process thats really convoluted and complicated, its always the families with the least privilege who dont make it through.

Katharine Zuckerman, Oregon Health and Science University, on the challenges of getting an autism diagnosis and treatment in the United States.

If they find something that fits their argument, they emphasize it and make a point about it, and if they find something that doesnt fit their argument, they tend to put it aside.

Arthur Beaudet, Baylor College of Medicine, on researchers tendency to pick and choose what to include in a study.

Thats pretty good evidence when you poke it and it jumps, and you keep poking it and it jumps higher that youre on to a causal relationship.

Joy Hirsch, Yale University, on her teams findings that direct eye contact activates a region of the social brain.

Until we attend to the full diversity of autistic traits in confluence with gender, sexuality, culture, ethnicity, race, class, we will continue to miss people, and they will continue to feel lost.

Rua M. Williams, a nonbinary graduate student at the University of Florida, on the need to recognize the full spectrum of people with autism.

Im thinking of introducing a unicorn as our mascot. Who doesnt like magic and a bit of good luck to go with their science?

Annie Ciernia, University of British Columbia, on the ideal lab mascot.

Sitting in a room for two days thinking of nothing else but these children and their parents and the issues they have, and seeing them firsthand, gives you insight you just cant get any other way.

Stephan Sanders, University of California, San Francisco, on the value of attending meetings with families whose children share a rare genetic diagnosis.

Originally posted here:
Quotes of the year - Spectrum

Do you love your tall, meat and cheeseburger? You may want to think again before grabbing your next greasy treat. According to a latest study, a meal packed with a lot of fat and grease may silence the communication between the intestine and the rest of your body.

The researchers used fish to examine the cells that signal and tell the brain and the rest of the body what's going on inside the gut after a meal. The team discovered that a high-fat meal completely shuts down that communication for a few hours. The study published in 'eLife'.

The scientists were looking at the enteroendocrine cells, which occur sparsely throughout the lining of the gut. They happen to play a key role in signalling the body about the all-important alimentary canal. These cells, also have a recently-discovered direct connection to the nervous system and the brain. They produce up to at least 15 different hormones to send signals to the rest of the body about gut movement, feelings of fullness, digestion, nutrient absorption, insulin sensitivity, and energy storage. Hence their communication with rest of the body is imperative.

"But they fall asleep on the job for a few hours after a high-fat meal, and we don't yet know if that's good or bad," said John Rawls, an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the Duke School of Medicine.

Since enteroendocrine cells are key players indigestion, the feeling of being full and subsequent feeding behaviour, this silencing may be a mechanism that somehow causes people eating a high-fat diet to eat even more.

"This is a previously unappreciated part of the postprandial (after-meal) cycle," Rawls said.

"If this happens every time we eat an unhealthy, high-fat meal, it might cause a change in insulin signalling, which could, in turn, contribute to the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes."

To understand the silencing better, the researchers tried to break the process down step by step in zebra-fish, reports the study published in 'eLife'.

Once they sense a meal, these cells trigger a calcium burst within seconds, initiating the signalling process.

However after the initial signal, there's a delayed effect later in the after-meal period. The scientists said that it's during this later response that the silencing takes place.

The silenced cells have to potential change shape and experience stress in their endoplasmic reticulum. These enteroendocrine cells tend to become overstimulated and exhausted for a while, which hinders the action.

(This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)

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Greasy Meals May Intervene Gut Action And Hinder Intestinal Activity - NDTV Food

You may associate essential oils with aromatherapy products and fancy day spas. But did you know certain varieties of these fairly inexpensive oils may have legit benefits when it comes to relieving anxiety and stress?

According to Yufang Lin, MD, an integrative medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinics Center for Integrative Medicine, essential oils work through inhalation or through topical application and have mind-body benefits. For inhalation, essential oils can be easily used as a room spray or via diffuser. A few drops on a pendant worn close to skin also allows for a slow release over time.

Topically, essential oils can be added to a carrier oil and used as perfume, massage oil, cream, or salves. Last but not least, adding an essential oil to your bath is a wonderful way to relax at the end of a busy day, says Dr. Lin.

The quickest way to change ones mood is through smell, thus essential oil is an excellent way to reduce anxiety and support relaxation, says Dr. Lin. However, it takes a lot of herbs to make a small amount of essential oil, which makes it a strong medicine that should be used judiciously.

While research on essential oils for mental health benefits is still expanding, there is some info to suggest that certain oils may work for things like stress relief, better sleep, and more. The thing is, though, even if one study shows that a particular scent is great for, say, reducing anxious feelings, it may not work for every single person. If you don't enjoy a scent, you probably won't feel much better after sniffing it, for instance.

The essential oils below have been shown to reduce anxiety in human studies, says Dr. Lin. Other scents are also commonly used to reduce anxiety and support relaxation, but research beyond animal studies is needed to know if they have real benefits for people.

The essential oils ahead have been shown to help people feel calmer and more relaxed, says Dr. Lin. One potential caveat is that most people have scent memory. So, for instance, if a person has a negative memory associated with a particular scent, they may not feel relaxed when they smell that scent, she explains.

Its important to keep potential side effects in mind, as they can be mild to severe. For one thing, certain essential oils (citrus in particular) can cause photosensitivitymeaning you can get a sunburn more easily after using orange essential oil on the skin, says Dr. Lin. (This is why it's a common recommendation to dilute oils before applying them topically, just to be extra cautious.)

Additionally, some essential oils are safe in small amounts but can dangerous in higher doses. Tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils are commonly used for their antimicrobial benefits, but in excess, can cause nerve and liver damage, says Dr. Lin. Some essential oils are toxic in general and should not be usedarnica, parsley, rue, and tansy are a few that fall into this category.

Finally, do not ingest essential oil without supervision from a trained herbalist, and be extra cautious using essential oils around young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and small pets because they are most at risk for toxicity and side effects, she says.

The bottom line: Research on using essential oils to ease anxiety or for stress reduction is growing, but remains limited. But if you're a healthy adult and are using essential oils safely and at the guidance of your doctor, there is little harm in testing some oils out to see which ones help you feel mentally better.

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Majestic Pure Lavender Oil

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According to a 2012 study, lavender essential oil has been shown to help treat symptoms of anxiety and depression. This might be due to how it impacts the limbic system of the brain, which controls your emotions.

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Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot oil, which comes from bergamot oranges and thus has an energizing citrusy scent, has been shown to improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety, according to 2015 research.

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Now Essential Orange Oil

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If youre pregnant and hoping for a Zen birth experience, a 2015 study suggested that orange essential oil may help to lower feelings of anxiety during labor.

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Plant Therapy Peppermint Organic Essential Oil

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The menthol content in peppermint oil has been shown to help relieve tension and discomfort, which can in turn help you feel more calm and relaxed.

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Frankincense Essential Oil

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Frankincense comes from the resin of the Boswellia tree. Within 2008 research, massaging a blend of this oil in combination with bergamot and lavender oils helped to relieve anxiety, depression, and pain in terminal cancer patients.

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Pure Gold Myrrh Essential Oil

Similar to lavender, myrrh essential oil (which has a woodsy scent) may help you to feel relaxed and less stressed in general.

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Majestic Pure Rose Oil

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Rose essential oil, which has similar effects to those of orange oil, has been shown to reduce anxiety during labor in pregnant women when used in a foot bath, according to 2014 research.

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Plant Therapy Marjoram Sweet Essential Oil

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Although more research is needed, sweet marjoram (also known as oregano) is believed to help relieve headaches and anxiety, as well as promote calmness.

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Eucalyptus Essential Oil

$5.79

Similar to peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil contains menthol, which has a cooling effect that may help to relieve aches and tension, which can in turn promote relaxation and reduce feelings of anxiety.

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Handcraft TeaTree Essential Oil

$14.95

Although there isnt substantial research on it, tea tree oil is believed to reduce stress and even boost immunity and ward off sickness.

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Roman Chamomile Essential Oil

Chamomile isnt just a relaxing tea that can help you sleep. The oil can also have the same calming effect if added to an aromatherapy diffuser or hot bath.

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Jasmine Essential Oil Aromatherapy

$8.22

You may already love jasmine for its uplifting floral scent, but 2013 research showed that it can also promote feelings of well-being as well as reduce sleepiness and symptoms of anxiety.

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Valerian Essential Oil

If you tend to have trouble falling asleep, valerian oil can help you feel more relaxed and calm your nerves at bedtime.

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Patchouli Essential Oil

$7.49

Although there isnt sufficient research available, patchouli oil is believed to promote calmness and relaxation if youre suffering from anxiety, depression, or stress in general. It can be added to a warm bath or diffuser in combination with lavender oil.

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NOW Foods 100% Pure Clary Sage Essential Oil

According to 2015 research, clary sage can relieve tension and help to maintain optimal levels of the stress hormone cortisol in women. This is beneficial because high cortisol levels have been shown to increase the occurrence of anxiety and depression.

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Pure Gold Holy Basil Essential Oil

Rest assured: This isnt the same basil you put in your pasta sauce. Holy basil (also known as tulsi) has a minty scent and, according to 2014 research, it may help to alleviate mental stress.

