Peter H. Diamandis, PhD, Vice Chairman, COVAXX

Peter H. Diamandis, PhD, calls himself a data-driven optimist, which is a necessary quality for an entrepreneur who relishes tackling grand challenges.

His XPRIZE Foundation has created $10-million incentive competitions focused on the life sciences and other areas, while his venture capital fund, BOLD Capital Partners, has invested $250 million in innovative or exponential technologies. His Abundance 360 summits have brought together entrepreneurs, executives, and investors to apply those technologies toward transforming their businesses. His Singularity University focuses on solving global problems through educational programs, partnerships, and a startup accelerator. Diamandis companies also specialize in cellular therapeutics (Celularity), personalized machine learning (Futureloop), and longevity health (Fountain Life and Human Longevity).

Another Diamandis company, United Neuroscience, combats animal and human diseases by discovering, developing, and commercializing vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments. Earlier this year, United Biomedical created a subsidiary called COVAXX focused on tackling COVID-19 through a vaccine as well as through antibody diagnostics deployed in China, Taiwan, and several U.S. states. The companys serology test is designed to complement RT-PCR testing by helping identify asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and those who were infected and have recovered.

COVAXXs UB-612 program focuses on developing its Multitope Peptide-based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, constructed from a peptide-based platform first deployed by United Biomedical. The vaccine platform has been commercialized successfully in more than 500 million doses annually and 5 billion doses cumulatively in animal health indications for infectious disease.

Designed to activate B-cells and T-cellsboth arms of patient humoral and cellular immune responsesUB-612 consists of amino acid sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) formulated with designer Th and CTL epitope peptides derived from the S2 subunit, membrane and nucleoprotein regions of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins for induction of memory recall, T-cell activation and effector functions against the virus.

COVAXX has launched a Phase I trial of UB-612 in Taiwan, with a U.S. Phase I trial and a readout of data in non-human primates planned this fall. Last week, COVAXX said it will advance UB-612 into a Phase II/III trial in Brazil, through a collaboration with that countrys largest diagnostic medicine company, Diagnsticos da Amrica S/A (Dasa) and vaccine distributor Mafra. They are funding clinical research along with three Brazilian companies: Real estate developer MRV, car/fleet rental business Localiza, and Banco Inter.

Diamandis and COVAXX co-founder and co-CEO Mei Mei Hu recently discussed COVAXXs approach to fighting COVID-19, and its vaccine development plans withGEN Edge, in a joint interview (lightly edited for length and clarity).

GEN EDGE: How and why was COVAXX established?

DIAMANDIS: There is a parent company called United Biomedical that Mei Meis parents built nearly 35 years ago. Mei Meis mother [United Biomedical chairwoman ChangYi Wang, PhD] is a very brilliant scientist who developed this concept of synthetic peptides that would be used for vaccines, blood anybody tests, and not only how to construct those, but how to construct them in a way that were safe and were immunogenic, and were really low cost to manufacture. This is a body of work that spans three decades. Out of that work came a series of companies.

The core technology, the core manufacturing was being used to go after different targets. The most prolific and advanced is the work theyve done with a company that went after foot in mouth disease. Here you have a virulent virus that mutates rapidly. They went after that, in a company thats now public on the Shanghai Star Market called Shanghai Shen Lian Biomedical.

On a critically important biological product theyre getting this vaccine for their food security, and going from an unknown player to capturing the majority of the marketplace. I think they captured 55% of the market for foot and mouth disease, for vaccinating whats now over 5 billion pigs. So theyve manufactured 5 billion vaccines. I think thats importantits the same exact platform.

The important thing here is a platform that is easier to manufacture, low cost to manufacture a vaccine, has been produced at half a billion doses per year or 5 billion doses over time. And is distributed into the rural areas of China. What you should take away from that is, a robust and dependent manufacturing base with a simple distribution network. The other thing is that they manufacture that vaccine for about 70 cents a dose with a very significant margin, so low cost as well.

How and why did United Biomedical shift from animal to human health?

HU: When Lou [Reese], my husband and I, joined over a decade ago, we focused on partnering those animal health assets and moving towards human health. We saw the opportunity to make the broadest impact in human diseases, so we moved Alzheimers forward, we just brought it in Parkinsonswe basically expanded the portfolio, and weve conducted four clinical trials off the platform. To our delight, we see a lot of translatability from animals into humans. So the vaccine does everything we want the vaccine to doit safely generates very high antibodies that are super specific with an excellent profile.

Fast forward to the first quarter of 2020. The world is changing, the landscape is shifting, and it reminded us of the first SARS epidemic where, because of our footprint in Taiwan and China, we were one of the first responders. We actually worked with the NIH to develop an antibody test and vaccine back then.

Starting in December, we were actually one of the first to respond with an antibody test just into the field and ground zero. And we called Peter [Diamandis]. I said, I think we should respond to COVID-19, we should stand up an effort. What do you think? That is how, essentially with a phone call, COVAXX was born. We decided to stand up a company that is just dedicated to fight COVID-19. We had no idea how long it would last, or what would be the extent of it. We thought one thing in SARS, and thankfully, that never spread. But COVID-19 seemed like it was different. It has proven to be different.

