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HICKORY YMCA of Catawba Valley has joined a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of pre-diabetes by launching its own Diabetes Prevention Program, according to a press release.

It's estimated that one in three people in North Carolina have pre-diabetes, which is a condition where blood glucose levels are high, but not high enough yet to be classified as type II diabetes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

People with pre-diabetes have an increased risk of having a heart attack, stroke and developing type II diabetes.

The program, which will be led by a trained lifestyle coach in a classroom setting over a 12-month period, will have 16 weekly sessions followed by monthly maintenance.

The program hopes to reduce its participants body weight by 7 percent and increase physical activity to 150 minutes per week.

Nearly 90 percent of people with pre-diabetes are not aware they have it.

To help change that, the American Diabetes Association, American Medical Association, CDC and the Ad Council, are releasing new PSAs to build on a successful campaign that helped hundreds of thousands of Americans learn their risk for developing type II diabetes.

The new, lighthearted PSAs offer viewers a perfect way to spend a minute where they can take the one-minute pre-diabetes risk test while also doing something everyone loves watching adorable animal videos.

The campaign encourages people to take a short online test at DoIHavePrediabetes.org to learn their risk and speak with their doctor to confirm their diagnosis. The website features lifestyle tips and connects visitors to the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Pre-diabetes can be reversed through weight loss, diet changes and exercise, according to the release.

The key to preventing diabetes is moderate lifestyle changes through healthy eating habits and moderate physical activity, said Lala Kozischek, Diabetes Prevention Director, YMCA of Catawba Valley. Awareness of calorie and fat intake versus activity is empowering. Every small change that we make can add up to make a big difference in preventing this disease. I emphasize to our participants that its not a diet its a lifestyle.

For information on program fees and the campaign, email Lala Kozischek at lalak@ymcacv.org.

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YMCA of Catawba Valley launches diabetes awareness program - Hickory Daily Record

Friday, Aug. 25, 2017

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- An expert at Augusta University has received a very important grant for a common disease.

Dr. Richard A. McIndoe, bioinformatics expert and associate director of the Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, has received a $12.8 million grant to continue to lead a national research initiative focused on reducing the complications of diabetes, according to a press release.

This is the fourth time McIndoe has been selected to lead the administrative, scientific and informatics infrastructure for the Diabetic Complications Consortium, a program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Complications from the pervasive disease include nerve and kidney damage, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke as well as skin and eye complications, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The Diabetic Complications Consortium (see http://www.diacomp.org) provides a cross section of support designed to move science and ultimately patient care forward, including funding short-term studies in animals or humans to better understand and prevent complications, the primary cause of diabetes-related deaths, says McIndoe, who is also a Regents Professor in the MCG Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

DiaComp also supports summer programs for medical students to inspire the next generation of diabetes complications investigators as well as scientific gatherings on relevant topics.

The consortiums Pilot & Feasibility Program is a competitive, peer-reviewed program that provides $100,000 in funding for one year to enable researchers to pursue novel complications treatment and prevention strategies. About 20 grants are awarded each year from more than 80 proposals, a roughly 20 percent funding rate that is slightly above the average 18.1 percent success rate for the National Institutes of Healths research project grant. The research project grant, commonly called RO1, is the NIHs oldest grant mechanism for supporting health-related research and the NIHs largest single category of support. RO1s, which average today about $428,000, typically require significant justifying data be in hand when an application is made. One goal of the Pilot & Feasibility Program is to enable investigators to obtain the pilot data needed to secure an RO1, McIndoe says.

A recent five-year analysis indicates the consortiums approach works: 59 percent of consortium awardees submitted new NIH grants within five years and 37 percent received funding.

Early in the process each cycle, the consortiums External Evaluation Committee determines a short list of high impact areas of diabetic complications research that fall within the realm of the NIDDK and are eligible for DiaComp support. Applications are submitted in June, and award notices typically go out in September. This years foci include innovative technologies to analyze tissue from organs most affected by diabetes, such as the kidneys, and biosensors that can improve understanding of the damage diabetes does to various cell types.

Others include thin bacterial films called biofilms, a virulent community of microorganisms thats role in diabetic complications has not been well explored; the relationship between insulin resistance, an early indicator particularly of type 2 diabetes, and neurological problems like dementia; and novel ways to block diabetic complications.

The consortiums Summer Student Program provides support to first- and second-year medical students who want to do research at the nations NIDDK Diabetes Centers, see niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/research-programs/diabetes-centers, over the summer. This program funds about 18-20 students annually and concludes with an annual August gathering and poster presentation at Vanderbilt

University. A big message at that conference is encouraging students to become physician-scientists, McIndoe says. There also are roundtable discussions with residency program representatives about what they look for in future residents as well as future funding opportunities for the young investigators.

The Conference Support Program enables organizations to start new conferences in the area of diabetic complications. The Collaborative Funding Program looks to support novel clinical trials that will improve the outcome of diabetic foot ulcers, a common cause of lower leg amputation in patients with diabetes that can result from poor circulation and nerve damage.

McIndoe manages the myriad of information generated, disseminated and received through programs like the funding and student programs and has developed automated or semi-automated programs to ease the processes. This cycle he also plans to update the consortiums website.

The extensive raw scientific data generated through the work of the consortium and its awardees is shared broadly with the scientific community. I like the idea of providing a clearinghouse for diabetic complications data; there really is no other place that does that. You can think of it like an electronic lab notebook, McIndoe says.

Unlike data published in journals, which only provides a glimpse of the actual information obtained, the consortium makes complete data sets available to scientists who may have a different interest or angle. It also helps scientists reduce unnecessary replication and fine-tune their work.

Diabetes has been McIndoes career-long focus, beginning with his PhD work in immunology and molecular pathology at the University of Florida, which he completed in 1991. He joined the MCG faculty in 2002 and in 2008 was recognized as an emerging research and development leader at a Georgia research university with a Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator Award.

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Grant awarded for diabetic research - WRDW-TV

CHICAGO As a 22-year-old on the Giants A-ball club, Adam Duvall was hoping to achieve his dream of advancing to the majors without any setbacks. But then a lingering health concern changed the plan.

Duvall had lost 20 pounds over the course of the seasonas the symptoms ofType 1 diabetes took hold. Although the Louisville, Ky., native was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic during his childhood, he and his parents didnt worry because the condition was manageable even while playing sports.

Being a young, healthy athlete, I didnt think, Gee, I need to worry about that, Duvall said. But I would go low (on insulin) during games, and I would always have a payday (reaction). During the games when I was younger, Id be jittery.

MORE: Meet Chris Taylor, the Dodgers' anonymous star

Once the teams doctors confirmed the diagnosis, Duvall had to mentally adjust to the unanticipated setback. It would take work, even more than what's normally required to reach the majors, but Duvall was committed to keeping the disease in check so he would one day reach his goal of being a big-leaguer. That day came when he debuted with the Giants in 2014. Since then, Duvall has continued to elevate his game, and, now with the Reds, is putting up All-Star numbers.But managing his diabetes remains a priority.

Men with Type 1 diabetes lose around 11 years of their longevity in contrast to those without it, according to recent studies.Duvall could feel the effects of the disease on the field during that first season in the minors. Fatigue was common when his blood sugar wasn't right. Long bus rides and a lack of sleep didn't help. Staying vigilant wasn't always easy.

You get back from a long road trip, youre struggling and maybe you dont want to check your blood sugar, he said. And then it tailspins after that.

The Augusta GreenJackets training staff recommended that Duvall attended educational classes on diabetes. He subsequently figured out a plan to sustain his energy in and away from the ballpark; during games, a protein bar and Gatorade would sit on the dugout bench in case of an emergency.

Moreover, Duvall would need an insulin injection after any meal, along with one before bedtime.

After two and a half more seasons in the minors, he was called up to the Giants in June 2014.Soon after, Duvall was introduced to a cellphone-size device, designed to aid the users body with an attached cartridge of insulin. With the push of a button, Duvallcan have insulin delivered into his bodies through a plastic tube known as an infusion set, which is attached to his abdomen. It replaces the need for an injection.Duvall said the tail end of the insulin pump is stored his back pocket while roaming the outfield.