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Best Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

$13.01

If youve ever gotten a professional massage, youre likely familiar with ylang ylang and the fact that it promotes relaxation. Additionally, per 2013 research, ylang ylang can help to reduce symptoms of anxiety and promote better sleep.

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Geranium Essential Oil

Similar to rose and orange essential oils, geranium oil has been shown to reduce anxiety for pregnant women in labor, in addition to decreasing blood pressure, according to a 2015 study.

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Cliganic Organic Rosemary Essential Oil

$9.95

Another one that isnt just for cooking, rosemary essential oil has been shown to reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which can then, in turn, relieve anxiety, according to 2007 research.

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Art Naturals Lemongrass Essential Oil

$11.95

While research on lemongrass oil is fairly limited, a 2015 study showed that it can possibly provide a rapid response when used by people who experience anxiety and tension.

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The 20 Best Essential Oils For Anxiety And Stress, Per Research - Women's Health

By Deepak Chopra, MD

Reality contains many mysteries, some so impenetrable that even the greatest minds are baffled. Albert Einstein was among them. Even though quantum physics had achieved a huge success, Einstein had doubts about its description of reality. These doubts were crystallized in an anecdote. As related the acclaimed modern physicist Lee Smolin, He once walked back from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton with the late Abraham Pais. The moon was out and Einstein asked Pais, Do you really believe the moon is not there when you are not looking at it?

Einstein was defending two of the most basic principles in everyday life, first, that physical objects exist out there as real things, second, that they exist independent of an observer. It would seem impossible that these two propositions arent true. Of course, we say, the moon exists as a real thing, and it was around for billions of years before the first human gazed at it. But this view, technically known as naive realism, is fatally flawed.

Imagine that you have a red light bulb hanging in a room of your house, and every time you walk into the room, the bulb is on. Does that mean that it is on all the time? The possibility exists that it only turns on when you walk into the room. This sounds far-fetched, but in fact you cannot prove that the red light ever turns off. It would have to turn off when you arent looking, and yet the only way to check on it is to walk into the room and look.

Quantum physics has many theoretical arguments that have raged for over a century, but among its greatest pioneers, Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg stated that nothing in Nature, not just a red light but all the basic stuff in creation, such as electrons and photons, cannot be proven to exist unless someone looks at them. This is only one of the strange behaviors exhibited in the quantum world, but it is probably the most crucial for figuring out the mystery of reality.

Bohr and Heisenberg were pioneering an idea that came to be known as the participatory universe, which holds that human beings, far from being insignificant compared to the vast operation of cosmic laws, are key players. As Heisenberg put it, electrons and other particles are not real but exist only as ideas or concepts. They become real when someone asks questions about Nature, and depending on which question you ask, Nature obligingly supplies an answer.

What exists outside our questions? That is the core mystery. The quantum revolution did away with the common-sense view that physical objects out there can be taken for granted. Einstein knew this, of course. Having discovered relativity, he understood that time and space are not actually the time and space of everyday perception. He wanted the moon to be real for a deeper reason: the unity of Nature. He was fairly young when he made headlines around the world with E=mc2, and for the remaining decades of his career he strived to come up with a method, mathematically speaking, that would unify quantum mechanics and relativity.

In that project he failed, and no one has succeeded to this day. Why should this matter to the average person? Because right now quantum reality behaves in its strange way and the everyday world behaves in a mostly common-sense way. The two are in flat contradiction, as evidenced very close to home in the human brain.

The brain, like all physical objects, can be broken down, layer by layer, until you reach the level of the quantum. At that point, it basically vanishes. Seemingly solid matter diffuses into clouds of energy, these clouds spread out as ripples in the quantum field, and the ripples cannot be conceived except as mathematical configurations in hyperspace. It doesnt matter whether you start at the top or the bottom of the heap. You cant make mathematical configurations learn to think, and you cant keep the brain intact as a solid physical object.

To bring the issue even closer to home, your brain is like the red light bulb in the room. You cant prove that it exists without you to observe it. If Heisenberg was right and electrons are merely ideas that Nature turns into particles when human being dream up questions about electrons, then the brain is also an idea. It happens to be a huge, complex idea. The brain is Natures answer when someone asks, what does the mind look like?

Once you ask this question, the whole field of neuroscience pops into existence. Nature has tons of tiny answers about neurons, synapses, serotonin, and so on to fill out the one big answer. But the brain doesnt become real just because it provides lots of facts. These facts are linked to the basic rule that nothing can be real without an observer. To put it simply, every experience needs three things: an observer, the thing observed, and the process of observation. Einstein wanted to reduce the three parts to one: the thing observed (in this case, the moon).

His contention doesnt hold up, however, because as with the red light bulb, the whole universe cant be separated from an observer and the act of observation. You have to back up quite a few steps to reach this conclusion, too many steps for the average person, including the vast majority of scientists. But physics is still haunted by Einsteins question: Is anything out there real by itself?

Physics is in a funk today because it cant make this question go away. Two or three decades ago, physical stuff was real, and this whole business about the observer could be ignored, at least for workaday purposes like building high-speed particle accelerators. But the ground has shifted. Stuff has become our current model of matter and energy, and no one can agree on what this model should be.

A sizable quotient of very smart physicists believes that consciousness is an innate part of creation. This idea comes from thinkers who were backed into a corner. They couldnt, no matter how hard they tried, show how mind came aboutall physical explanations failed and continue to fail. Secondly, they couldnt take out the pesky need to include the observer and process of observationthe universe has to be participatory.

Revolutions often occur when old thought and received opinions are backed into a corner. That is happening right now, and in the next post well discuss why Einstein being wrong about the moon actually changes everything.

(to be cont.)

DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. Chopra is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His 90th book and national bestseller, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential (Harmony Books), unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

Excerpt from:
Why Einstein Was Wrong About the Moon - SFGate

Cough and cold remedies: If you have spent this winter sneezing and coughing, then including this immunity boosting turmeric latte in your diet can help you! Know the health benefits right here.

Cough and cold: Turmeric latte with nutmeg and black pepper can boost immunity in winter

Cough and cold: Winter is the time when you need a strong immunity to prevent catching cough, cold and infections every now and then. Your diet and lifestyle play an important role when it comes to strengthening your immunity and protecting your body from viruses, bacteria and other pathogens try to enter your body on a daily basis. Lifestyle coach Luke Coutiho recently shared an immunity boosting drink in one of his recent posts on Instagram. It is none other than turmeric latte, or the traditional haldi doodh. However, apart from milk and turmeric, he adds a variety of other spices that not just impart a soothing flavour to the drink, but also makes it more powerful and effective in terms health benefits.

Luke prepares his turmeric latte in coconut milk. Other ingredients that he adds are black pepper and nut meg.

Coconut milk is a healthy alternative for cow milk. It can be great for people with lactose intolerance as well. Coconut milk contains beneficial medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which can be beneficial for aiding weight loss, improving body composition and metabolism. Additionally, coconut milk contains many beneficial compounds like antimicrobial lipids, capric acid and lauric acid, all of which have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. These properties can be made to use during the cold winter months when the body is more prone to catching diseases and infections.

Turmeric latte can be prepared with coconut milk as wellPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read: Coconut Water Or Coconut Milk; Which One Is Healthier?

Health benefits of turmeric can be magnified when consumed in combination with black pepper. Curcumin in turmeric and piperine in black pepper are the two active ingredients that contribute to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and disease fighting qualities. Adding a pinch of black pepper to your turmeric latte can thus have amazing immunity-boosting benefits for your health.

Turmeric and black pepper can together help in boosting immunityPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read: 7 Ways To Use Turmeric For Reducing Pimples And Keep Them Away Forever

One of the many benefits of nutmeg is that it boosts immunity. It is rich in iron, calcium and manganese. The spice has a calming effect on your body and can help in treating insomnia when consumed regularly. Essential volatile oils like elemicin, eugenol, safrole and myristicin can help in dealing with joint pain-which tends to worsen in cold winter months.

Take a cup of coconut milk and add to a pan. Add a pinch of nutmeg, black pepper and 1 tsp honey to sweeten the taste. Bring to the boil or heat it till it is suitable and comfortable for consumption. Have it before bed time every day.

Also read: Five Health Benefits of Nutmeg

If you have spent this winter sneezing and coughing, then including this immunity boosting turmeric latte in your diet can help you! Try it and let us know how it works for you.

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.