How has COVAXX gone about developing its vaccine?

HU: We spent a good part of the second quarter basically testing dozensover 30 constructsfor different properties, and we came down to our lead, which were very confident in. Its based on the same platform. In animals we see really good immunogenicity, very good titers, really good neutralizing ability of these titers. It was designed and culled for B and T cell responses. We wanted to make sure that it hit neutralizing antibodies. We wanted to make sure that it got broad immunogenicity, so were not just hitting the Spike (S) protein, but were hitting different parts of SARS-CoV-2. We have seen the super heterogeneous response from serology samples, both in the field and our own. We know that people respond very differently. And there are different parts of the virus, not just the S protein, that are responsible for an immune response. So we wanted to make sure we hit all of those.

How does it go beyond just hitting a spike protein, which a lot of the different treatments and vaccines do?

HU: Its a super rational target. Thats where a lot of the neutralizing antibodies target Its the RBD portion of the spike protein. What we also noticed, though, was that a lot of T cell responses, theyre very important epitopes on different parts of the virus.

So, if you look at recovered patient serum, theres a lot of response to that. So what we did was we selected some important other epitopes on those, because we wanted a balanced response. So we wanted a balanced T-cell response as well. So does it hit it all the same time? In some ways, yes, because the vaccine is introduced to the body at the same time, but they do different things. So we want not just neutralizing antibodies, but we also want T-cell activation, because in our experience weve seen neutralizing antibodies are great, but you need both in order to offer full protection.

Could you elaborate on how you go beyond the neutralizing antibodies, what the virus attacks? I noticed that you look at B and T cells?

HU: Yes, its B and T cells. So we want to hit T helper cell sites as well as CTL sites. Thats the hallmark of our platform technology, whereas we have these peptide carriers and they help generate immunogenicity. The way they do it is they mimic highly promiscuous T-cell sites.

So they attract all these T cells and then the T helper cells, basically, signal to nearby B cells to produce antibodies. So we do thatits a similar thing with our vaccine, whereas we hit both the important antibody sites and the T cell sites. And we do that simultaneously. But what we found is that some of the important T cell sites arent just on the S protein. So theyre across the virus. And its evidenced in real life data that there are other sites that are important, and that actually induce an immune response that are not just on a spike protein.

You had a platform in place. How much variation from that platform was needed to in order to fight COVID?

HU: The platform consists of manufacturing technology, design technology, screening. We have a different assay group, and then basically just the development engine that drives everything for a new disease indication.

I think of them like our platform is like Legos, or an operating system, and each new disease indication is like an app or a new Lego box. Everything is designed from scratch, but theyre using the same types of building blocks. So, for COVID-19, we were actually fortunate because we had worked on SARS before. So we actually knew a lot about this type of coronavirus, and thats why were able to rapidly put together something in just a couple months.

Its doing the same technology. And the good news is, now that were entering the clinic, the manufacturability, the downstream process in drug development, thats leveraging the same infrastructure as all the other vaccine programs, which is important, which also gives us confidence in our ability to actually deliver these vaccines.

Is COVAXX still looking at ramping up production to 100 million doses by the first quarter of 2021, and a billion by the end of 2021?

HU: Were still targeting 100 million doses by the end of the first quarter, and of course wed like a billion. It depends on the dosing, right? Thats what were going to find out. So 500 million to 1 billion doses in 2021.

We manufacture almost all the components internally. So for the fill-and-finishing, these are are going to require collaborations for a variety of reasons: Geography, capacity. But thats our target and this isnt theoretical. Weve manufactured vaccines before, so thats what were aiming for.

What manufacturing will you do on your own? And where are you reaching out? Are there collaborations in place with other partners yet?

HU: We are manufacturing mostly in our facilities in Taiwan right nowreally in New York and Taiwan, but the majority is being done in in Taiwan at the moment. We have peptide, vaccine fill-and-finishso theyre all part of the group there. And were in discussions now for certain areas, developing partnerships for the final process.

The company has launched a Phase I/II trial in Taiwan. What is the timing for launching that study in the United States?

HU: Our plan is to actually start a trial with the University of Nebraska Medical Center at the National Quarantine Center later this fall.

DIAMANDIS: Ive been involved in running a bunch of companies at a timeXPRIZE, Singularity University, my venture fund, Abundance 360. Ive got typically 5-6 projects going. When Lou and Mei Mei called me at the beginning of March, and I helped them bring in team members and capitalize this and stand it up, I took on a role as a co-founder and vice chairman. This has become my dominant focus, near 90% of my time. And its because the opportunity is so massive.

When I look at this, what I see is a vaccine that, number one has high immunogenicitywe do blood antibody testing. So were very clear about convalescent plasma levelsWere seeing immunogenicity that in the lab comes out to 400-fold higher than convalescent plasma.

Can you put that figure in perspective?