MORE: Every MLB team's worst regular season memory, revisited

On top of that, he carries a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), generating a blood sugar graph every five minutes. Occasionally, hell wake up in the middle of the night and see he needs extra insulin.

Competing at a high level, while also treating a major disease, has earned Duvall high respect from his teammates.

Im so proud of him because on some day games when its too hot, he has to drink a lot to be on that same level, Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez said. Thats hard to do.

Once he became an everyday playerwith the Reds, Duvall earnedan All-Star berth in 2016, when he clubbed 33 home runs and drove in 103 runs. He's put up similar numbers so far in 2017.

There were a lot of people in the Giants organization that liked him very much, Reds TV play-by-play voice Thom Brennaman said. Now, they say, Man, how in the world did we not give this guy a chance to play the outfield (everyday)?

Since the start of 2016 season, Duvall has 188 RBIs, the most among NL outfielders; hes tied with Athletics outfielder Khris Davis for second among all MLB outfielders. He has also collected 62 home runs over that stretch, which is tied with Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant for fourth in baseball.

Duvall credits his power surge to regaining muscle mass that he lost before and immediately after his diabetes diagnoses, as well as making adjustments at the plate. TheAll-Star appearance in 2016 was a payoff of sorts, he said.

It wasnt something I really expected or was trying to achieve (being selected as an All-Star), Duvall said. It was one of those things where I put together a good year from working on my craft year round.

Reds third base coach Billy Hatcher said Duvall has asserted himself as a leader in the clubhouse during his ascendance at the plate, looking to aid veterans and youngsters alike, especially on defense. And on top of all his on-field and clubhouse duties, there's still the matter of Duvall staying vigilant to keep himself healthy.

You see him monitoring himself every single day and getting himself ready, Hatcher said. He has to worry about hitting a 98 mile an hour fastball; he has to worry about playing defense. A person whos doing all that and still competing while doing very well, you have to admire.

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Reds' Adam Duvall excels on field as he keeps diabetes in check ... - Sporting News

About one in 10 adults in Oklahoma suffers from diabetes, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The rate of diabetes diagnoses for adults in the state has more than doubled since the mid-1990s.

Diabetes educators are hoping to reverse that trend, with a year-long support and healthy lifestyles program aimed at preventing development of the disease.

Linda Yauk, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Integris Bass Pavilion Diabetes Center, has worked as a diabetes educator for25 years.

She said in 2015 she realized a new approach was needed, beyond just providing education,because it seemed like the people we were seeing with diabetes were getting younger and younger.

She applied for a grant through CDCsNational Diabetes Prevention Program in 2015. Integris was awarded the grant, which paved the way for Yauk to start an intense, year-long prevention program.

Since then,two classes of about 10 people each have completed the program.

Participants learn how to eat healthy, add physical activity to their routine, manage stress, stay motivated and solve problems that can get in the way of healthy changes. Diabetes prevention groups meet once a week for 16 weeks, then once a month for six months to maintain healthy lifestyle changes.

Yauk said the program has had about95 percent retention since it started, in part because she stresses up front that it is a long program that requires dedication and perseverance.

They know going in this is going to be a year-long commitment, Yauk said. We lay it down for them up front: If you dont think you can come for the full year, we need to rethink this.

Yauk said the formula for preventing diabetes isnt a secret, or complicated.

The bottom line is we need to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, less refined foods and saturated fats, sit less and move more, Yauk said. Its really that simple.

Pamela Baggett, a registered and licensed dietitian with St. Marys Regional Medical Center, sees patients who already have been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes.

She said common-sense prevention is needed to reduce the risk of diabetes, especially for people with a family history of the disease, high blood sugar levels, or who are overweight.

Its just good health practices, Baggett said, whether were worried about diabetes, our heart, or even if our joints hurt because were overweight.The diabetic diet is really what we all should follow.

Baggett said people often develop diabetes without recognizing the warning signs, in part because they dont follow good preventive measures like healthy eating, regular exercise and an annual physical.

The thing with diabetes is we usually dont hurt, Baggett said. With diabetes, sometimes we can end up with a pretty high blood sugar and not have any symptoms, and might have just adjusted to it.

Yauk said the goal of the prevention program at Integris is to get people to change their lifestyles, and reduce their risk, before they develop diabetes.

One in three American adults has prediabetes, so the need for prevention has never been greater, Yauk said.

People with prediabetes higher-than-normal blood sugar levels are five to 15 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with normal blood glucose levels, according to the CDC.The same research shows that people with prediabetes who lost 5 to 7 percent of their body weight reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.

Small changes can add up to a big difference, said Sarah Wamsley, a registered dietitian at Integris Bass. Working with a trained lifestyle coach who provides guidance, Integris participants are making lasting changes together.

Yauk said achieving those lasting changes requires more than just knowledge of the statistics.

To achieve long-term change, the program focuses on setting and regularly reviewing achievable goals, and by providing coaching and accountability.

Its all aimed at producing a positive experience, Yauk said, and increasing participants self-confidence in their ability to live healthier lives.

People have tried so many times, and not been successful, she said, so they dont have a lot of confidence in their ability to change.

That self-confidence is attained by providing support among the group members, Yauk said.

The goal is to get them to rely on each other, then become accountable to themselves and to their peers, Yauk said.Its not an easy task. They need to feel really confident with each other, because its a lot of sharing.

CDC is hoping more sites will take up the diabetes prevention program, and more participants will follow through with positive steps to prevent diabetes.

Nationwide implementation of the program could save the U.S. health care system $5.7 billion and prevent about 885,000 future cases of type 2 diabetes, according to CDC figures.

Participants now are being enrolled for the next session of the diabetes prevention program. Yauk said people diagnosed with prediabetes, high body mass index, or a previous diagnosis of juvenile or gestational diabetes are encouraged to apply.

Participation in the program is free of charge.

Prospective participants are encouraged to attend one of two orientation classes at Integris Heart and Vascular Institute, 707 S. Monroe: 6 p.m. Sept. 12 and 6 p.m. Sept. 14.

For additional information or questions, call Yauk at (580) 249-4104.

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Integris enrolling participants for diabetes prevention program - Enid News & Eagle

August 25, 2017 -As value-based care emphasizes preventative medicine, healthcare stakeholders aim to address social determinants of health to improve and maintain outcomes. But the lack of appropriate public health funding at federal, state, and local government levels prevents the healthcare system from developing the necessary infrastructure, a recent Health Affairs blogpost stated.

Former ONC National Coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD, MSc, and Milken Institute School of Public Health professor Jeffery Levi, PhD, explained in the blogpost that out of the $3 trillion spent on healthcare, only about 3 percent goes to public health.

Public health is the natural and historic bridge between the healthcare system and the community both in terms of linking the healthcare system with services and organizations that address health-related social factors and in creating healthy conditions in the community, they wrote. But the sad truth is, the public health infrastructure is struggling to step up to serve as that bridge. Like other parts of our nations infrastructure, it has been chronically underfunded.

The industry experts added that the differential in healthcare versus public health funding may be even greater. Per capita healthcare spending is about $9,990, CMS estimates. But spending on key public health functions is roughly $109 per capita, including $22.66 of federal sources, $31.26 of state sources, and $55 of local sources.

The healthcare versus public health funding gap equates to over a 90-to-1 differential in spending.

DeSalvo and Levi pointed out that the national data does not reflect variations in state and local funding mechanisms for public health, indicating that the differential will rise according to zip code.

Without appropriate funding, government-based public health initiatives are failing to maintain their statutory responsibilities let alone address the rising demand to address social determinants of health through healthcare system partnerships, they stated.

To advance public health infrastructure and initiatives, DeSalvo and Levi offered four financing models that address the core values of public health, such as providing foundational public health services to all regardless of location, granting flexibilities to communities to meet specific health needs, incentivizing partnerships between public and private entities, and ensuring initiatives are data- and evidence-driven.

First, the federal government could create incentives for developing local public health capacity. Under this option, the federal government would match state investments for federal public health programs.