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Constant Cough And Cold Giving You A Hard Time? Try This Immunity Boosting Turmeric Latte For Some Relief - Doctor NDTV

A Migliore,1 G Gigliucci,1 RJ Petrella,2 RR Bannuru,3 X Chevalier,4 E Maheu,5 R Raman,6 G Herrero-Beaumont,7 N Isailovic,8 M Matucci Cerinc9

1Rheumatology Unit, San Pietro Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy; 2Department of Family Medicine, School of Kinesiology Western University, Western Centre for Public Health & Family, London, Ontario, Canada; 3Center for Treatment Comparison and Integrative Analysis Division of Rheumatology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; 4Department of Rheumatology, Hpital Henri Mondor, Creteil, France; 5Rheumatology Department, AP-HP, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France; 6Academic Department of Orthopaedics, Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, UK; 7Joint and Bone Research Unit, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz UAM, Madrid, Spain; 8Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy; 9Division of Rheumatology AOUC, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

Correspondence: N IsailovicDivision of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Humanitas Research Hospital, Via A. Manzoni 56, Rozzano 20089, Milan, ItalyTel +39-02-8224-5118Email natasa.isailovic@humanitasresearch.it

Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a rheumatic disease that affects the well-being of the patient, compromises physical and mental function, and affects other quality of life aspects. In the literature, several evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for the management of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) are available. These recommendations list the different therapeutic options rather than addressing a hierarchy between the treatments and defining the real target. Therefore, a question arises: are patients and physicians satisfied with the current management of KOA? Actually, the answer may be negative, thus suggesting a change in our therapeutic strategies. In this article, we address this challenge by suggesting that it is time to develop a treat to target strategy for KOA.

Keywords: osteoarthritis, knee osteoarthritis, treat to target

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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It Is the Time to Think About a Treat-to-Target Strategy for Knee Oste | TCRM - Dove Medical Press

Please note: The information in this document is provided as a guide only. You should always check the latest information with a Thai Immigration official or professional visa agent.

Thailand remains a popular world location for retirees the beaches, climate, access to good medical care and great food.

There may be a few more potholes in the roads and some cultural aspects will remain perpetually confusing. But there is always adventure in Thailand and the infrastructure continues to improve every year as the Kingdom takes its place as south east Asias second largest economy, after Indonesia.

The cost of living is still relatively low, first-rate healthcare is available in the main population centres and the weather is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.

According to International Living, Thailand ranks ninth in the world as a place to retire with relative ease.

Nestled between Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, Thailand enjoys the warm-water coastlines of both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. This is a country that has never been colonized by any Western or European countries, so Thai culture is untouched, rich, and ancient. Whats more, its ideal for expat living International Living

Within a few hours you can visit a myriad of exotic countries, cultures and sites. Getting around is increasingly easy with a growing number of airlines flying in and out of the Kingdom. Many western passports will give you access to most of the countries nearby with either visa-on-arrival or minimal visa requirements.

Theres already an international expatriate community in Thailand, moreso than in the past when a handful of Europeans, British, Americans and Australians were the most populous expat populations. Now many Japanese, Chinese, Koreans and eastern Europeans also call Thailand home making expat life richer and more exotic. Many retirees were here for work and decided to stay. Others moved here for retirement.

You can get just about any food you like in Thailand now, but international foods are not cheap, whilst the local Thai fare is ubiquitous and available on every street in the country, fresh and aromatic. Yes, you can still get a Thai meal for less than 50 baht!

On the downsides, you need to be careful when driving but, statistically, if youre over 30, dont drink and drive, wear a hemet (if riding a motorbike) or drive a car youre, statistically, in no greater danger than 70% of the worlds roads. Thailand is currently ranked in sixth position as the most dangerous place to drive (WHO).

Theres also a long list of cultural faux pas and misunderstandings awaiting you in the Land of Smiles. The smiles can be very real, but theres also hidden dangers and scams awaiting the newbies. A few hours on the internet will save you a lot of pain. Really, its no different than most other places in the world in that regard.

Top 10 scams in Thailand. Read HERE.

Top 10 things NOT to do in Thailand. Read HERE.

Top 10 hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand. Read HERE.

On the plus side, there is an established expat community, outdoor activities are almost endless and youre living in one of the most dynamic and stable economic regions of the world.

Politics

Mmmm, this is a difficult one to explain to foreigners. From the outside it looks like Thailand is run by a quasi-military government with a veneer of democracy and elections. From the inside Thai life stumbles along with a growing economy and, compared to many other countries, a stable economy.

Thailand has a long history of military coups since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932. The Thai Royal Family still enjoys strong respect amongst Thais. The new King, HM Maha Vachiralongkorn, has certainly become more hands on than his father (King Bhumibol Adulyadej who was on the throne from 1946 2016). But The King, with the support of the Royal Family, remains as the Head of State in all Thai constitutions since 1932.

All governments, even Army coups, need the support of the Thai monarch to be enacted.

Bottomline, the daily political life of Thailand provides, despite plenty of criticism, a stable country for its citizens.

There is a focus, certainly by Thai media, on the machinations and drama of Thai politics, but, in truth, Thailand has proven a stable and safe place for expats and retirees over the past five decades.

Visas

The first obstacle to entering any country is getting a visa. Retiring to Thailand is so popular that there is a specific visa classification for that the Non-Immigrant O visa covers a number of reasons for entering Thailand, as the name suggests, and one of them is retirement.

To qualify for a retirement visa, you need to meet two basic requirements:

You must be at least 50 years old You must have proof that you can financially support yourself You can either have a monthly income of 65,000 baht Or you must have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account

For the 800,000 option, you need to be able to prove that the money has been in your account for at least two months before applying for the visa. You must also still have at least 400,000 baht in your account for at least three months after you get the visa.

In other words, you need to actually have the money you cant just borrow it for a few days to meet the visa requirements. The visa will need to be renewed annually and youll still need to meet these requirements each time.

You need to report to an Immigration Office every 90 days, any immigration office around the country is OK. These days the 90 day reporting can be completed online, once registered.

If you decide to do a 90 day report in person, it doesnt take long, once you get to the front of the queue. Arrive early if you want to keep your visit short. Dressing with a neat collared shirt will always go down well at the Immigration offices (actually that goes for just about anywhere in Thailand).

Youll also need

Visa application form, completely filled out Passport or travel document with at least 18 months of validity remaining Recent passport-sized photograph (3.5 x 4.5 centimetre), taken within the past 6 months Evidence of adequate finances (as above) Proof that you have retired

Applying for the Non-Immigrant O visa isnt too difficult but requires the paperwork to be properly prepared. There are also many agents in Thailand who will do the legwork for you and advise you as you go, for a fee. Getting a recommendation for a reliable visa agent is always better than trawling through the internet and hoping for the best.

There WILL be a few bumps along the way all the paperwork and forms are in Thai language to start with and an agent on your team will make things a lot smoother. Of course you can do all this by yourself but prepared for a few speed bumps. All immigration offices in the main population centres, have volunteer international staff who are an excellent first stop when you visit Immigration. They will check your documentation and advise before you end up sitting in front of a Thai immigration official.

While the requirement of an income when youre supposed to be retired is counter-intuitive, this can take the form of a pension or passive income. So youll therefore need to set up a means of regularly transferring money into the country.

There are various options available for transferring your pension, or other passive income into the country. Thai banking is very modern and all banks have safe phone apps to do international transfers.

The quickest and simplest approach to transferring money from an international port is to use a remittance service as the fees are lower, the transfer is instant and the exchange rate is better. Using a bank transfer is also possible, but is slower and generally less cost-effective.

If youre looking at how to retire in Thailand from the UK, its worth looking into QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme), which may enable you to relocate your pension to Thailand so that it pays out directly into your Thai bank account, according to blog.deemoney.com.

However, retirees from other countries may have to look into private pension schemes and particularly into the regulations regarding how they pay out.

Cost of living in Thailand

The good news is that 65,000 baht per month (or an 800,000 baht lump sum) can go a long way in Thailand, particularly if you pick where to retire with a degree of care. Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Hua Hin are the most popular. Theres also a growing expat community in the north-east of the country, aka. Isaan. Each region has its own benefits and attractions. Cities and tourist areas are going to be more expensive than up-country in central Thailand.

Bangkok is a large Asian city with a cosmopolitan culture and everything youd expect, and more, than any other major city in the world. Getting around is increasingly easy if youre willing to go public and take short hops on motorbike taxis. Driving yourself around Bangkok will drive you insane.

Phuket is the largest island in Thailand, on the Andaman Sea. It was once a tropical paradise. Now its a growing urban island but still has all the same amazing beaches, just a lot more tourists. Approximately, the west side of the island is expensive and where a lot of the tourists hangout. The east side is a lot cheaper and residential.

Koh Samui is the second largest island in Thailand, but in the Gulf of Thailand. Its a smaller version of Phuket with more of an island feel than its larger cousin. It suffers from an airline monopoly that makes it expensive to get there by air. Theres also ferry services connecting you to the mainland.

Pattaya is, well, Pattaya. It became famous as an R&R location for American soldiers during the Korean War, then the Vietnam War. Then it built on its R&R reputation by becoming a popular destination for western tourists, mostly male, in the 70s and 80s. Since then its thrived as a sex-tourism destination but, over the past decade, has become much more cosmopolitan and cleaned up its act with classy tourism attractions, food scene and hi-rise condos.

Chiang Mai is the northern Thai capital. Very laid back and steeped in the Lanna culture. Its a flat, easy-to-get-around city, surrounded by beautiful hills and a growing eco-tourism scene.

Hua Hin is a quieter seaside destination. A favourite for Bangkok weekenders, it now attracts a growing expat scene. Its a coastal strip, facing the Gulf of Thailand, about 3-4 hour easy drive to the capital.