DIAMANDIS: So thats huge. We really do light up the immune system to manufacture antibodies at high rates. The second thing is, are those antibodies functional? Do they work and they neutralize the virus?

When we look at the titer for neutralization and we compare it in preclinical to preclinical head to head against other vaccines out there, we see the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine with neutralizing factor of 40. We see Moderna ranging from 500 to 1,000 as comparison. And were not at 40, or 500 to 1,000. Were at greater than 32,000. Were talking about orders of magnitude higher in terms of neutralizing titer.

If you have high immunogenicity and super high neutralizing titers, this is because of the rational designwe have six epitopes. The multitope design doesnt just attack COVID-19 and stop it from one angle, one protein. Its coming at it from multiple angles.

How manufacturable is the vaccine?

DIAMANDIS: The answer is, not only yes but hell yes! Because the platform has been manufactured at scale. The team has made a decision to put everything else on hold, and spin up manufacturing to support getting to 100 million doses in Q1 of 2021 and to a target of a billion doses by the end of 2021. So, its manufacturable.

Is it transportable? Can you get it to the end patient? You know, does it require negative 80 degrees nitrogen, like you do in RNA vaccines? No, this is a vaccine that can be transported easily into the rural areas like it does in China, because its the same platform. It doesnt require anything special. It uses the existing distribution channels, so its immunogenic, its neutralizing, its manufacturable.

Is it affordable? The answer again is yes. Now, its not going to be as cheap as the animal viruses, because theres an additional level of quality control and safety. But to remind you, the platform manufactures the foot and mouth disease vaccine at scale for less than $1/dose with significant margins.

So, we have a belief that we can manufacture something that really is extraordinary. It goes into human trials the last week of this month in Taiwan, Phase I/II. The Taiwanese government has been very closely overseeing this and so theyre covering 90% of the cost of those trials as part of their investment.

What, if any, U.S. partners is COVAXX working with?

DIAMANDIS: We have also partnered with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which specializes in pandemics. Its really the national jewel for treating pandemics. Within the medical center the Global Center for Health Security, within which is the 20-bed National Quarantine Center, the nations only federal quarantine unit. Were going to be doing our US trials phase I and II with them. Were lining up a series of other additional trials that I cant mention right now. Were pushing as rapidly as we can.

And then theres one last factor: Is this vaccine safe? I would normally say, Well, well find out. And we will. But what we do know is that this vaccine platformeffectively the majority of the structure, the mechanism and all of that, other than the selected short chain amino acids, the peptidesthat this vaccine platform has been in four human clinical trials right, in the Alzheimers and Parkinsons efforts that go back to what our sister company has done.

In those trials, it has been absolutely safe with only minimal irritation. It has been a platform that has proven to be very safe in humans. And in those trials as wellwhich took place in elderly because Alzheimers is a disease of the elderly, like to some degree COVID-19 is a disease of the elderlyin those trials, it proved to have immunogenicity in 98% of the elderly in which it was introduced. Again, the science will prove it out, but we have a predominance of evidence that here we have a vaccine thats immunogenic, super high neutralizing, low cost to manufacture, that is manufacturable, transportable, safe and effective in the elderly. We have super strong evidence to support that. And thats what gets us all excited, and thats whats, from my own personal standpoint, gotten me to put to put everything else aside and prioritize COVAXX.

HU: Then, well be aiming to start the Phase II/III efficacy trial the end of this year, which will require at least four months of safety data. So itll run into mid 2021 if not late 2021.

How big of a population are you looking at? Some of the leading COVID-19 vaccine developers companies have been recruiting 10,000 participants, or 30,000, or even 60,000.

HU: Were actually doing powering estimates right now to make sure that were well powered for the efficacy trials. But, you know, depending on the prevalence of these, you know, it does look like its a large trial and the thousands of patients will probably do it in multiple sites, not just in the U.S. And one of the reasons is because you want to make sure you get high-quality recruitment, fast recruitment, and that youre basically chasing where the outbreaks go.

Is COVAXX quantifying its investment in COVID-19? Is it $X million in capital raised, for example, or you can give a figure?

HU: This platform has been developed over the last couple of decades. Weve invested over about a quarter of a billion dollars into the technology and the underlying infrastructure. So, we have been able to leverage all that for COVID-19.

You said your team went into China very early in the run of the virus. Is there still testing in China right now?

HU: No. What I meant was that when we were developing our antibody tests, we basically sent them early on to ground zero of the outbreak, both in China and Taiwan. Were doing most of our stuff actually in Taiwan right now.

How does your companys antibody test come into play here?

HU: As vaccines roll out, antibody tests are going to become increasingly more important. So I think were well positioned to offer a complimentary product after the vaccines come on. Now, the question of, do you have antibodies is increasingly important and you want to know if you respond to the vaccine. You want to know if youve got antibodies from the vaccine or from natural infection. These are things that our antibody tests can actually differentiate and provide information on.