The financing structure mirrors the federal matching method in the Medicaid program, which aims to incentivize states to act as partners in achieving a shared goal.

Second, policymakers could establish value-based reimbursement models. CMS and CDC would collaborate to create and test value-based reimbursement arrangements that support partnerships between public health and healthcare system entities.

Third, the federal government could promote private sector investments in public health by identifying innovation partnerships between public and private organizations.

There is exciting, but nascent, interest in venture capital approaches to advancing population health and public health capacity through pay-for-success models, including the use of social impact bonds, wrote DeSalvo and Levi. The ability of any governmental agency to take on risk is very limited, but through partnerships with foundations there may be ways to demonstrate value for private sector investment in population and public health.

Fourth, policymakers could widen potential public health revenue sources. For example, a portion of health insurance premiums in each state could be reallocated to public health funds at the state and local level.

The federal government could also use revenue generated from a national sugar-sweetened beverage tax to boost public health financing. The tax would also encourage healthier lifestyles.

The industry experts emphasized that potential public health funding solutions may exist. But until policymakers adopt a financing structure to advance public health, successful initiatives may only be examples, rather than national standards.

At the end of the day, we must acknowledge that public health is part of the vital infrastructure of a modern, secure, economically competitive, and just nation, they stated. This means that public health will need robust, durable, and flexible funding to save lives not just in disaster but also every day.

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Scarce Public Health Funds Block Social Determinants of Health Aid - RevCycleIntelligence.com

Much like the Spanish Inquisition busting through my front door, this was completely unexpected. Square Enix talked a big game when they first announced Final Fantasy XV, pledging a steady support of content for the long-gestating latest entry in the core franchise. Why work on a sequel when you could take a pretty decent game and slot in new adventures ad-hoc for it, right?

If you do that full sequel model of expanding on an IP or a series, its good in certain ways. The negative of that is theres a very large open period where youre not releasing anything, director Hajime Tabata still said to Polygon.

Which makes sense, as Final Fantasy XV is plugging itself into the Animus to bring players all manner of Assassins Creed content in a crossover with Ubisofts premiere franchise of back-stabbery. No really, this is actually happening. August 30 will see the city of Lesatalium put on an Assassins Festival as Noctis and co. suit up in the garb of a familiar brotherhood. Heres a trailer to prove that I havent been smoking medical marijuana again. And even if I had, its for my glaucoma. I know I dont have glaucoma but its preventative medicine, okay?

That looks like a pretty decent slice of crossover action, borrowing quite a few familiar mechanics from the popular series. I kind of dig collaborations like this. Ubisoft has yet to mention if their upcoming return to the world of Assassins Creed will have a few Final Fantasy links, but I wouldnt be surprised if a certain stupidly massive sword or some familiar faces pop up as Easter eggs in that game come October 27.

Read Krillin and Piccolo are joining the roster of Dragon Ball FighterZ

A year on, and the future is still looking bright for Final Fantasy XV with an upcoming PC port and Ignis DLC in December thats keeping Square Enixs biggest franchise relevant in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Last Updated: August 25, 2017

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Final Fantasy XV is heading into the Animus with Assassin's Creed DLC - Critical Hit

Since the 2015 Zika outbreak, scientists around the world have been focused on learning as much as they can about the devastating, previously obscure virus. They've learned a lot about how it's transmitted, how long it can stay in a host's system and that it can lead to devastating birth defects. But, there are still some major blind spots.

"Zika virus has been very well studied for congenital disease, but we still do not know exactly what happens right after [the] mosquito bite," saidDr. Jae Jung, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at USC and lead author of a new study in Nature Microbiology that aims to solve the mystery.

It's been unclear what happens immediately after the virus enters the bloodstream, particularly of pregnant women, that allows it to propagate before infecting an unborn baby. As it turns out, the mechanism of how the virus spreads is eerily similar to that of HIV.

"We found that Zika virus specifically targets the white blood cells," said Dr. Jung.

Once the virus enters the bloodstream of a pregnant woman, it tricks the immune system, suppresses it and spreads quickly.

When a healthy, non-pregnant person is infected with a virus, the immune system kicks into high gear. White blood cells don their pith helmets and turn into so-called " M1 macrophages" that act like little soldiers, catching the virus and killing it. Separate white blood cells (M2 macrophages)then come along to calm their M1 cousins to return the immune system to its neutral mode.

However, when the Zika virus enters the body of a pregnant woman it takes advantage of her unique biology. The immune systems of pregnant women are already compromised. Their bodies have been flooded with the chill M2 macrophages, which tell the body's immune system to relax. This immunity suppression allows the unborn baby to survive.

But, the Zika virus is sneaky. Since a pregnant woman's body is already predisposed to creating the chill cells, it convinces her body to create even more. So, rather than attack the Zika virus, the compromised immune system allows it to propagate. The virus then spreads, eventually crosses the placental barrier and infects the fetus. As a result, babies can be born with a host of neurological birth defects, including microcephaly.

Dr. Jung's team studied both the African and Asian strains of the Zika virus, but found that the Asian strain, which is spreading across the Americas and Southeast Asia, had a more profound impact on the immune systems of pregnant women particularly during the first and second trimester. During the third, the impact wasn't nearly as pronounced.

"It is very important to understand how the virus behaves in order to develop treatments and also ways to prevent this from happening," said Dr. Karin Nielsen from UCLA and one of the authors of the study.

Dr. Jung's lab previously identified the proteins in the Zika virus that can cause microcephaly in infants.

There's still a lot left to figure out. For instance, Dr. Jung said that it's possible that Zika vaccines, some of which have been proven effective on non-pregnant people, might not be as effective for pregnant women as ethical limitations have prevented their participation in vaccine trials.

"The Zika virus research has just began," Dr. Jung said."We've only studied for two years so far. HIV has been studied over 30 years."

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The Zika virus undermines immune system - 89.3 KPCC

News / Published: 24 August 2017

Researchers have shown for the first time how leprosy bacteria damage nerves by infiltrating the immune cells that are meant to protect us.

Credit: Bruce Paton/Panos

The research found that leprosy hijacks the immune system, turning an important repair mechanism into one that causes potentially irreparable damage to nerve cells.

The researchers used zebrafish that had been genetically modified to make their myelin fluorescent green.

They injected Mycobacterium leprae bacteria close to the fishes' nerve cells. The bacteria settled on the nerve and developed doughnut-like bubbles of myelin that had separated from the myelin sheath.

When the researchers examined these bubbles more closely, they found that they were caused by M. leprae bacteria inside macrophages the immune cells that consume and destroy foreign bodies and unwanted material in our bodies.But, crucially, although the M. leprae was consumed by the macrophages it wasnt destroyed.

The team also demonstrated how the damage occurs a molecule known as PGL-1 that sits on the surface of M. leprae reprogrammes the macrophage, causing it to overproduce a potentially destructive form of nitric oxide that damages mitochondria.

The international team, in the UK and USA, was part-funded by Wellcome.

The research findings mean that leprosy may share common characteristics with conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barr syndrome.

The researchers say its too early to say whether their study will lead to new treatments. There are several drugs being tested that inhibit the production of nitric oxide, but lead author Professor Lalita Ramakrishnan, at the University of Cambridge, says the key may be to catch the disease at an early enough stage to prevent damage to the nerve cells.

Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease. Its difficult to work with in the lab because its highly adapted to humans. Previously, armadillos were the only animal modelthat could reproduce aspects of the disease. The zebrafish model means researchers can now study the pathogenesis of leprosy in much more detail.

Credit: Bruce Paton/Panos

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Leprosy turns immune system against itself - Wellcome Trust

Like an invader spotting a weakness in a castles defenses, Zika targets specific white blood cells in a pregnant womans immune system, enabling the virus to spread and increasing the chances of harm to unborn babies, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine.

Because pregnant women are more prone to immune suppression a natural occurrence that prevents the body from rejecting the fetus Zika exploits that weakness to infect and replicate, stifling a bodys natural defenses in a way that resembles HIV, the study authors said.