Cost of living

When it comes to figuring out some basic costs of retiring in Thailand, your personal cost of living will vary a LOT depending how and where you choose to live. You can, probably, live as cheaply as 30,000 40,000 baht per month if youre prepared to live as a local and rough it a bit, and not in a touristy area.

For Bangkok

A comfortable one-bedroom apartment about 10-15,000 baht per month

Utilities (including internet, phone, water and electricity) about 2,500 -4,000 baht per month

Food (eating local food) 100 300 baht per day

Food (eating mostly foreign food) about 300 1000 baht per day

1 beer 100 150 baht, depending on the brand and where you buy it

Comprehensive medical insurance 4,000 10,000 baht per month (you would be MAD not to have full medical insurance)

Some other notes on cost of living

Foreign goods can be heavily taxed and may cost more in Thailand than where you came from

Anything involving local labour will likely cost a lot less massages, maintenance, car services, etc

If you choose to live in a beach resort, near the beach, eating international food and drinking imported beer all day, it will cost you more than you think

Health insurance

Health insurance is a big consideration for older expats and will eventually become a critical issue. Whilst Thailand has an excellent, and mostly free, public health system for Thais, and employees (including foreigners) of Thai companies, that doesnt extend to Retirees.

As an expat you can use the Thailands public health system, for a cost. The public system gets mixed reviews by foreigners but, generally, the medical care is good, if not as glamorous as the private hospitals.

But public will cost you a LOT less than the countrys private hospitals. These are very good indeed but come with a high price tag. But note that most of the Thai doctors working in the Private system in Thailand usually work in the Public sector as well.

Once youre over a certain age (70 maybe 75) many international private health schemes will drop you off their list. You need to check these details, the age limits, and your options once you are left to fend for yourself.

Your best health asset as a Retiree is to avoid ending up in a hospital in the first place. Preventative health is your best option and opportunities for a fun and healthy lifestyle abound in the Land of Smiles. Sadly, there are many stories of expat Retirees that get into bad habits, end up with health problems (and no insurance) who then fall between the cracks of Thai life and wither away. Dont let this be you.

Property

You can rent or buy property depending on what your goals are. The Thaiger would always recommend renting, at least for a while, to see how you settle in perhaps even renting for a month in a number of locales to give yourself a chance to try before you buy and commit to a long-term stay.

Buying property in Thailand is an entire post of its own. Heres a detailed website for just about everything you need to know about purchasing property in Thailand. Dont even THINK of buying property in Thailand until you have done your homework on the matter.

To look for Thailands largest range property, and rental properties available, go too FazWaz.com

Information originally published on blog.deemoney.com

See more here:
Retiring in Thailand, most of the things you need to know - The Thaiger

Motivation is a fickle beast: Some days, youre smashing your PB like nobodys business. Others involve the overwhelming need to stay under the covers and watch back-to-back eps of The Handmaids Tale.

Take it from Laura Henshaw. The Keep It Cleaner co-founder has been through enough workout lulls to know that the key to firing yourself up again is to stick with it no matter how badly youd rather be in bed.

Determination is checking in with yourself and knowing you can do it even if you cant find motivation and getting it done anyway, she captioned her latest Insta post a video of herself running like a MACHINE on the treadmill. It is proving to yourself on the days you dont want to get out of bed and dont think you can do it that you can.

RELATED:24 Hours With Keep It Cleaner Co-Founder Laura Henshaw

Its about digging deep and finding the confidence to know you can get through it.

Motivation doesnt show up straight away every day, but it will come, she added. I promise. It is so extremely powerful to prove it to yourself every now and then. You can do it.

She continued: Today I got to a speed and sustained it for the longest I ever have (I got to speed 22.9 and did 1 minute) I find pushing myself out of my comfort zone the most rewarding feeling. I never compare myself to anyone - just to my last personal best

So many fans thanked her for inspiring them to get their daily workout done. This made me get up and do a run this morning that I couldn't motivate myself to do. Thankyou! one read.

[This] was me today! Didnt want to get out of bed, went for awful jog/walk but went anyway! added another.

RELATED:Laura Henshaws Post About Chocolate Is Exactly What We Needed To Hear

Read more here:
Laura Henshaw's Words Are Guaranteed To Get You Through A Workout When Motivation Wanes - Women's Health

Croatian scientists from the St. Catherine Specialty Hospital published an extremely important scientific paper in the Genes scientific journal, showing that the injection of the stromal and the mesenchymal stem cells into the knee joint shows long-term effects when measured 24 months after application.

The paper, which you can read here (full text of the paper is available if the reading of highly technical and scientific papers is your thing) is called "A 24-Month Follow-up Study of the Effect of Intra-Articular Injection of Autologous Microfragmented Tissue on Proteoglycan Synthesis in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis. It's a multicentric project, with the goal to confirm the effect of micro-fragmented fat tissue (stromal vascular fraction from microfragmented lipoaspirate, so-called SVF) intra-articular injection 24 months after application, in the patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA). The project head and the corresponding author of the paper was professor Dragan Primorac PhD, and the other authors are St. Catherine's Igor Bori, Damir Hudetz, Eduard Rod, eljko Jele, Andrea Skelin, Mihovil Pleko, and their partners from other Croatian scientific institutions Trpimir Vrdoljak, Ozren Polaek. Irena Trbojevi-Akmai and Gordan Lauc.

The results of this study suggest that the mesenchymal stromal and the mesenchymal stem cells separated from the microfragmented fat tissue lead to the increase of the key molecules of cartilage (the so-called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)) two years after the application within the joint. Although the numbers for 24 months after the application were somewhat lower than when measured 12 months after the application, in over 50% of the subjects (52 per cent) they were higher than before the treatment. The glycosaminoglycans (GAG) content in cartilage by means of delayed gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC), as well as the clinical outcome on observed level of GAG using standard orthopaedic physical examination

Lucija Zeni and Denis Polanec from the Srebrnjak Children's Hospital helped the team in using the methods of immunophenotyping and flow cytometry to determine the types and the content of the MSC, determining the dominant populations of cells. At the same time, while examining the clinical results of the treatment of the knee with the autologous micro-fragmented fat tissue it was determined that 85 per cent of the patients report the significant improvement, as confirmed by the standard orthopaedic tests, such as Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Score (KOOS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), as well as pain intensity measurement - VAS scale.

At the same time, the team at St. Catherine's hospital wanted to report that the leading scientific magazine Nature published a chapter on "The Future of Cartilage Repair in the book they published called "Personalized medicine in Healthcare Systems", in which the doctors from their hospital participated as authors. They've argued that the production of the bioactive molecules increases the improvement of a number of measurable parameters in patients, and because of that specific effect they would like the "Mesenchymal Stem Cells" to be renamed the "Medicinal SIgnaling Cells". The new findings in the modern regenerative medicine and the available methods of therapy, performed at the St. Catherine's Specialty Hospital give new hope to the patient, provide the newest breakthroughs in the treatment of this disease, but also position the Croatian health system powerfully worldwide.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common health problems in the world with the increasingly ageing population, and some estimated say that currently, over 600 million people suffer from it. The treatment has been based on relieving the symptoms and implanting the endoprosthesis when it was determined that the cartilage can not be salvaged.

Prof. Dragan Primorac, PhD said that the results published in the Gened magazine and the findings that were published changed some existing paradigms, and show the way towards a better understanding of the biology and the therapeutic effect of the treatment of the osteoarthritis with autologous stromal and stem cells present within the microfragmented fat tissue. In osteoarthritis and in numerous other diseases, the future of medicine will be based on the integration of the principles of personalized and regenerative medicine into the clinical practice. I am happy that the Croatian experts are allowed once more to prove their global excellence, and I'm especially happy that the results of our research have a great impact on the treatment of the patients suffering from osteoarthritis. It is clear that our results have an extraordinary significance in the development of the new diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic algorithms related to osteoarthritis.

See more here:
St. Catherine Hospital Scientists Confirm Long-Term Benefits of Stem Cells Therapy - Total Croatia News

Dublin, Dec. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Asia-Pacific 3D Cell Culture Market 2019-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research conducted shows the 3D cell culture market in the Asia-Pacific would be fast progressing in terms of revenue, with a CAGR of 13.11% over the forecasting years 2019-2027.

India, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand, ASEAN countries and Rest of APAC countries together constitute the Asia-Pacific 3D cell culture market.

Several R&D projects are being initiated in South Korea to cater to the rising demand for stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine. In September 2017, the Cell Therapy World Asia 2017 was held in the country. Several cell therapy companies in Asia gathered for the conference to discuss the best practices & innovations in this field. Such factors are promoting the growth of the South Korean 3D cell culture market.

It has been anticipated that the 3D cell culture market in Japan would witness growth, owing to the country releasing new products in the market. Pluristem Therapeutics received a patent for their technology of using 3D cell culturing methods, that allow the creation of cell therapies from fat cells.