DIAMANDIS: A lot of theseeven natural immunity, we dont know how long it will remain. And if you get immunized, did you develop a sufficient antibody level? And at six months or a year later, are you still immune? Thats a question which is going to start to be asked in the middle of next year, end of next year. And thats when the antibody tests will actually be the most useful.

Theres the issue of how long you stay immune once you get this. At least one patient made headlines worldwide as having been infected twice with COVID-19.

DIAMANDIS: Yes, especially when you start to see some mutations in the virus.

Now, whats with those mutations? How will this vaccine be able to keep up with mutations?

HU: Thats something everyone is concerned about. From a scientific standpoint, its still early to tell. We just have to wait and see. Thats actually one of the major advantages with our foot and mouth disease platform: We actually saw a mutation, and we were able to quickly adapt and get out a new vaccine to cover this new mutated strain, and we did thatwe basically designed and manufactured in about 60 days, and had it out in the field in the quarter. So this is an opportunity for us to actually shine and create and capture more market share, in the case of animal health.

One of the primary features of our platform is the vast ability to develop and manufacture and adapt to potential mutations down the way. Its something that we actually are very conscientious about, and feel very well suited to tackle if it comes down the pike.

View post:
Beyond the Spike: The COVAXX Approach to a COVID-19 Vaccine - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Depiction of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The spike proteins are in red. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

More than 100 companies have rushed into vaccine development against COVID-19 as the U.S. government pushes for a vaccine rollout at warp speed possibly by the end of the year but the bar set for an effective, long-lasting vaccine is far too low and may prove dangerous, according to Marc Hellerstein of the University of California, Berkeley.

Most vaccine developers are shooting for a robust antibody response to neutralize the virus and are focusing on a single protein, called the spike protein, as the immunizing antigen. Yet, compelling evidence shows that both of these approaches are problematic, said Hellerstein, a UC Berkeley professor of nutritional sciences and toxicology.

A better strategy is to take a lesson from one of the worlds best vaccines, the 82-year-old yellow fever vaccine, which stimulates a long-lasting, protective T-cell response. T-cells are immune cells that surveil the body continuously for decades, ready to react quickly if the yellow fever virus is detected again.

We know what really good vaccines look like for viral infections, Hellerstein said. While we are doing phase 2 trials, we need to look at the detailed response of T-cells, not just antibodies, and correlate these responses with who does well or not over the next several months. Then, I think, we will have a good sense of the laboratory features of vaccines that work. If we do that, we should be able to pick good ones.

Using a technique Hellersteins laboratory developed and perfected over the past 20 years that assesses the lifespan of T-cells, it is now possible to tell within three or four months whether a specific vaccine will provide long-lasting cells and durable T-cell-mediated protection.

Hellerstein laid out his arguments in a review article published today in the journal Vaccine.

There isnt a lot of room for major error here, Hellerstein said. We cant just go headfirst down a less than optimal or even dangerous avenue. The last thing we want is for immunized people to get sick in a few months or a year, or get sicker than they would have. Whoever is paying for or approving the vaccine trials has the obligation to make sure that we look at the quality and durability of the T-cell response. And this would not delay the licensing process.

Hellerstein points out that antibodies are not the primary protective response to infection by coronaviruses, the family of viruses that includes SARS-CoV-2. Indeed, high antibody levels to these viruses are associated with worse disease symptoms, and antibodies to coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, dont appear to last very long.

Most vaccines under development are aiming for a robust antibody response to neutralize the coronavirus, as depicted in this cartoon. A UC Berkeley scientist argues that a robust T-cell response should be the goal of a good, long-lasting vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. (iStock image)

This was noted in people infected by the first SARS virus, SARS-CoV-1, in 2003. SARS patients who subsequently died had higher antibody levels during acute infection and worse clinical lung injury compared to SARS patients who went on to recover. In MERS, which is also a coronavirus infection, survivors with higher antibody levels experienced longer intensive care unit stays and required more ventilator support, compared to subjects with no detectable antibodies.

In contrast, strong T-cell levels in SARS and MERS patients correlated with better outcomes. The same has also played out, so far, in COVID-19 patients.

A strong antibody response correlates with more severe clinical disease in COVID-19, while a strong T-cell response is correlated with less severe disease. And antibodies have been short-lived, compared to virus-reactive T-cells in recovered SARS patients, Hellerstein said.

The most worrisome part, he said, is that antibodies also can make subsequent infections worse, creating so-called antibody-dependent enhancement. Two vaccines one against a coronavirus in cats and another against dengue, a flavivirus that affects humans had to be withdrawn because the antibodies they induced caused potentially fatal reactions. If an antibody binds weakly against these viruses or falls to low levels, it can fail to neutralize the virus, but instead help it get into cells.

Antibody-dependent enhancement is well known in diseases such as dengue and Zika. A recent UC Berkeley study in Nicaragua showed that antibodies produced after infection with Zika can cause severe disease, including deadly hemorrhagic fever, in those later infected by dengue, a related viral disease. This dangerous cross-reaction may also occur with antibodies produced by a vaccine. Hellerstein noted that a robust T-cell response is key to maintaining high levels of antibodies and may prevent or counteract antibody-dependent enhancement.