The mosquito-borne virus that emerged in Miami last year has been mostly absent in Florida this year, with fewer infections and no local cases as of Monday. The Florida Department of Health has reported a total of 151 Zika cases, with all but one a sexually acquired case in Pinellas County contracted by Floridians while traveling outside the country.

The USC study, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, is the first to report that Zika targets certain white blood cells and converts those cells into immune system suppressors.

Researchers tested African and Asian Zika strains by infecting blood samples taken from men and women, including some who were pregnant, and then analyzing them at peak infection. They found that Zika made a beeline for white blood cells that help fight infections.

The Asian Zika strain pushed those white blood cells to transform into a different type of cell that tells the immune system to stand down because the threat is over, according to the study. The false signal stifles the immune system, allowing Zika to replicate.

Pregnant women have higher levels of the immune-suppressing cells, researchers said, which provides an opening for the Asian Zika virus to do more damage.

Previous clinical studies have found that Zika infection during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy increases the chances of delivering a baby with a birth defect or other abnormality. USC researchers found that the Asian Zika virus also is more harmful during a womans first and second trimester.

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Zika targets pregnant women's immune system, almost like HIV, study says - Miami Herald

This photomicrograph reveals Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria using acid-fast Ziehl-Neelsen stain; Magnified 1000 X. The acid-fast stains depend on the ability of mycobacteria to retain dye when treated with mineral acid or an acid-alcohol solution such as the Ziehl-Neelsen, or the Kinyoun stains that are carbolfuchsin methods specific for M. tuberculosis. Credit: public domain

Scientists have unlocked a key element in understanding how human lungs fight tuberculosis (TB). They hope their research findings, which were published today in the international peer reviewed journal Immunity, will help pave the way towards new treatment approaches for TB, particularly in an era of increasing antibiotic resistance to TB.

Multi drug resistant TB is a global problem. These strains are resistant to several or most of the antibiotics used to treat TB. The need to find new strategies for treating TB, beyond antibiotics, is therefore critical and urgent.

Scientists at Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital in Ireland, working in a team with the University of Cambridge and University of Seattle, have identified a way that TB hijacks our immune cells in the early stages of infection to allow it to establish an infection in the lung.

Tuberculosis is the world's number one infectious killer, but half of infected persons clear the invading TB bacteria (known as mycobacteria) after inhaling it into their lungs. To date, it has not been understood how the immune system in the lungs manages to do this.

The lung contains a population of specialised immune cells, known as alveolar macrophages, which are the first responders to bacterial infections. These alveolar macrophages patrol the lung engulfing and destroying any bacteria they encounter along the way.

Using transparent zebra fish, the University of Cambridge and University of Seattle researchers tracked the mycobacteria in real time and identified which cells they infected at different stages of the disease. They found that the more virulent strains of mycobacteria are able to hijack the macrophage immune cells in the lung causing them to produce a protein that attracts white blood cells from the circulation. These white blood cells fuse with the macrophages and in turn become infected.

The Trinity team of Dr Senadh O'Leary, Senior Research Fellow, Professor Joseph Keane, Professor in Medicine at Trinity and Consultant Respiratory Physician at St James's Hospital, and Dr Mary O'Sullivan, Associate Research Lecturer, used donated lung macrophage samples from patients in St James's Hospital to study the response of the human immune system to TB in the early stages of infection. They found that human alveolar macrophages behave similarly to zebrafish macrophages producing the same protein that attracts white blood cells to the lung. Unlike the resident alveolar macrophages these white blood cells lack the ability to curb the growth of mycobacteria which results in uncontrolled bacterial growth and inflammation and in the spread of the infection.

Dr Senadh O' Leary said: "We are fascinated how TB bacteria virulence factors can corrupt this human lung immune cell which is ordinarily exceptionally good at clearing infection. It's very exciting to work with our Cambridge colleagues on this research which improves our understanding of how TB infection compromises immunity. We are in a unique position to address the important challenges for TB treatment as we work with the human lung model. This allows us to continue in our research to design novel ways to support the effective lung cell and prevent infections in exposed people."

The Trinity/St. James's team is funded by the Health Research Board and the Royal City of Dublin Hospital Trust, and are now hoping to identify drugs that will enable these immune cells to stop the infection in its tracksby killing the mycobacteria before they attract white blood cells to the lung.

Mairead O Driscoll, Interim Chief Executive at the Health Research Board congratulated the team: "Antidrug resistant TB is a global problem. We're delighted to be able to facilitate international collaboration to tackle this challenge. These findings represent a significant breakthrough in our understanding of how the bacteria avoids our immune system."

"Ireland is lucky to have such brilliant researchers, who are genuine world leaders in their fields. The Health Research Board is determined to continue to develop Ireland's health research capacity, so that we have the people, the facilities, and the support structures to produce more results like this."

Explore further: Tuberculosis bacterium may undermine immune regulation to drive disease progression

Journal reference: Immunity

Provided by: Trinity College Dublin

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Scientists discover how tuberculosis hijacks the immune system - Medical Xpress

Maintaining body weight isnt as simple as burning off all the calories eaten in a day. The brain plays an important role. It determines what you eat, how much and when. And the brains immune cells contribute, too, a new study in mice shows. Turning on these cells can make a fatty diet more fattening. Getting rid of those cells, known as microglia, can make the animals eat less and gain less weight.

These microglia caninflamea particular area of the brain. And in mice, this process could make the animals gain weight even when they werent eating a fatty diet.

I think its really neat, says Kate Ellacott, who was not involved in the study. This is the first time anyones shown if you change the way microglia can behave if you make them more inflammatory you can impact bodyweight. Ellacott is a neuroscientist, someone who studies the brain, at the University of Exeter in England.

The immune system is a collection of cells that can move throughout the body to help fight infection and damage. When a part of the body is stressed or injured, the hurt part sends out chemical distress calls. Those messages are like an alarm. They tell immune cells where to swoop inso that they can destroy damaged cells or gobble up germs.

Along the way, immune cells cause inflammation. This response can include redness and swelling. People often think of inflammation as a swollen knee or the redness surrounding a cut. Here, Ellacott points out, the immune system works to restore balance. The immune system tries to repair tissues and get back to normal, she explains.

But sometimes, inflammation sticks around for the long term, even when its not supposed to. Such chronic inflammation does not have to include redness. But it will cause harm. If you have a disease where inflammation never goes away, you can get damage to the tissue, she points out.

One condition where chronic inflammation occurs is obesity. Eating a high-fat diet for a while makes animals gain weight and activates their immune cells, says Joshua Thaler. Hes an endocrinologist (someone who studies the hormones in the body) and a neuroscientist. He works at the University of Washington in Seattle.There,his team performed the new study.

The brain is full of cells called neurons. But they arent alone. A variety of other cell types live there too, Thaler notes. For a while, scientists thought some of these cells, called glia (GLEE-ah), were just there to support neurons and to hold them together. (In fact, glia comes from the Greek word for glue.) But glia are far more than just brain glue. Some of them, called microglia, act as an immune army in the brain. They move into injured areas and can turn on inflammation when things go wrong.

Microglia cells, like the one shown here, can become activated by a high fat diet. Afterward, it can foster a state of chronic inflammation in the brain.

TimoninaIryna/istockphoto

Thalers team already had found that one brain area gets inflamed when mice eat a high-fat diet. Called the hypothalamus, this brain area helps to regulate how much mice and people eat. They even showed similar changes in the brains of people with obesity.

Could the microglia in the hypothalamus be the reason why? To find out, Thaler and his colleagues fed high-fat diets to more mice. Then they gave some of these mice a drug that killed off microglia. Without these immune cells, those mice gained less weight and ate less food. But losing their microglia had no effect on mice dining on low-fat chow.

The researchers wanted to make sure microglia were causing the inflammation that led to weight gain. So they deleted a gene a set of cellular instructions. Microglia use this gene to make their inflammatory signals. Thetreated mice gained less weight on a high-fat diet, just as in themice with no microglia at all.