The Government of Japan has been focusing increasingly on Cell-based regenerative medicine, which indicates further advances in 3D cell culture technology over the projected period. In 2014, Japan-based Reprocell acquired Reinnervate Ltd., a spin-off of Durham University, agreeing to invest in the researches conducted in the university laboratories for scaffolding structures that support the growth of 3D cells.

COMPETITIVE OUTLOOK

The biggest brands in the 3D cell culture market are Merck KGaA, 3D Biotek, LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Corning Inc., InSphero, Lonza Group AG, and Synthecon, Incorporated.

Key Topics Covered

1. Asia-Pacific 3D Cell Culture Market - Summary

2. Industry Outlook

2.1. Market Definition2.2. Porter'S Five Forces Model2.2.1. Threat Of New Entrants2.2.2. Threat Of Substitute2.2.3. Bargaining Power Of Buyers2.2.4. Bargaining Power Of Suppliers2.2.5. Threat Of Competitive Rivalry2.3. Economic Technological, And Political & Legal Outlook2.4. Regulatory Outlook2.5. Key Insight2.6. Market Attractiveness Index2.7. Market Drivers2.7.1. Growing Cancer Prevalence2.7.2. High Demand For Organ Transplantation2.7.3. Promising Developments Using Regenerative Medicine2.8. Market Restraints2.8.1. Lack Of Skilled Professionals2.8.2. Incompatibilities Of The Preferred Analytical Technologies With 3D Cell Culture2.9. Market Opportunities2.9.1. Increasing Usage Of 3D Cell Culture In Organ Transplantation And Drug Screening2.9.2. Technological Advancement2.10. Market Challenges2.10.1. Lack Of Availability Of Data For Research On 3D Cell Culture2.10.2. Challenges Associated With 3D Cell Culture In Performing Experiments

3. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By Technology

3.1. Scaffold-Based3.1.1. Hydrogels3.1.2. Polymeric Scaffolds3.1.3. Micropatterned Surface Microplates3.2. Scaffold-Free3.2.1. Hanging Drop Microplates3.2.2. Spheroid Microplates Containing Ultra-Low Attachment (Ula) Coating3.2.3. Microfluidic 3D Cell Culture3.2.4. Magnetic Levitations & 3D Bioprinting3.3. 3D Bioreactors

4. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By Application

4.1. Cancer4.2. Tissue Engineering & Immunohistochemistry4.3. Drug Development4.4. Stem Cell Research4.5. Other Applications

5. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By Component

5.1. Media5.2. Reagents And Consumables

6. 3D Cell Culture Market Outlook - By End-User

6.1. Biotechnology And Pharmaceutical Organizations6.2. Research Laboratories And Institutes6.3. Hospitals And Diagnostic Centers6.4. Other End-Users

7. 3D Cell Culture Market - Regional Outlook

7.1. Asia-Pacific7.1.1. Country Analysis7.1.1.1. Japan7.1.1.2. China7.1.1.3. India7.1.1.4. Australia & New Zealand7.1.1.5. South Korea7.1.1.6. Asean Countries7.1.1.7. Rest Of Asia-Pacific

8. Company Profiles

8.1. Becton Dickinson And Company8.2. Tecan Group Ltd.8.3. Promocell Gmbh8.4. Corning Inc.8.5. Nano3D Biosciences, Inc.8.6. 3D Biotek, Llc8.7. Merck Kgaa8.8. Emulate8.9. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.8.10. Ge Healthcare8.11. Insphero8.12. Lonza Group Ag8.13. Vwr Corporation8.14. Synthecon, Incorporated

Story continues

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/reo3ym

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

CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.comLaura Wood, Senior Press Managerpress@researchandmarkets.comFor E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

Excerpt from:
Study of the 3D Cell Culture Market in Asia-Pacific, 2019-2027: Projecting a 13.11% CAGR, Driven by Promising Developments Using Regenerative Medicine...

3D illustration of cells releasing exosomes

Scientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of tiny nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes.

Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice with gliomas, which constitute about 80 percent of malignant brain tumors in humans.

The technique takes advantage of exosomes, fluid-filled sacs that cells release as a way to communicate with other cells.

While exosomes are gaining ground as biologically friendly carriers of therapeutic materials because there are a lot of them and they dont prompt an immune response the trick with gene therapy is finding a way to fit those comparatively large genetic instructions inside their tiny bodies on a scale that will have a therapeutic effect.

This new method relies on patented technology that prompts donated human cells such as adult stem cells to spit out millions of exosomes that, after being collected and purified, function as nanocarriers containing a drug. When they are injected into the bloodstream, they know exactly where in the body to find their target even if its in the brain.

Think of them like Christmas gifts: The gift is inside a wrapped container that is postage paid and ready to go, said senior study author L. James Lee, professor emeritus of chemical and biomolecular engineering at The Ohio State University.

And they are gifts that keep on giving, Lee noted: This is a Mother Nature-induced therapeutic nanoparticle.

The study is published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

In 2017, Lee and colleagues made waves with news of a regenerative medicine discovery called tissue nanotransfection (TNT). The technique uses a nanotechnology-based chip to deliver biological cargo directly into skin, an action that converts adult cells into any cell type of interest for treatment within a patients own body.

By looking further into the mechanism behind TNTs success, scientists in Lees lab discovered that exosomes were the secret to delivering regenerative goods to tissue far below the skins surface.

The technology was adapted in this study into a technique first author Zhaogang Yang, a former Ohio State postdoctoral researcher now at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, termed cellular nanoporation.

The scientists placed about 1 million donated cells (such as mesenchymal cells collected from human fat) on a nano-engineered silicon wafer and used an electrical stimulus to inject synthetic DNA into the donor cells. As a result of this DNA force-feeding, as Lee described it, the cells need to eject unwanted material as part of DNA transcribed messenger RNA and repair holes that have been poked in their membranes.

They kill two birds with one stone: They fix the leakage to the cell membrane and dump the garbage out, Lee said. The garbage bag they throw out is the exosome. Whats expelled from the cell is our drug.

The electrical stimulation had a bonus effect of a thousand-fold increase of therapeutic genes in a large number of exosomes released by the cells, a sign that the technology is scalable to produce enough nanoparticles for use in humans.

Essential to any gene therapy, of course, is knowing what genes need to be delivered to fix a medical problem. For this work, the researchers chose to test the results on glioma brain tumors by delivering a gene called PTEN, a cancer-suppressor gene. Mutations of PTEN that turn off that suppression role can allow cancer cells to grow unchecked.

For Lee, founder of Ohio States Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices, producing the gene is the easy part. The synthetic DNA force-fed to donor cells is copied into a new molecule consisting of messenger RNA, which contains the instructions needed to produce a specific protein. Each exosome bubble containing messenger RNA is transformed into a nanoparticle ready for transport, with no blood-brain barrier to worry about.

The advantage of this is there is no toxicity, nothing to provoke an immune response, said Lee, also a member of Ohio States Comprehensive Cancer Center. Exosomes go almost everywhere in the body, including passing the blood-brain barrier. Most drugs cant go to the brain.

We dont want the exosomes to go to the wrong place. Theyre programmed not only to kill cancer cells, but to know where to go to find the cancer cells. You dont want to kill the good guys.

The testing in mice showed the labeled exosomes were far more likely to travel to the brain tumors and slow their growth compared to substances used as controls.

Because of exosomes safe access to the brain, Lee said, this drug-delivery system has promise for future applications in neurological diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

Hopefully, one day this can be used for medical needs, Lee said. Weve provided the method. If somebody knows what kind of gene combination can cure a certain disease but they need a therapy, here it is.

Follow this link:
A New Gene Therapy Strategy, Courtesy of Mother Nature - Global Health News Wire

Hong Kong-based Food Tech accelerator Brinc just announced their latest cohort and there are some inspiring startups working to solve some of the worlds more pressing issues including malnutrition, the rise of diabetes and the environmental footprint of livestock farming. From food safety to cleaner protein to increased nutrient density, we round up the five most impressive and sustainably-minded companies in the Fall 2019 batch.

Founding date: 2018

Founding Team: Carrie Chan & Mario Chin

Headquarters: Hong Kong

Sustainable Food Mission: Avant Meats is a food tech startup cultivating fish and seafood products using cellular technology and tissue engineering of a small sample of swim bladder and fish cells under lab conditions. Demand for seafood delicacies in traditional Chinese cuisine has seriously threatened some fish species and marine ecosystems, and the industry is mired with traceability issues. Set to debut their first fish maw product in 2023, the company hopes to tackle both issues to help Asian seafood eaters consume sustainably with knowledge of how their seafood has been produced.

Founding date: 2016

Founding Team: Prakash Ramadass, Monisha Reddy, Swaminathan Detchanamurthy, Suganya Baskaran

Headquarters: India

Sustainable Food Mission: Seagrass Tech has developed a cultivation and harvesting technology platform that uses seawater and non-arable tsunami affected land to grow marine microalgae, which can be used as a natural colourant in F&B, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products while capturing carbon dioxide.