Hellerstein primarily studies the dynamics of metabolic systems, tagging the bodys proteins and cells with a non-radioactive isotope of hydrogen, deuterium and tracking them through the living body. He began to study the birth and death rates of T-cells in HIV/AIDS patients over 20 years ago, using sophisticated mass spectrometric techniques designed by his laboratory.

The immune system mounts several types of attacks against invading viruses, including the production of antibodies (Ab) to neutralize the virus, B-cells that ramp up antibody production, and CD4 and CD8 T-cells to kill virus-infected cells. In coronaviruses like the COVID-19 virus, T-cells seem to produce the most lasting protection against infection. (Image courtesy of Marc Hellerstein)

Then, three years ago, he teamed up with immunologist Rafi Ahmed and his colleagues at Emory University to determine how long T-cells induced by the yellow fever vaccine stick around in the blood. Surprisingly, he said, the same T-cells that were created to attack the yellow fever virus during the first few weeks after a live virus vaccination were still in the blood and reactive to the virus years later, revealing a remarkably long lifespan. He and the team estimated that the anti-yellow fever T-cells lasted at least 10 years and probably much longer, providing lasting protection from just one shot. Their long lifespan allows these cells to develop into a unique type of protective immune cell.

They (the T-cells) are a kind of adult stem cell, sitting silently in very small numbers for years or decades, but when they see viral antigen they go wild divide like crazy, put out cytokines and do other things that help to neutralize the virus, he said. They are like seasoned old soldiers resting quietly in the field, ready to explode into action at the first sign of trouble.

The same deuterium-labeling technique could be employed to measure the durability of a COVID-19 vaccines T-cell response, helping to pinpoint the best vaccine candidates while trials are ongoing, he said.

We can, in my view, tell you the quality and durability or longevity of your T-cell response within a few months, he said. These tests can be used to judge vaccines: Is a candidate vaccine reproducing the benchmarks that we see in highly effective vaccines, like the ones against smallpox and yellow fever?

Hellerstein said that he was motivated to write a review on the role of antibodies versus T-cells in protective immunity against SARS-Cov-2 when he heard from experts in vaccine development that companies would likely not be interested in testing anything beyond the antibody response. The reason given was that it would slow down the approval process or could even turn up problems with a vaccine.

That is why I wrote this review, honestly, because I was so upset by this response, he said. At this moment in history, how can we not want to know anything that might help us? We need to get beyond the narrow focus on antibodies and look at the breadth and durability of T-cells.

Hellerstein was also alarmed that most vaccines under development are focusing exclusively on inducing an antibody response against only one protein, or antigen, in the COVID-19 virus: the spike protein, which sits on the surface of the virus and unlocks the door into cells. But important new studies have shown that natural infection by SARS-CoV-2 stimulates a broad T-cell response against several viral proteins, not just against the spike protein.

A profile of COVID-19 vaccine projects by antigen target, as of September 7, 2020. Bars 2 through 6 encompassing 132 candidate vaccines in all represent vaccines that target some part of the spike protein (S) or the receptor binding domain (RBD) to which spike binds. Some vaccines (Multiple) target more than one antigen. Data courtesy of Nature.

T-cells produced after natural infection in SARS patients are also very long-lived, he said. A recent study showed that patients who recovered from SARS-CoV-1 infection in 2003 produced CD4 and CD8 T-cells that are still present 17 years later. These T-cells also react to proteins in todays SARS-CoV-2, which the patients were never exposed to, indicating that T-cells are cross-reactive against different coronaviruses including coronaviruses that cause common colds.

These findings all call into question whether limiting a vaccine to one protein, rather than the complement of viral proteins that the body is exposed to in natural infection, will induce the same broad and long-lasting T-cell protection that is seen after natural infection.

In contrast, vaccines like the yellow fever vaccine that employ attenuated viruses viruses that divide, but are crippled and cant cause damage to the body tend to generate a robust, long-lasting and broad immune response.

If you are going to approve a vaccine based on a laboratory marker, the key issue is, What is its relationship to protective immunity? My view is that T-cells have correlated much better than antibodies with protective immunity against coronaviruses, including this coronavirus. And T- cells havent shown a parallel in COVID-19 to antibody-dependent enhancement that could make things worse, not better, he said.

The effectiveness and durability of the first COVID-19 vaccines could impact, for years, the publics already questioning attitude toward vaccines, he warned.

It would be a public health and trust-in-medicine nightmare, with potential repercussions for years including a boost to anti-vaccine forces if immune protection wears off or antibody-dependent enhancement develops and we face recurrent threats from COVID-19 among the immunized, he wrote in his review article.

Read more:
For an effective COVID vaccine, look beyond antibodies to T-cells - UC Berkeley

Promote longevity with exercise so that you can have a life experience thats enjoyable and fulfilling. We all live different lives and reach different ages, however, some live healthily and die happily. Our goal is to get you there and to ensure that you promote longevity in the most graceful way possible. Weve told you countless times that the best form of exercise is the one youll do. However, theres research that says team sports and certain kinds of exercise are more advantageous and promote longevity over others. Not only does exercise help us physically, but it has powerful impacts on brain health and memory function. Both of which can help prevent age-related neurodegenerative disorders.