If stopping inflammatory signals made mice gain less weight, more inflammation might have the opposite effect. Thalers group decided to test that idea. They worked with mice that were unable to make an important inflammation-fighting molecule. These mice developed inflammation in their brains. They also gained weight even when they werent on a high-fat diet! That confirmed that brain inflammation alone could contribute to obesity.

Thaler and his colleagues published their findings July 5 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Calling in the immune cavalry

Microglia are full-time brain residents. Theyre always there, Ellacott says. These cells move to wherever the brain needs them.

When mice eat a high-fat diet, the hypothalamus recruits microglia. And these immune cells then call for backup. In the new study, some of those backup immune cells had come from a mouses bone marrow.

Usually, immune cells in the marrow cant reach the brain. Theres a barrier between the blood and the brain that stops them. That blood-brain barrier exists to keep potentially dangerous cells and other foreign substances from getting in.

Somehow, a high-fat diet let those marrow-based backup cells break into the brain.

Some scientists had seen immune cells getting into other organs after a high-fat diet, Thaler notes. But his group has now shown it also happens in the brain. I was not a believer that the [immune cells] were going to come marching into the brain, he recalls, so it was a bit of a surprise.

Scientists might someday be able to reduce inflammation by targeting the microglia, Ellacott says. If they can develop a drug that works this way in people, scientists might use it to treat all types of brain diseases linked with inflammation, not just obesity.

Microglia in the brain may contribute to weight gain, Thaler says. But clearly they arent the whole story. Turning off the microglia, or stopping them from sending inflammatory distress calls, causes mice to gain less weight. But in the end, those mice still became overweight. And while mice with brain inflammation gained weight on even a low-fat diet, he notes that they never got as fat as did the mice downing high-fat chow.

The brains immune system may be a part of the obesity story, Thaler says, but theres clearly more we need to learn.

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Brain's immune system can play role in weight gain - Science News for Students

Vaccines are one of humanitys greatest achievements. Credited with saving millions of lives each year from diseases like smallpox, measles, diphtheria, and polio, one would expect vaccines to be enthusiastically celebrated or, at the very least, widely embraced. Why is it, then, that we are witnessing the widespread proliferation of anti-vaccination sentiment? Why is it that some communities in North America, including, for example, areas of Vancouver, are now turning their backs on vaccines in numbers large enough to threaten herd immunity? Current research has shown that over 25% of Canadian parents are concerned or uncertain about the association between vaccines and autism. A similar percentage of parents worry that vaccines could cause serious harm to their children. What are the social forces contributing to this rise in vaccine hesitancy?

There are multiple interrelated reasons for the existence and spread of both aggressive anti-vaccination and subtle vaccine-hesitant perspectives, but they often stem from issues surrounding trust, personal choice, and fear. Vaccination myths are being circulated in communities and wide social networks, and these myths create scientifically unwarranted concerns about the risks and safety of vaccines. While many parties contribute to the proliferation of these myths, there is little doubt that complimentary and alternative (CAM) practitioners are playing a role.

Numerous studies have demonstrated links between CAM and anti-vaccination attitudes; CAM use is associated with not vaccinating children, and CAM training is associated with anti-vaccination attitudes. In our recent investigation of 330 naturopath websites in the Canadian western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, we found 53 websites containing vaccine-hesitant discourse. That is to say, these websites explicitly denounced vaccinations, raised issues with the harms and risks of vaccines, and/or offered alternative vaccination services such as homeopathic prophylaxes. This easily accessible discourse can contribute to confirmation bias for those already critical of vaccines, and can also heighten skepticism among those with doubts. With increasing numbers of the population going online for health information, it is reasonable to be concerned that discourse of this kind might plant unwarranted seeds of doubt in the minds of some individuals previously comfortable with vaccines. These messages could also spread: if youve ever seen someone share fake news on Facebook, you know what we are talking about.

Notably, it is incorrect and unfair to arrive at the conclusion that CAM = antivaxx. It is, however, important to recognize the presence of significant anti-vaccination sentiment in these communities. We must begin to think of ways to tackle myths and behaviours that put both individuals and communities in harms way.

The solutions, of course, will vary by jurisdiction. As outlined in our paper, in Canada the Competition Bureau and Health Canada could modify advertising standards to curb treatment and performance claims online, and the latter institution could even act to entirely prevent the sale of demonstrably ineffective natural health products like homeopathic remedies. In addition, the right of CAM practitioners like naturopaths to self-regulate their profession could be reconsidered, as there is little indication that evidence-based standards are enforced. Alternatively, third party oversight could force the adoption of such standards. Lastly, better application and enforcement of existing law could help. As more naturopaths and other CAM practitioners position themselves as primary care providers, they become legally responsible to uphold existing common law standards of informed consent. Failing to disclose the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting vaccines when recommending not to vaccinate or to use an ineffective vaccine alternative likely constitutes negligence.

Vaccines are a matter of life and death. We live in a society privileged to have access to incredible medical developments that empower us to make decisions that improve life for ourselves and others. We owe it to ourselves and others to ensure the science of vaccines is not obscured by those attempting to inject doubt and fear into the conversation.

Featured image credit: Virus by qimono. CC0 public domain via Pixabay.

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Combatting the spread of anti-vaccination sentiment - OUPblog (blog)

Almost four and a half years ago, then minister for health Dr James Reilly ordered the Health Service Executive not to destroy more than one million blood samples taken from newborn children in the Republic between 1984 and 2002.

The heel-prick tests, known as Guthrie tests, are carried out on all babies to screen for genetic conditions.

The decision to destroy the cards with the blood samples on them came after it emerged that those taken before July 1st, 2011, were being retained without consent, and therefore in breach of national and EU data protection law.

The Royal College of Physicians at the time said there was an explosion of molecular genetics every day that was being added to and that the museum piece cards could prove to be even more valuable in the future.

The Irish Heart Foundation, which had campaigned to save the cards, said some 1,400 families that had lost a member through sudden adult death syndrome would, as a result, be able to get a genetic diagnosis to see if they were at risk.

The debate over those cards and the legality of retaining them still rumbles on, as do ethical questions about the privacy of highly sensitive medical data obtained for one purpose and whether it should ever be used for another without the consent of the original subject, in the absence of a legal exemption.

Meanwhile, medical and scientific researchers are closely watching the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and what it might mean for them and their work after it takes effect next May.

While the regulation allows certain exemptions for processing special cateogories of data, including genetic and biometric data, the Irish legislation hasnt been written yet and researchers are waiting to see what it will mean for their work.

In some cases, they are worried about what the new law will mean for historic datasets and longitudinal studies and whether they will have to delete them on the grounds that they will not have the appropriate standards of explicit consent post May 2018 to retain them.

Even in just a few years, the medical, legal, ethical and social dilemmas involved in processing health data, including biological samples obtained from patients or research study volunteers have become vastly more complex.

The ethical issues that arise around areas such as stem cell research, embryo research and reproductive cloning, genome sequencing, gene editing and population-scale biobanks are huge.

Opportunities for uncovering the causes of disease, for resolving fertility issues, for fixing genetic conditions, for treating cancers, are within the grasp of scientists and researchers, but there is still no international consensus on many issues.

Concerns are evolving too in light of new models for funding research, such as venture capital-backed projects where highly sensitive data used for research, and effectively a permanent record, may ultimately end up being used by or sold for profit to companies or other third parties anywhere in the world.

Researchers are still uncertain what exactly the GDPR will mean for them in terms of the exemptions from data protection legislation that will apply to so-called special categories of data including genetic and biometric health data used for research.

At a recent event in Dublin, the Irish Platform for Patients Organisations, Science and Industry (IPPOSI) explored the concerns about data protection, consent and the forthcoming regulation.

IPPOSI chief executive Dr Derick Mitchell told the event: Patients are aware that the altruistic benefit of being involved in research far outweighs the risks, but they do expect that they will be consulted on the use of their data.

He said empowerment of the data owner was fundamental to the forthcoming changes in the law, and the event explored a model of so-called dynamic consent to allow people consent to have their data used for research, possibly allowing broad consent at the outset and opt-outs at a later stage where they did not agree to new uses. The legal jury is still out on whether such a model is even possible.