Founding date: 2019

Founding Team: Sofia Giampaoli

Headquarters: Argentina

Sustainable Food Mission: Cell Farm is the first cultured meat startup in Latin America, and are developing a cow stem cell bank to provide high-quality, efficient and certified starter materials for the cultured beef industry. They are currently standardising their biotech process to produce meat from animal stem cells by performing a non-invasive microbiopsy from different cow species, and then differentiating those cells into muscle and fat tissue that mimics the taste and texture of different types of beef products.

Founding Date: 2019

Founding Team: Luciano Bueno

Headquarters: United States

Sustainable Mission: The only non food startup in our roundup, Galy is producing cotton in the lab from cells, rather than from plants. With their biomaterial technology, Galys cotton is not only grown 10 times faster and of a higher quality than conventionally produced cotton, but also requires 78% less water, 81% less land and generates 80% fewer gas emissions. Currently, Galy is selling their cellular cotton yarns to brands and the textile industry.

Founding date: 2016

FouFounding Team: Kushal Aradhya

Headquarters: India

Sustainable Food Mission: Naka Foods has developed a vegetarian microalgae-based convenient cereal bar, the 4PM Bar, which is made with oats, cashews and spirulina and enriched with probiotics. They are looking to create more nutrient-dense food items with microalgae technology, including a plant-based chicken product that is currently under the R&D process.

Lead image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Read more:
5 Inspiring Startups Looking To Change The World From Cell-Based Cotton To Micro-Algae Chicken - Green Queen Media

(Reuters Health) - Young adults who have had knee injuries are much more likely than uninjured peers to develop arthritis in the knee by middle age, especially if they have broken bones or torn connective tissue, a recent study suggests.

Researchers followed almost 150,000 adults ages 25 to 34, including about 5,200 with a history of knee injuries, for almost two decades. Compared to people who never had knee injuries, those who did were nearly six times as likely to develop knee osteoarthritis during the first 11 years of follow-up, with more than triple the risk over the next eight years.

Injuries that occur inside the knee joint, for example in the meniscus or cruciate ligament, may alter the biomechanical loading patterns in the knee, said study leader Barbara Snoeker, of Lund University in Sweden.

Such injuries may lead to an imbalance in force transmissions inside the knee joint, consequently overloading the joint cartilage and leading to increased risk of developing osteoarthritis, compared to injuries that mainly affect the outside of the knee joint, such as contusions, Snoeker said by email.

Osteoarthritis often affects the large weight-bearing joints and can eventually lead to the need for total joint replacement, the researchers note in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Known risk factors include being overweight, older, female or having a job that puts a lot of stress on the joints, the study team notes. While a history of knee injuries is also a known risk factor, research to date hasnt offered a clear picture of whether certain types of injuries might be more likely to lead to osteoarthritis.

Two-thirds of the people in the study with knee injuries were male. After 19 years of follow-up, 422 people with knee injuries, or 11.3%, developed knee osteoarthritis. So did 2,854, or 4%, of people without knee injuries.

Most often, injuries involved multiple structures of the knee; this accounted for 21% of participant knee injuries. The second most common type of injury was cuts and contusions, at 18%, followed by cartilage or other tissue tears at 17%.

Cruciate ligament injuries, or damage to the tissue connecting the thighbone to the shinbone, were associated with a 19.6% greater risk of knee osteoarthritis, the study also found. Meniscal tears, or damage to cartilage connecting the same two bones, were associated with a 10.5% greater risk of osteoarthritis. Fractures of the shinbone where it meets the knee, or of the kneecap, were associated with a 6.6% greater risk.

Injuries involving multiple structures in the knee may have been underreported, leading researchers to underestimate the risk associated with these types of injuries, Jonas Bloch Thorlund, a professor of musculoskeletal health at the University of Southern Denmark, in Odense, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email.

Another limitation is that researchers didnt look at patients body mass index (BMI), so they couldnt tell whether differences in weight might explain patients risk of osteoarthritis, said Dr. Kyle Hammond of the Emory Sports Medicine Center in Atlanta.

What happens after knee injuries can also influence the risk of osteoarthritis down the line, Hammond, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email.

Counseling a patient on how to safely and consistently return to a positive fitness program ensures that they will maintain flexibility and strength, as well as keeping their weight at their ideal body weight, Hammond advised.

Rehab matters regardless of what other treatments patients receive, said Adam Culvenor, a sports and exercise medicine researcher at La Trobe University in Bundoora, Australia, who wasnt involved in the study.

Once these injuries occur, optimally managing them with an intense and progressive period of rehabilitation under the guidance of a physical therapist (irrespective of the decision to have surgery or not) to strengthen the muscles around the knee to facilitate a return to function and physical activity is likely to reduce the risk of osteoarthritis and persistent symptoms longer-term, Culvenor said by email.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2MhjRto British Journal of Sports Medicine, online December 11, 2019.

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Knee injuries in early adulthood may hasten arthritis - Reuters

FRUITA,Co.(KKCO)-- Dr.Rooks rheumatologist from the Arthritis Center of Western Colorado at Family Health West stopped by and discussed the difference between Spondyloarthritis and Inflammatory arthritis.

Doctors see a lot of patients with Spondyloarthritis on the Western slope especially among young adults.

Symptoms of Spondyloarthritis are stiffness when you wake up, and inflammation in the spine, hips, and knees.

Inflammatory arthritis is the most common type of arthritis. Symptoms include new joint or tendon pain, swelling, stiffness that lasts more than an hour in the morning without prior injury.

Inflammatory arthritis is actually a systemic disease of the immune system that, if not treated appropriately, can lead to joint and tendon damage, deformities, and contribute to heart attacks, strokes, and more.

If you have more questions on arthritis visit their website http://www.ac-wc.com.

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Family Health West's Dr.Rook Discusses Spondyloarthritis and Inflammatory Arthritis - KKCO-TV

It took 16 years after Ethan Nelsons arthritis diagnosis until he met someone who shared his condition.

There is definitely this generation where if you get diagnosed, you are alone, Nelson said. You dont have anyone.

Nelson, now 22 years old and a junior at Brigham Young University, was diagnosed with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis when he was 4 years old. He spent the last two years volunteering for arthritis-related causes and helping to build a network of young adults who share the same condition.

He was honored Dec. 7 in Salt Lake City at the Jingle Bell Run, a 5K that benefits the Arthritis Foundation.

The run honored six people, which also included Kendall Pogue, who is also a BYU student, and Spencer Hood, who, along with Nelson, had tried to connect young adults with arthritis.

Hood first connected Nelson with the Jingle Bell Run two years ago. This year, Nelson led a team and raised $530 of his groups $810 total.

He is a really great guy, said Debbie Jordan, the executive director of the Arthritis Foundation of Utah. You have to think about what it is like for a college kid to get up at 4 a.m. in the morning and help us out.

Jordan said the honorees are volunteers who have done more than the average for the foundation. She said theres typically about 40 BYU students who come to help out at the run.

The young adult volunteers, she said, show children with arthritis that they can still achieve their goals.

I think it gives them a lot of hope, Jordan said.

Its not the first time Nelson has been involved with raising awareness and funding for arthritis. He was the literal poster boy for the National Arthritis Foundation when he was about 5 years old, showing the effects that his treatment at the time, the steroid prednisone, has on the body.

Since then, hes had two hip replacements one when he was 13, the other at 16 and had surgery on his ankle.

He was on the tail end of a generation that exclusively used prednisone, which has been mostly replaced with biologic treatments and IV infusions for young patients. The last two years have been rough as he tried to find a medicine his body responded well to. After trying five different treatments, hes doing well again.

I feel like 100% normal, Nelson said. I can walk without pain.

Hes volunteered at Camp Kids Out to Defeat Arthritis, also known as Camp KODA. While there, he advocates for campers to become independent in order to prevent flare ups and joint damage.

I know these kids very personally now and I dont want my mistakes to rub off on them in the future, Nelson said. So it is like, dont let your arthritis hold you back, dont take advantage of it and stay on top of things.

The Arthritis Foundation estimates that one in four adults have arthritis, which includes 400,000 adults and 3,000 children in Utah.

Nelson said that while someone in their 20s is just as likely to be diagnosed as someone who is 60, young adults often dont talk about having arthritis.

It is so much easier to conceal, to hide, than cancer, and so I feel like people have the opportunity to hide it and so they do from others because they dont want to feel like the odd one out, he said.

While he feels the Arthritis Foundation does well with reaching young children and older adults, Nelson said young adults can be left out. He and Hood are trying to find more young adults who have arthritis for their group, Utah YA Champions. Nelson is also working to create a student association at BYU for students with arthritis.

More:
BYU student connecting 'lost generation' honored by Arthritis Foundation - Daily Herald

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease that may require treatment with one or several disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Many DMARDs have potential teratogenic effects or are newer agents with limited safety data in pregnancy. This study evaluated 20 common RA medications and the rate of contraceptive prescribing and counseling patterns in women with RA of childbearing ability.

This was an observational study of women with RA and childbearing ability aged 18 to 44 years who were seen at an academic rheumatology clinic from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2016. Descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression were used for analysis.