Co-author Dr. James OKeefe, a cardiologist at Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute says that our social connections are probably the single most important feature of living a long, healthy, happy life. To promote longevity and both mental and physical well-being. He adds that if youre interested in exercising for health, longevity, and well-being, The most important feature of your exercise routine includes a playdate. We encourage you to always include social interaction into your exercise routine because doing it solo every day wont promote longevity as much as it does together. Tennis, badminton, and soccer are all better for longevity than cycling, swimming, jogging or gym exercise, according to the research.

This is a loving tip from us. But in this article, were going to share a physiologists recommendation for exercising to promote longevity.

Know that your health and lifespan matter. We tend to neglect this knowledge in our daily lives, but essentially knowing this is whats going to determine your experience of growing older. Its a reality that every individual will face so you might as well soak up the knowledge now.

Theres a lot of evidence demonstrating that exercising regularly will promote longevity. Moreover, it protects us against life-threatening complications, such as heart disease. The case for exercise could not be clearer. Yet, when it comes to how much you need to do to extend your lifespan, the jury is often out. Research is increasingly shedding light on the area. However, one study shows that just a little exercise can go a long way.

The NHS recommends adults should do at least 150 minutes (two hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. This includes cycling or fast walking every week to reap the health benefits. Whilst doing as much exercise as possible is great. The British Journal of Sports Medicine, explains that even 10 minutes of exercise a week a day can reduce your risk of developing life-threatening complications.

On the whole, it seems that team sports are still better. Partner sports seems to be much more enjoyable, which can potentially enhance mental health and increase long-term adherence to an exercise routine. Plenty of research has also shown that moderate exercise tends to be as good or better for longevitythan vigorous activities such as running, which can take a toll on the body over time.

Then you get something called, NEAT. According to Blue Zones, this is classified as NonExercise Activity Thermogenesis. This happens with any activity except sleeping, performing sports, or exercises. Think: yard work, walking to work, housework, or even fidgeting. In fact, you might be reminded of those people who never sit down, fidget, or are really hyper. Their NEAT must be really high.

If you sit a lot throughout your days, doing an hour workout wont make up for that time. Whereas, those people with high NEAT scores fidget, get up and walk around for no reason. They move their arms and legs more and generally get more movement throughout the day than others. Research shows that sitting less and moving more will help promote longevity. This also helps us to balance our energy intake which can help control our weight. Therefore, if you dont move much throughout your day, you might be experiencing more inflammation.

Just making small movements adds up. It has a cumulative effect on your health and will increase your metabolic rate. That means that every movement you do, besides exercising or sleeping contributes to your NEAT. Working at a computer all day will decrease your NEAT, so if this is you try your best to move more so you can improve your well-being. It may even be the difference between gaining or losing weight, due to the accumulation of energy throughout the day.Apparently, a c-reactive protein related to inflammation, triglycerides, and blood sugar increases in those who dont achieve NEAT on a regular basis.

So we know now that interacting with other people whilst exercising is probably your best bet. We also know that sitting all day is not beneficial to our health because it impacts our NEAT. That means establishing a happy balance between solo exercise, social sports and general movement throughout our day is a great place to start. But, what about the kinds of exercise we are doing?

Fortunately, Mind-Body Green shares these very helpful tips from an exercise physiologist, Ben Greenfield. Although prioritizing any type of physical activity goes a long way, Greenfield recommends two specific exercise tips to help promote longevity.

According to Greenfield, the fast-twitch muscles are involved in activities like sprinting, jumping, or strength training. In an MBG podcast episode, Greenfield explains that our fast-twitch muscles are powerful and explosive. Better yet, they are more favorable for overall longevity.

This doesnt necessarily mean you have to engage in powerlifting or speed races to promote longevity. He says you can do very short, powerful, quick, explosive exercises with bodyweight only. These exercises are commonly referred to as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routines.

Its always better to challenge your body and not allow yourself to get stuck in a routine.

Greenfield recommends alternating these fast-twitch exercises with slow-twitch exercises throughout the week. He says the slow exercises can include long-distance jogging, walking, swimming, or lifting light weights.

On your HIIT days, complete 7- to 10-minute exercises where you move very quickly and explosively. Keep moving for 30 seconds on and 15 seconds off. Example moves include plyometrics, lunges, explosive push-ups, etc.

Research shows that combining both types of exercise ( for at least 150 minutes each week) is the best way to promote longevity. Endurance exercises, including HIIT programs, promote healthy aging by strengthening cardiorespiratory fitness. Strength training, even with light weights, can slow the loss of muscle mass, which naturally occurs in the aging process.

Ensure you get a good, healthy balance going with what we have recommended in this article. Plan out your days and decide on what youll be doing when.

Then be sure to mix up your workouts and move more throughout your day.