Dr Mitchell said a national response was required to GDPR and not just for health research.

He hoped that guidance on the question of consent for processing of personal data expected later in the year from the independent body representing all of the EUs national data protection authorities would be a step forward.

But I think the real crux is the code of conduct and each institution in effect will have to develop their own code of conduct as to how they approach data protection from the beginning of projects rather than having it as a kind of tick-box exercise at the end of a project, he said.

Dr Mitchell said the explicit consent referred to in the EU regulation, for example, had very real consequences for the continuation of large-scale population biobanks, for example.

There was also an ethical argument going on as to whether a persons consent could be said to be informed if they ultimately did not know what the research project might ultimately examine.

Prof Jane Grimson, a member of the e-health Ireland committee and a former director of Health Information in the Health Information and Quality Authority, said the potential of health data and research had to be balanced with a patients right to privacy.

Ownership of patient records was critical, she said.

I think the way we are moving now is much more towards electronic health records that will be owned and controlled by the individual. Its their information and they should be in control of who has a right to see information and the information (that is used in research).

Ethics research committees were critical and needed to operate to a very high standard to ensure the trust of people, she added.

Its an absolute minefield but I really think that ethics committees are critical.

Prof Orla Sheils, director of the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and director of medical ethics at the School of Medicine, TCD, said she believed GDPR would have immediate consequences for data already being processed by researchers. It was a very grey area.

The difficulty with that is that if data has been collected over a long period of time that a person may not want to be reminded of the time that they were ill. Thats the balance you are trying to find there. So the way to get around that is to try to give people enough options up front to decide yes, I want to gift my sample and provided the research thats going to be done is ethical and has been approved, thats okay by me.

Prof Sheils, who sits on the St Jamess and Tallaght hospital research ethics committee, said all research involving humans had to be approved by such a committee.

Its never an ethical issue if the answer is easy, she said.

Like everything else in life, its about finding that happy balance that people are comfortable with, she said.

There is never really a right answer when there is an ethical dilemma. What I always say to students is that you are hoping for the least bad option.

Cathal Ryan of the office of the Data Protection Commissioner told the IPPOSI event the new EU regulation would bring harmonisation, transparency and accountability to a very dense and complex area. The regulation was very pragmatic and the code of conduct within it would act as a form of self-regulation, with the additional oversight of an independent monitoring body. But he said adequate transparency on data protection in the sector had been lacking.

If there is an erosion of trust, if the health sector doesnt treat an individuals data in the right way, there will be problems.

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Should your medical data be off the record? - The Irish Times - Irish Times

Just as smaller animals of a given species generally live longer than their larger cousins, one might expect that taller humans are genetically programmed to sacrifice longevity for height.

But its not that simple.

A major multinational study of 841 men and women from across four populations found lower levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in men living to age 100 and yet most of them were taller than men in the younger control group.

The apparent explanation for this head-scratcher is that some long-lived men and only men have a genetic mutation that makes their growth hormone receptors more sensitive to the effects of the hormone. The cells absorb less growth hormone, yet protein expression is increased by several times.

This mutation seems to be responsible for their ability to live about 10 years longer than the control group of 70-year-old men without the mutation, even though they have a lower amount of growth hormone and are about 1.18 inches taller.

The lead author of the study is professor Gil Atzmon of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and head of the Laboratory of Genetics and Epigenetics of Aging and Longevity at the University of Haifa. Since 2001, Atzmon has been studying the human genome and its impact on aging and longevity.

The researchers working with Atzmon looked at four elderly populations: 567 Ashkenazi Jews in theLongevity Genes Projectat Einstein, 152 from a study of Amish centenarians, and the rest from an American cardiovascular health study and a French longevity study.

In 2008, the Longevity Genes Project found a genetic mutation in the IGF-1 receptor of some women, although its not the same as the one affecting mens lifespans.

We knew in the past that genetic pathways associated with growth hormone were also associated with longevity, and now we have found a specific mutation whose presence or absence is directly related to it, Atzmon said.

This study makes it an established fact that there is a relationship between the function of the growth hormone and longevity. Our current goal is to fully understand the mechanism of the mutation we found to express it, so that we can allow longevity while maintaining quality of life, he added.

The 16 researchers involved in the study, published June 16 inScience Advances, are associated with institutions in Israel and France as well as in New York, Maryland, California, Vermont, Massachusetts and Washington.

While more research is needed to understand why the receptor mutation affects longevity and why it happens only in men, the study suggests that making a slight change in this specific piece of DNA could possibly make people live longer.

Although the presence of the mutation almost certainly ensured longevity, Atzmon stressed that many other factors affect longevity and that many men without the mutation also live to 100 and older.

Atzmon is one of the principal researchers in the Longevity Genes Project at Einstein, along with Israeli endocrinology specialist Dr. Nir Barzilai.

Their groundbreaking 10-year study of healthy Ashkenazi Jews between the ages of 95 and 112 and their children attempted to understand why humans dont all age at the same rate, and why only one in 10,000 individuals lives to 100.

The centenarians were found to have genetic protective factors (longevity genes) that overcame factors such as diet and lifestyle.

The rest is here:
Genetic mutation explains why some men live to 100 - Jewish Journal

Laura Deming is not your typical venture capitalist. Then again, she isnt typical in many ways.

For starters, the 23-year-old, New Zealand native was home schooled, developing along the way a love of math and physics and, perhaps most interestingly, the biology of aging. In fact, she became so preoccupied with the latter that at age 11, Deming wrote to Cynthia Kenyon, a renowned molecular biologist who specializes in the genetics of aging, asking if she could visit Kenyons San Francisco lab during a family trip to the Bay Area. Kenyon said yes. When, soon after the visit, Deming asked if she could work in the lab, Kenyon said yes again.

Demings family moved to the U.S. to make it possible, and its highly doubtful they regret the decision. Indeed, by age 14, Deming was a student at MIT, and two years after that at the tender age of 16 she was a college drop-out, having been accepted into Peter Thiels two-year-old Thiel Fellowship program, which gives $100,000 to young people who want to build new things.

Often, those new things evolve along the way. Not for Deming, who pitched the idea of a venture fund that would support aging-related startups, and has since turned that early concept intoLongevity Fund, an early-stage venture outfit that just closed its second fund with $22 million.

Earlier today we caught up with Deming to learn more about her path and which technologies shes betting on to extend the human lifespan.

TC: Its incredible that this all started with an email to a UCSF professor.

LD: [Cynthia Kenyon] is the most amazing person Ill ever meet.

TC: What did you do in her lab, exactly?

LD: We were working with tiny, see-through worms. You put them on a plate of jelly and you see what happens if you change their genetic material. Do they live longer or die faster? If you starve them, they live longer. If you starve worms and also turn off certain genes, could you get them to live even longer? I was nave, but I really wanted to make the longest-living worms ever. [Laughs.]

TC: What did you study at MIT?

LD: I majored in physics actually, but I continued to work in a couple of labs, including [one overseen by] Lenny Guarente [a biologist known for his research on lifespan extension]. It was a lot of fun. I thought Id be a scientist, but a grad student familiar with the Thiel fellowship told me I should apply and I did. Its funny, one of the directors of the [Thiel] program told me recently that he thought Id fail, even though he was very supportive. After we closed the first fund, he was like, I never thought that would work out.

TC: Why?

LD: In part because not long ago, if you talked with most VCs about aging, they didnt think there was anything there. I think aging is such a young science, they hadnt heard about it. Meanwhile, I care a lot about it, and though we dont know if itll work or not, its not unlike [biotech companies trying to tackle] cancer in that way, and if you believe in cancer companies, you should also care about aging companies.

TC: How much did you raise for that first fund?

LD: A grand total of $4 million, and I was very proud of this. To be honest, Id assumed $100,000 was enough to build a fund until I arrived in San Francisco and realized it was really enough to live on for two years. When I started fundraising, I was 17 too young to legally sign contracts. Id never managed money before. But I could talk to people about the science and got them on board with that. In the end, we had great anchor investors come together, and we invested in five companies that kind of proved out the strategy.