One hundred fifty women were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were taking methotrexate (55.3%), followed by chronic prednisone (31.3%) and hydroxychloroquine (28.7%). A documented method of contraception was noted in 64/150 (42.7%). For women on contraception, most used combined oral contraceptives (31/64, 48.4%) or levonorgestrel intrauterine device (10/64, 15.6%). Of the 86 patients not on contraception, 19 (22.1%) received counseling regarding a pregnancy plan.

Most women with RA of childbearing age and ability were not using contraception. Among these patients, only a minority prescribed DMARD therapy had documented pregnancy or contraceptive counseling. Women with RA who were prescribed with a DMARD should discuss the use of effective contraception with their provider if sexually active and not desiring pregnancy or wanting to avoid potential teratogenic effects. Potential strategies are discussed to improve healthcare delivery to this population in hopes of avoiding unintended pregnancy and potential teratogenic effects of RA medications.

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Contraceptive Use in Women of Childbearing Ability With Rheumatoid Arthritis - DocWire News

Lets start with what to eat and the foods to avoid eating. What follows will likely sound familiar to aficionados of a Mediterranean-style diet: a plant-based diet focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and cold-water fish and plants like soybeans and flax seeds that contain omega-3 fatty acids.

A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in micronutrients like magnesium, vitamin E and selenium that have anti-inflammatory effects, and its high-fiber content fosters lower levels of two potent inflammatory substances, IL-6 and TNF-alpha.

Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, strongly recommends limiting or eliminating consumption of foods known to have a pro-inflammatory effect. These include all refined carbohydrates like white bread, white rice and pastries; sugar-sweetened beverages; deep-fried foods; and red meat and processed meats. They are the very same foods with well-established links to obesity (itself a risk factor for inflammation), heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

In their stead, Dr. Hu recommends frequent consumption of foods known to have an anti-inflammatory effect. They include green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and collards; fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines; fruits like strawberries, blueberries, apples, grapes, oranges and cherries; nuts like almonds and walnuts; and olive oil. The recommended plant foods contain natural antioxidants and polyphenols, and the fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, all of which counter inflammation.

Coffee and tea also contain protective polyphenols, among other anti-inflammatory compounds.

The bottom line: the less processed your diet, the better.

At the same time, dont neglect regular exercise, which Dr. James Gray, cardiologist at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, calls an excellent way to prevent inflammation. He recommends 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise and 10 to 25 minutes of weight or resistance training at least four to five times a week.

Although exercise is pro-inflammatory while youre doing it, during the rest of the time it leaves you better off by reducing inflammation, and after all you live most of your life not exercising, Stephen Kritchevsky, professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, told me. Independent of any effect on weight, exercise has been shown to lower multiple pro-inflammatory molecules and cytokines.

More here:
Tackling Inflammation to Fight Age-Related Ailments - The New York Times

Tens of thousands of people with conditions including arthritis, MS and psychosis have had their benefits cut or stopped after moving to a new Tory system.

Detailed statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show the reality of the 650,000 former Disability Living Allowance claimants who've lost out since 2013.

This week the Mirror reported how 46% of former DLA claimants lost money after moving to new benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

In total, of the 1.424million DLA claimants reassessed for PIP by October 2019, 306,000 (22%) had their benefit cut, 293,000 (21%) had it stopped after an assessment, 58,000 (4%) had it stopped before assessment and 9,000 (1%) withdrew their claim.

In contrast 556,000 claimants (39%) saw their award rise and 200,000 (14%) had it unchanged.

But the DWP's detailed figures give a fascinating insight that show the real people behind the numbers.

The worst-hit were people with psychosis, 87,824 of whom either failed a PIP assessment entirely or had their money cut since 2013. By comparison, 63,395 saw their payment rise.

Some 86,042 arthritis sufferers had their PIP cut or stopped when they moved from DLA - while 68,256 saw it go up.

Scroll down for the full list of disabilities and how they are hit.

Epilepsy sufferers were also badly hit, with 23,640 losing some or all of their benefits compared to 12,344 who received more.

And 10,247 people with MS, 2,188 with AIDS and 960 with cystic fibrosis saw their money either cut or stopped.

Since 2013, even 69 double amputees have had their money cut when moving from DLA to PIP - while 161 saw their award go up.

Some groups were better off on average. 6,533 blind people saw payments cut or stopped but 23,098 saw them rise.

Likewise 39,020 people with learning difficulties lost out but 86,567 were better off.

These figures only relate to claimants who were already on the old DLA system when they claimed PIP.

And they do not include people who lost their benefits before an assessment, failed to attend an appointment, or withdrew their claim.

MS sufferer Rachel Taylor, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, told the Mirror she lost her adapted Motability car for around a year after her benefits were cut moving from DLA to PIP.

The 50-year-old mother-of-one and librarian uses a zimmer frame, walking stick and mobility scooter to get around.

But despite claiming DLA since 2002 she said she was awarded the lower rates of PIP after a 2016 assessment.

She waited around a year until, weeks before her appeal tribunal, she said she received a phone call saying she'd get the higher rate after all.

She told the Mirror: "I ended up taking several thousand pounds out of my pension pot.

"The stress has been immeasurable.

"I take pride in what Im able still able to do. But I now believe I was penalised for trying to keep my independence.

Ms Taylor still works part-time but said "I couldn't be more disabled."

She added: The local bus goes from a mile away but I cant walk to the end of my driveway.

"Theres no hope for me walking to catch a bus. I have a son that I have to get to school."

The DWP said Ms Taylor received 3,000 in arrears and a 2,000 transition payment for the Motability scheme.

A DWP spokesman added: Ms Taylor was granted enhanced level mobility Personal Independence Payment as soon as further evidence became available and a back payment of almost 3,000 was paid in arrears.

The DWP figures were condemned by charities earlier this week. Geoff Firmister of the Disability Benefits Consortium, which represents more than 100 groups, said: "These figures are very worrying and we suspect many of the decisions are wrong."

James Taylor of disability equality charity Scope said the figures were "extremely worrying". He added: Consistently high levels of PIP decisions are being overturned, which demonstrates the assessment is not fit for purpose."

A DWP spokesman said: The Government now spends more than 55 billion every year to support disabled people, more than at any time under the DLA system; with more people benefitting from support through PIP than did under DLA.

Most people get PIP after being reassessed from DLA.

"More than half have their award maintained or increased, with 29% receiving the highest level of support compared to 16% under DLA.

Here are the figures from the government.NOTE: Conditions are exactly as listed by the DWP. Figures only include reassessments from DLA to PIP.

Psychosis - More money: 63395 Less: 37916 Nothing: 49908

Psychoneurosis - More money: 48376 Less: 15408 Nothing: 35587

Learning Difficulties - More money: 86567 Less: 6697 Nothing: 32323

Arthritis - More money: 68256 Less: 65438 Nothing: 20604

Epilepsy - More money: 12344 Less: 8403 Nothing: 15237

Disease Of The Muscles Bones or Joints - More money: 31677 Less: 18572 Nothing: 12543

Back Pain - Other / Precise Diagnosis not Specified - More money: 31193 Less: 33449 Nothing: 8925

Neurological Diseases - More money: 22151 Less: 11918 Nothing: 7647

Heart Disease - More money: 9907 Less: 8829 Nothing: 4893

Chronic Pain Syndromes - More money: 11483 Less: 11254 Nothing: 4552

Hyperkinetic Syndrome - More money: 3737 Less: 1606 Nothing: 4452

Blindness - More money: 23098 Less: 2234 Nothing: 4299

Trauma to Limbs - More money: 10401 Less: 6658 Nothing: 4288

Personality Disorder - More money: 4755 Less: 3802 Nothing: 4165

Malignant Disease - More money: 5226 Less: 5431 Nothing: 3832

Cerebrovascular Disease - More money: 15472 Less: 7819 Nothing: 3631

Diabetes Mellitus - More money: 4560 Less: 3063 Nothing: 3426

Deafness - More money: 8864 Less: 2553 Nothing: 3396

Spondylosis - More money: 10520 Less: 10339 Nothing: 3087

Behavioral Disorder - More money: 3863 Less: 978 Nothing: 2811

Chest Disease - More money: 11761 Less: 8095 Nothing: 2632

Alcohol and Drug Abuse - More money: 4746 Less: 1900 Nothing: 2563

Major Trauma Other than Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia - More money: 4646 Less: 1727 Nothing: 2362

Multiple Sclerosis - More money: 11647 Less: 7970 Nothing: 2277

Unknown/Transfer from AA - More money: 21484 Less: 2813 Nothing: 2099

Asthma - More money: 3693 Less: 2614 Nothing: 1476

Renal Disorders - More money: 1984 Less: 2160 Nothing: 1417

Inflammatory Bowel Disease - More money: 979 Less: 1385 Nothing: 1184

Bowel and Stomach Disease - More money: 1535 Less: 1592 Nothing: 1182

Peripheral vascular Disease - More money: 2783 Less: 1968 Nothing: 1142

Skin Disease - More money: 1388 Less: 1069 Nothing: 1116

AIDS - More money: 552 Less: 1211 Nothing: 977

Multi System Disorders - More money: 2091 Less: 2156 Nothing: 928

Metabolic Disease - More money: 1809 Less: 1928 Nothing: 664

Terminally Ill - More money: 74 Less: 1292 Nothing: 641

Cystic Fibrosis - More money: 723 Less: 358 Nothing: 602

Blood Disorders - More money: 521 Less: 645 Nothing: 490

Dementia - More money: 2722 Less: 204 Nothing: 332

Parkinsons Disease - More money: 2353 Less: 1093 Nothing: 238

Cognitive disorder - other / precise diagnosis not specified - More money: 480 Less: 103 Nothing: 223