However, activating fast-twitch muscles through HIIT workouts and incorporating light strength training will help keep the body physically and mentally fit. This will help promote healthy aging and, ultimately, longevity.

Give HIIT Pilates a try. Its the perfect fusion to activate and challenge every muscle group.

Two Fitness Tips To Promote Longevity, From An Exercise Physiologist. MBG Movement. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/fitness-tips-for-longevity

How to live longer: Do this much exercise each week to increase your life expectancy. Express UK. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1240482/how-to-live-longer-exercise-aerobic-diet-longevity

Do This Kind of Exercise If You Want to Live Longer, Study Says. TIME. https://time.com/5384491/best-exercise-for-longevity/

The N.E.A.T. Way to Exercise for a Longer, Healthier Life. Blue Zones. https://www.bluezones.com/2020/01/the-neat-way-to-exercise-for-a-longer-healthier-life/

More:
Promote Longevity With These 2 Tips From A Physiologist - Longevity LIVE

James Boyer, MD, FACEP, Ensign Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases) and Emeritus Director, Yale Liver Center, received the International Recognition Award from the European Association for the Study of the Liver during the 2020 Digital International Liver Congress.

This award is particularly meaningful to me since, in no small part, it is not just recognition for a lifetime of work, said Boyer. But also honors our Liver Center and its faculty and the many postdoctoral fellows, whom as I said in my thank you remarks have not only done the work but many have been or are current leaders in our field in their own right and of whom I am very proud.

Boyer first came to Yale to finish his residency in Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital and to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in hepatology under Gerald Klatskin, MD. He later went on to serve as Section Chief of the Section of Digestive Diseases for nearly 15 years, and create the Yale Liver Research Center, which he directed for 25 years.

Jim is perhaps the worlds leading expert in how bile is formed and the various ways in which liver diseases cause this to go awry. Over the course of his distinguished career, he furthermore has trained many individuals from around the world who themselves have gone on to become leaders in liver research. And a number of these people have told me that the best years of their lives were the time they spent in New Haven under Jims tutelage, said Yale Liver Center Director, Michael H. Nathanson, MD, PhD. Nearly 40 years ago, Jim also established the Yale Liver Center, which has and continues to foster liver research here. The Center currently has over 80 members, collectively engaged in virtually every type of liver research, and continues to ensure that Yale is one of the leading institutions for liver research worldwide. Succinctly, Jim is the kind of person that makes Yale the great place that it is.

Longtime colleague Mario Strazzabosco, MD, PhD, calls Boyers impact tremendous.

In the field of hepatology, Jim has helped us understanding how the liver makes bile and the pathogenetic mechanisms of the diseases that leads to impaired bile production or derive from impaired bile production (cholestatic diseases). It was, and is, a very difficult question to address, but Jims ability to understand new technologies and apply them to the liver has made the difference. Jim is also an astute physician and a master hepatologist, and therefore he is a role model for physician scientists. He is an awesome mentor and thanks to his leadership Yale Liver has risen to international preeminence. Jim is also an extraordinary example of scientific longevity, being still very active and still generating original observations. The secret? A deep love for science in general and for experimental hepatology in particular, said Strazzabosco.

The Journal of Hepatology printed an editorial in recognition of Boyer.

Since forming one of the nations first sections of hepatology and then gastroenterology over 50 years ago, Yales Section of Digestive Diseases has had an enduring impact on research and clinical care in gastrointestinal and liver disorders. To learn more about their work, visit Digestive Diseases.

Read more here:
Boyer Wins International Recognition for Liver Work < Yale School of Medicine - Yale School of Medicine

Staying healthy and prolonging your life span takes a lifelong commitment. A person has to be committed to a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle would mean adhering to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Sipping on a certain hot beverage has been proven to aid in a healthier life and boost longevity.

Chamomile is not only a popular herbal remedy and a delicious treat; it also has a positive impact on ones health and could boost longevity.

A study conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch, analysed 1,677 Mexican American men and women all aged over 60 and analysed how chamomile tea consumption aided in longevity.

The study revealed that the tea helped to decrease mortality risk by nearly a third compared to those who did not drink the tea.

According to the study's authors, previous research suggests that black and green tea is linked to reduced heart problems, a lower risk of developing cancer and lower rates of mortality.

READ MORE:Coronavirus: Health experts warn to stay away from this diet it will not protect you

One of the more important mechanisms in chamomile tea is its powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

Chamomiles ability to boost ones longevity is contributed by its strong ability to soothe and relax the nerves.

An imperative factor as stress is one of the leading causes of many serious health risks.

Many studies have indicated chamomiles effectiveness in helping to reduce stress in individuals, therefore reducing the risk of chronic disease conditions.

DONT MISS

In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the metabolic effects of chamomile consumption were investigated.

The study noted: Daily urine samples were collected from volunteers during a six-week period incorporating a two-week baseline period, two weeks of daily chamomile tea ingestion, and a two-week post-treatment phase.

Samples obtained up to two-weeks after daily chamomile intake formed an isolated cluster in the discriminant analysis map, from which it was inferred that the metabolic effects of chamomile ingestion were prolonged during the two-week postdosing period.