TC: Were one of those anchor investors Peter Thiel?

LD: We dont really talk about our LPs.

TC: You say we, though youre the sole general partner of Longevity. Is that correct?

LD: Yes, but I have a lot of back-office support. The way Longevity is structured, Im also able to pull in the best people who have expertise from different domains, so its not one person who looks at all the deals.

TC: And these advisors get a stake in the company?

LD: Sometimes. Others especially grad students like to be paid up front. Well find the best incentive for that individual and work with that.

TC: One of your portfolio companies is Unity Biotechnology, a company thats trying to reverse aging through therapeutics. Didnt it just raise a giant Series B round this week?

LD: It did. All of the companies in that portfolio have [at least] raised Series A rounds of $30 million or more to get to that proof of concept.

TC: Given the amounts involved, is the plan to form special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, around your break-out winners?

LD:We like to help LPs follow on, so we look to do that in whatever way makes sense for both parties. With Unity, we put in money as early as possible because Ned Davis, who runs the company, is amazing and we thought its aging thesis would succeed.

TC: How many companies do you expect to fund with your newly closed fund?

LD: Eight to 10 companies.

TC: Do you think your work will be harder, given that investors seem to be paying much more attention to aging suddenly?

LD: No. With our first fund, we spent up to six months with each deal, tracking the company before it was even raising. Its something LPs really value from us; they know when they invest in something that they dont need to re-do the diligence, that weve already looked at a bunch of stuff and we know this is the best possible investment in [a particular vertical].

Earlier, our biggest challenge was getting other investors on board and convincing them that aging has become a place to play. Now thats a non-issue, which is great. Our job is to help the companies get other investors on board, so its wonderful to see excitement in the space begin to build.

TC: You look at a lot of technologies. I have to ask: do you find these new blood transfusion startupsas interesting as the writers of HBOs Silicon Valley?

LD: [Laughs.] While scientifically interesting, I think they get a little over-discussed in the press because of that vampirism. Its not as sexy to talk about new genetic regulatory elements that control the aging process. Thats not going to get as many clicks as a story about drinking the blood of your five-year-old.

Excerpt from:
This 23-year-old just closed her second fund which is focused on ... - TechCrunch

The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Harvards outreach into complementary medicine recently announced a partnership where three researchers associated with the Harvard Osher Center will each summarize a top recent publication from the burgeoning mind-body literature and provide commentary on why they chose to shine a light on it. Harvard is not alone in this effort. Just Tuesday Wolters Kluver announced Ovid Insights,a current awareness service, citing the exponentially expanding volume of research.

As the volume of research worldwide continues to increase, staying current on the latest medical findings and practice guidelines is an overwhelming, yet necessary, task for healthcare professionals.

Ironically, the academics first filled, in the sense of a firehouse filling a cup, the journals with studies predicated on the concept of publish or perish. And having overwhelmed our attention, they now introduce a solution, the era of curated journal reading.

Harvards collaborative partner is the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (JACM) considered to be in the top quartile of journals covering this area. To give you a sense of the journals academic reach you might considertwo reported measures of citation rates. The SJR, a size independent measure of scientific influence is 0.581, for comparison, the New England Journal of Medicine's (NEJM) is 17.736. The SJR puts JACM 17th among their peers (96 journals) after the Journal of Natural Products and Journal of Ginseng Research. Citations per document reflect how often a journal is cited; it is a commonly used measure of the journals impact on research. Here JACM has a value of 1.537 (the NEJM is 33.902) placing it 22nd amongst its peers, just after Chiropractic and Manual Therapies but before Chinese Medicine [1]

The three Harvard faculty members [2], all JACM associate editors, select a theme and then choose one study from the literature to abstract and to comment upon. I read the articles they presented, while they are a bit too touchy feely for me, and have the usual problems that plague the literature (small sample size, p-hacking, and data mining), they were all thoughtful articles to read and consider. My concern was the descriptions of studies within their abstracts, for example:

Cherkin and colleagues' beautiful randomized prospective studyThis powerful study demonstrates

In an elegantly designed and rigorously conducted comparative effectiveness trial supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)/National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Stephen Ross and colleagues conducted a small but methodologically elegant double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial

Perhaps it is me, but I detect a tone of advocacy, and with advocacy comes conflicted interests. I have no issue with knowledgeable people suggesting reading, but there is a fine line between organizing and sorting of information dispassionately and content curation that is, an editorial process. It's a mix of art and science. It requires a clear and definable voice,and editorial mission,and an understanding of your audience and community.[3] Can we reliably expect these academics to cite articles that do not favor alternative and complementary medicine? So far, in the year of this collaboration, no article they have chosen has taken an unfavorable view. Are the Harvard faculty acting as fair witness or advocates, do they shed light or only increase the echo? The goals of JACMs editor, John Weeks, JACMs editor, provides additional clues when he states that his goal that JACM becomes an arbiter of the conversation and content that shapes the course of healthcare. Perhaps I am mistaken, but I want my journals to provide me with unbiased research so that I can form my own view and be the arbiter of my conversations.

[1] The SCImago Journal & Country Rank is a publicly available portal that includes the journals and country scientific indicators [that] can be used to assess and analyze scientific domains.

[2] Osher Center's Director of Research Peter Wayne, PhD, Gloria Yeh, MD, MPH, Research Fellowship Director, and Darshan Mehta, MD, MPH, the center's Director of Education

[3] Is Curation Overused? The Votes Are In

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Harvard's Continued Embrace of Integrative Medicine Finds a Partner and a New Conflict of Interest - American Council on Science and Health

TUCSON Faculty at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and their collaborators successfully demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of an online approach to train more family medicine residents in integrative medicine.

The American Board of Physician Specialties defines integrative medicine "as the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing."

Effective online training in integrative medicine is important given the increased demand for physicians with expertise in integrative medicine coupled with the call from medical and public health organizations for alternatives to traditional medical approaches to such matters as pain management.

With that in mind, Dr. Patricia Lebensohn, professor of Family and Community Medicine at the UA College of Medicine-Tucson, directed the development of an Integrative Medicine in Residency program, a robust, online curriculum with the aim of establishing integrative medicine as a routine part of family medicine residency education throughout the country.

An in-depth evaluation of the project and its results was published in the July-August 2017 issue of the journal Family Medicine.

The study tested a 200-hour online curriculum, at eight sites offering integrative medicine residencies across the United States. Study subjects included 186 family medicine residents who participated in the IMR and 53 residents in other programs without integrative medicine training who served as controls.

Of the 186 IMR residents, 77 percent completed the program and tested significantly higher in their medical knowledge of integrative medicine than the control residents.

"Despite how busy the residents were, there was a very high completion rate," says Dr. Victoria Maizes, executive director of UACIM. "The level of knowledge improves in those who complete the curriculum and doesn't change in those who don't."

"When we started this study in 2008, it was a novel idea to deliver common curriculum online across eight sites," says Maizes. "This curriculum is now shared at 75 residencies and has expanded well beyond family medicine. We started with this project in family medicine. Now, we're in pediatrics, internal medicine, preventive medicine and we have a pilot program in psychiatry."

"I am pleased with the results of the residents' evaluation of the high clinical utility of the curriculum and the ease of navigating the online delivery," says Lebensohn. "Most of the residents in an exit survey stated that they intend to utilize integrative medicine approaches in their future practice of family medicine."

Additional study authors included Audrey J. Brooks and Paula Cook, UA; Dr. Benjamin Kligler, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Dr. Raymond Teet, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, New York; and Dr. Michele Birch, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Submitted by the University of Arizona Communications

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UA integrative medicine residency program flourishes - Sierra Vista Herald

She wielded a kitchen knife, not a scalpel, but Serena Silberman was doing her part Saturday to heal the human body, one chop of parsley, peach and pomegranate at a time.

Food can be medicine, said Silberman, an instructor at the University of California San Diego Integrative Medicine Natural Healing Cooking Program, as she prepped a meal for more than 200 people at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine in La Jolla.