Haemophilia - More money: 113 Less: 164 Nothing: 141

Severely Mentally impaired - More money: 91 Less: 260 Nothing: 96

Haemodialysis - More money: 101 Less: 73 Nothing: 78

Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia - More money: 1104 Less: 687 Nothing: 61

Multiple Allergy Syndrome - More money: 60 Less: 44 Nothing: 45

Motor Neurone Disease - More money: 227 Less: 107 Nothing: 40

Infectious diseases - other / precise diagnosis not specified - More money: 56 Less: 37 Nothing: 39

Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease - Tuberculosis - More money: 37 Less: 37 Nothing: 25

Total Parenteral Nutrition - More money: 17 Less: 11 Nothing: 12

Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease - precise diagnosis not specified - More money: 15 Less: 10 Nothing: 10

Frailty - More money: 52 Less: 42 Nothing: 8

Deaf/Blind - More money: 153 Less: 13 Nothing: 5

Double Amputee - More money: 161 Less: 69 Nothing: ..

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DWP: How thousands with arthritis, MS and psychosis have lost benefits under new system - Mirror Online

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the European Commission (EC) hasapproved RINVOQ (upadacitinib) for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).6 RINVOQ is a once-daily selective and reversible JAK inhibitor and may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate (MTX).

"We are proud to offer this once-daily tablet as a new treatment option for patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis," said Michael Severino, M.D., vice chairman and president, AbbVie. "As a company that has been dedicated to discovering and delivering transformative therapies for people living with rheumatic diseases for nearly two decades, RINVOQ expands our portfolio of treatment options for people living with this disease in Europe."

The EC approval of RINVOQ was supported by data from the global Phase 3 SELECT rheumatoid arthritis program, which evaluated nearly 4,400 patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in five pivotal studies: SELECT-NEXT, SELECT-BEYOND, SELECT-MONOTHERAPY, SELECT-COMPARE and SELECT-EARLY.1-5 The studies include assessments of efficacy, safety and tolerability across a variety of patients, including those who failed or were intolerant to biologic DMARDs and who were nave or inadequate responders (IR) to MTX.1-5

"Nearly 3 million people in Europe are living with rheumatoid arthritis, the majority of whom don't reach remission and may be suffering from pain, fatigue, morning joint stiffness and flares," said Professor Ronald van Vollenhoven, M.D., Ph.D., Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. "As seen in this large Phase 3 clinical trial program in rheumatoid arthritis, upadacitinib has the potential to significantly improve signs and symptoms of the disease and help more patients achieve remission or low disease activity."

Highlights From the Phase 3 SELECT Rheumatoid Arthritis Program

Across the SELECT Phase 3 studies, RINVOQ met all primary and ranked secondary endpoints.1-6 Overall, both low disease activity (assessed by DAS28-CRP3.2) and clinical remission rates (assessed by DAS28-CRP<2.6) were consistent across patient populations, with or without MTX.1-6

Highlights included:

More information on these trials can be found at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02706847, NCT03086343, NCT02629159, NCT02706873, NCT02706951).

Earlier this year, RINVOQ received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to MTX.9

About RINVOQ (upadacitinib) in the European Union6

RINVOQ (upadacitinib) is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). RINVOQ may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate.

Important EU Safety Information6

RINVOQ is contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to the active substance or to any of the excipients, in patients with active tuberculosis (TB) or active serious infections, in patients with severe hepatic impairment, and during pregnancy.

Use in combination with other potent immunosuppressants is not recommended.

Serious and sometimes fatal infections have been reported in patients receiving upadacitinib. The most frequent serious infections reported included pneumonia and cellulitis. Cases of bacterial meningitis have been reported. Among opportunistic infections, TB, multidermatomal herpes zoster, oral/oesophageal candidiasis, and cryptococcosis have been reported with upadacitinib. Prior to initiating upadacitinib, consider the risks and benefits of treatment in patients with chronic or recurrent infection or with a history of a serious or opportunistic infection, in patients who have been exposed to TB or have resided or travelled in areas of endemic TB or endemic mycoses, and in patients with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection. Upadacitinib therapy should be interrupted if a patient develops a serious or opportunistic infection. As there is a higher incidence of infections in patients 75 years of age, caution should be used when treating this population.

Patients should be screened for TB before starting upadacitinib therapy. Anti-TB therapy should be considered prior to initiation of upadacitinib in patients with previously untreated latent TB or in patients with risk factors for TB infection.

Viral reactivation, including cases of herpes zoster, were reported in clinical studies. Consider interruption of therapy if a patient develops herpes zoster until the episode resolves. Screening for viral hepatitis and monitoring for reactivation should be performed before starting and during therapy with upadacitinib.

The use of live, attenuated vaccines during, or immediately prior to therapy is not recommended. It is recommended that patients be brought up to date with all immunizations, including prophylactic zoster vaccinations, prior to initiating upadacitinib, in agreement with current immunization guidelines.

The risk of malignancies, including lymphoma is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Immunomodulatory medicinal products may increase the risk of malignancies, including lymphoma. The clinical data are currently limited and long-term studies are ongoing. Malignancies, including non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), have been reported in patients treated with upadacitinib. Consider the risks and benefits of upadacitinib treatment prior to initiating therapy in patients with a known malignancy other than a successfully treated NMSC or when considering continuing upadacitinib therapy in patients who develop a malignancy.Periodic skin examination is recommended for patients who are at increased risk for skin cancer.

Absolute neutrophil count <1000 cells/mm3, absolute lymphocyte count <500cells/mm3, or haemoglobin levels <8g/dL were reported in <1% of patients in clinical trials. Treatment should not be initiated, or should be temporarily interrupted, in patients with these haematological abnormalities observed during routine patient management.

RA patients have an increased risk for cardiovascular disorders. Patients treated with upadacitinib should have risk factors (e.g., hypertension, hyperlipidaemia) managed as part of usual standard of care.

Upadacitinib treatment was associated with increases in lipid parameters, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The effect of these lipid parameter elevations on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been determined.

Treatment with upadacitinib was associated with an increased incidence of liver enzyme elevation compared to placebo. If increases in ALT or AST are observed during routine patient management and drug-induced liver injury is suspected, upadacitinib therapy should be interrupted until this diagnosis is excluded.

Events of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) have been reported in patients receiving JAK inhibitors, including upadacitinib. Upadacitinib should be used with caution in patients at high risk for DVT/PE. Risk factors that should be considered in determining the patient's risk for DVT/PE include older age, obesity, a medical history of DVT/PE, patients undergoing major surgery, and prolonged immobilisation. If clinical features of DVT/PE occur, upadacitinib treatment should be discontinued and patients should be evaluated promptly, followed by appropriate treatment.

The most commonly reported adverse drug reactions are upper respiratory tract infections (13.5%), nausea (3.5%), increased blood creatine phosphokinase (2.5%), and cough (2.2%). The most common serious adverse reactions were serious infections.

Please see the full SmPC for complete prescribing information at http://www.EMA.europa.eu.Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information

About HUMIRA in the European Union10

HUMIRA, in combination with methotrexate, is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe, active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients when the response to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, including methotrexate, has been inadequate.

Important EU Safety Information10

HUMIRA is contraindicated in patients with active tuberculosis or other severe infections such as sepsis, and opportunistic infections and in patients with moderate to severe heart failure (NYHA class III/IV). It is also contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to the active substance or to any of the excipients; serious allergic reactions including anaphylaxis have been reported. The use of HUMIRA increases the risk of developing serious infections which may, in rare cases, be life-threatening. Rare cases of lymphoma and leukemia have been reported in patients treated with HUMIRA. On rare occasions, a severe type of cancer called hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma has been observed and often results in death. A risk for the development of malignancies in patients treated with TNF-antagonists cannot be excluded. Rare cases of pancytopenia, aplastic anaemia, demyelinating disease, lupus, lupus-related conditions and Stevens-Johnson syndrome have been reported in patients treated with HUMIRA. The most frequently reported adverse events across all indications included respiratory infections, injection site reactions, headache and musculoskeletal pain.

Please see the full SmPC for complete prescribing information at http://www.ema.europa.eu. Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information.

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience.In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us atwww.abbvie.com. Follow@abbvieon Twitter,Facebook,LinkedInorInstagram.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

References

SOURCE AbbVie

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AbbVie Receives European Commission Approval of RINVOQ (upadacitinib) for the Treatment of Adults with Moderate to Severe Active Rheumatoid Arthritis...