Her feast was to commemorate the debut of UC San Diegos Centers for Integrative Health, an initiative throughout the university and health network to unify current research, education and clinical programs ranging from nutrition and acupuncture to meditation and yoga.

Saturdays all-day conference rang in the new collaborative health effort at UC San Diego by discussing how western science can be better wedded to traditional folk cures and alternative medicine to offer better outcomes for patients.

Charlie Neuman/U-T

At the Sanford Consortium, UC San Diego on Saturday launched the new Centers for Integrative Health. At the beginning of the event attendees participate in meditation.

At the Sanford Consortium, UC San Diego on Saturday launched the new Centers for Integrative Health. At the beginning of the event attendees participate in meditation. (Charlie Neuman/U-T)

To Silberman, that means parsley. Rich in antioxidants, the green leaves naturally contain the anti-inflammatory luteolin; Vitamin A to boost the white blood cells that attack infection; and folate, which can help protect patients from heart attack, stroke and hardened arteries.

And then theres her generous dusting of turmeric, the orange-colored herb from the ginger family that doubles as a curry spice and dye. Researchers are studying whether it might heal heart disease and diabetes with very few side effects.

Indian cooks have only been doing it for 5,000 years, so they might know something, said Silberman, punctuating her point with the chop-chop-chop of peaches.

None of this is new to UC San Diego. The Center for Integrative Medicine, for example, was established seven years ago and now treats more than 10,000 patients annually, but organizers hope future consultations will seamlessly involve the Centers for Mindfulness, Integrative Research, Integrative Nutrition and Integrative Education into a one-stop experience.

That means 26 practitioners in 10 clinics within eight departments throughout the health system will be integrated.

Dr. Dan Slater, a physician and UC San Diego professor of family medicine and public health, presented to a packed Sanford Consortium audience a case study he thinks might guide future patient care.

Charlie Neuman/U-T

Attendees to the launch of UC San Diego's Centers for Integrative Health get acupuncture and massages while listening to therapeutic harp music by Carolyn Worster.

Attendees to the launch of UC San Diego's Centers for Integrative Health get acupuncture and massages while listening to therapeutic harp music by Carolyn Worster. (Charlie Neuman/U-T)

A 61-year-old woman was suffering from symptoms suggesting ulcerative colitis, a painful inflammatory bowel disease. The wait had grown to six months in her small town for a colonoscopy that peeked at the lining of her intestine and took a sample of the tissue, a procedure Slater noted was not cheap and was not necessarily convenient.

So he and his team of integrative health specialists prescribed a diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables and low in fats and sweets. A little more turmeric and a few dollops of probiotics good bacteria to boost the digestive system and within three months she was feeling better. By the time her colonoscopy rolled around, her condition was either in remission or cured.

To Slater, that highlights what the Centers for Integrative Health might do best researching many pathways to a cure but letting the body do most of the work by exploring everything from aromatherapy to zen.

cprine@sduniontribune.com

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Top UCSD researchers pitch yoga, massage and integrative ... - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Physicians practicing integrative medicine have improved quality of life and spend more time with their patients, according to a new survey.

The study, conducted by Pure Branding, a market research company, looked at why doctors leave conventional practices for integrative medicine, which pairs standard treatments with complementary therapies to care for a patients mind, body and spirit. The study included 1,133 integrative medical doctors and doctors of osteopathyfrom 49 states.

As more doctors report burnout, which has increased by 25% in just four years, a rapidly growing number of doctors are exploring integrative approaches to clinical care. The study identified five factors that define integrative medicine:

These ... doctors are at the forefront of a paradigm shift in medicine that will significantly impact the value chain from healthcare systems and payers to medical schools and suppliers, said Yadim Medore, founder and CEO of Pure Branding.

RELATED: Alternative medicine becomes a lucrative business for U.S. top hospitals

Some of the findings from the survey included:

Excerpt from:
Integrative medicine physicians say quality of life is better - FierceHealthcare

A new nonprofit created by heavy hitters from Nevadas business and medical communities gave the state a D grade on its first report card on the states health care system.

The report card was released Wednesday by the Nevada Medical Center and is intended to focus attention on improving access to quality health care in the state.

Larry Matheis, the NMCs CEO, said the report card will help state leaders focus on the gaps that must be filled to improve Nevadas medical standing. Currently, he said, the states medical system resembles a series of isolated communities due to the lack of collaboration among medical professionals and the dearth of thought given to enhancing our communitys reputation.

The report cards grades, based on analysis of data supplied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government agencies, show how Nevada fares in the categories of health care access, chronic disease, nutrition and activity, mental health and substance abuse. The grades werent all bad, with the state receiving a passing C grade on chronic disease and a better-than-average B on nutrition and activity.

The report is online at http:// nvmedicalcenter.org/nevada- healthcare-statistics/.

A guide and resource

Matheis, former executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association, said the report is intended to guide policymakers and recommend new approaches.

We are creating a Nevada Health Commission to use the report as a basis for recommending health policy priorities to the private and public sectors, said Matheis, We also are working with the UNLV School of Medicine to explore the potential for integrative medicine.

Integrative medicine is an approach to care that puts the patient at the center and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a persons health.

The report card, unveiled Wednesday evening at Delta Point, a community health center near downtown Las Vegas, is among the NMCs first major public initiatives. The organization was founded in 2013 by Eric Hilton, who died in 2016 after 49 years directing the Hilton hotel chain established by his father, Conrad Hilton.

Earlier this month, NMC partnered with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District to organize play camps at two area libraries, aimed at demonstrating the impact of purposeful play on physical and mental health to young children, Matheis said. It also is developing a similar demonstration program with the Clark County School District to be rolled out at elementary schools in the fall, he said.

Though NMC boosts some high-profile talent board members include New York-New York CEO Cynthia Kiser Murphey and Dr. Florence Jameson, founder of the nonprofit Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada the organization had largely stayed out of the public spotlight before the release of the report card.

The rankings, based on statistics from the 50 states and the District of Columbia, gave the state an F for access to health care through primary care doctors and insurance availability.

Only Mississippi had a worse rate of primary care providers, 53 per 100,000 people, compared with Nevadas 56. The nations capitol, with 116 providers per 100,000 people, fared best.

No quick fix for doctor shortage

Given that Nevadas explosive growth the population nearly doubled from 1.5 million in 1995 to nearly 3 million in 2016 is expected to continue, the NMC set a modest target for access improvement: only one more provider per 100,000 by 2020. Even the creation of the new UNLV School of Medicine its 60 graduates wont be entering residencies for graduate medical education for four years cant do much to help offset retirements by doctors in the near future.

The report cards chronic disease section tracks cases and deaths rates for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, respiration and kidney disease.

Nevada ranked 21st nationally in the age-adjusted death rate from all forms of cancer, with 157 deaths per 100,000 people per year. Kentucky, at 196 deaths, and Utah, at 125 deaths per year, represented the worst and best states, respectively. The NMC set an improvement target of 155 deaths per 100,000 people for Nevada by 2020. The national average is 159.

Although Nevada received an overall grade of C on issues pertaining to mental health, it received a D on the rate of suicides, with 18 per 100,000 people. Wyoming, at 28 suicides, had the nations highest rate, while the District of Columbias was the lowest at five. The national average is 13. NMC set an improvement target of 17 by 2020.

On substance abuse, Nevada earned an overall C, ranking 26th in the nation on excessive drinking, 21st in smoking, 14th in impaired driving accidents and 39 in fatal drug overdoses.

Nevada did its best on nutrition and activity, largely because of exercise opportunities and physically active adults. The NMC noted, however, that Nevada ranks at or below average in food insecurity (D) and food environment (C), meaning Nevada has room for improvement in making sure people have enough good and the right foods.

The NMCs report card is similar to rating systems used by other organizations to measure Nevadas health care delivery system, including recent reports that found the state lacking on hospital safety and the overall health of its senior citizens.

Contact Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or 702 387-5273. Follow @paulharasim on Twitter.

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Nevada earns D on nonprofit's new health-care report card - Las Vegas Review-Journal