The study concluded that chamomile tea contains immune-boosting properties aiding in boosting longevity.

Chamomile has been traditionally used for insomnia, cramping, menstruation issues, ulcers, inflammation, muscle pains and digestive discomfort, said Plant Medicine Research.

The health site continued: Chamomile contains numerous medicinal compounds.

These include a variety of phenols including apigenin.

Other research has shown that apigenininhibitsthe growth of cancer cells.

Other benefits of chamomile tea

Created from dried chamomile flowers, chamomile tea contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Thanks to its antibacterial contents, chamomile tea can help to reduce the appearance of acne breakouts.As stress can cause breakouts, then calming effects of chamomile tea helps to prevent this.

When used topically, chamomile tea can alleviate acne, spots, and puffy eye bags.

Also, due to their concentration of theflavonoidquercetin, chamomile can provide protection from sun damage.

Read more here:
How to live longer: Popular tea which reduces mortality rate by a third to boost longevity - Express

SARASOTA, Fla., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Transcendent Publishing today announced the release of Male 2.0: Cracking the Code to Limitless Health and Vitality by author Tracy Gapin, MD, FACS. Since its August release, the book has already reached Amazon bestseller status. Dr. Gapin, a men's health and performance expert and member of the American Urological Association, provides a meaningful impact for men's health with this leading-edge approach.

Over the past thirty years, there has been a relentless population-based decline in mens' testosterone levels by over thirty percent. We've also seen a dramatic increase in the incidence of obesity. Over seventy percent of men are either overweight or obese, which is directly tied to energy, productivity, and overall health and performance. This has led to a men's health epidemic for the 159 million men in the United States.

The Male Method described throughout Male 2.0 was developed to help men lose weight, regain energy, optimize their hormones, and regain peak performance. "We need to go beyond testosterone. We need to take an individualized, systems-based approach to optimize men's health, performance and longevity," says Tracy Gapin, MD, FACS. "Driven by the power of epigenetics, genetics, peptides, and wearable technologies, we have gained incredible insight into some of the most misunderstood aspects of men's health and longevity."

JJ Virgin, New York Times Bestselling author of The Virgin Diet & Sugar Impact Diet said, "As a thought leader in men's health, Dr. Gapin has provided the modern-day blueprint to help men optimize their health and regain their vitality. Every man should read this book."

Clete Walker, CEO of Vituro Health, a prostate health company, said, "Male 2.0 is a revolution for men's health. After my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I made it my mission to seek out potential new modalities, and this data-driven approach is the future."

Male 2.0: Cracking the Code to Limitless Health and Vitalityis available on Amazon and during the month of September the print version is available for free at The Gapin Institute. http://www.GapinInstitute.com

About Tracy Gapin, MD FACS:Dr. Gapin is board-certified Urologist, world renowned Men's Health & Performance Expert, Author, and Professional Speaker. Using state-of-the-art biometric monitoring, nutrition and lifestyle intervention, Dr. Gapin coaches Fortune 500 executives and evolutionary leaders of business, sports medicine, and high performance. He specializes in cutting-edge precision medicine with an emphasis on epigenetics, providing men with a personalized path to optimizing health & performance. http://www.GapinInstitute.comEmail: [emailprotected]

About Transcendent Publishing:Since 2012, Transcendent Publishing has specialized in offering a variety of publishing and design services for today's indie author. http://www.transcendentpublishing.com

CONTACT:Leann Spofford[emailprotected]Tel: (941) 524-4592

SOURCE Gapin Institute

Home

More:
Men's Health Expert Tracy Gapin, MD Unveils Male 2.0 with a Revolutionary Protocol to Conquer the Men's Health Epidemic - PRNewswire

I think you will need some chemotherapy soon, I say gently. Im painfully aware of the tsunami of emotions this will provoke. Chemotherapy patients have many worries, notably how it will make them feel and how much of their time will sink into travelling and waiting.

Every day I have conversations about chemotherapy that involve a balance sheet of risk and benefit, with the hope of convincing myself and my patients that the ledger lies in their favour. But my recommendations are in the end just that, because no can say with certainty that this chemotherapy will help that patient in exactly the way the studies claim. Maybe this is natures way of keeping oncologists humble.

The truth is that chemotherapy is a tricky thing that I prescribe, and the patient undertakes. We are in it together, I say, but this sounds glib because what really happens is that I watch from the sidelines and do my best to avert tragedy. I dont want the we to sound fake, but I dont want the you to be lonesome. And ultimately, it is through being inclusive that doctors learn what really matters to their patients.

Let me walk you through what chemotherapy involves, I offer.

Will I lose my hair? my patient stammers, and catches me by surprise because its not the first thing people usually ask. Her hands clasp her hair and the tears start welling, which transports me to an early experience in my training when a woman was threatening to walk out.

She doesnt want to lose her hair, I relayed to the consultant. What should I do?

He leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes. Well, she can die with good hair then.

He was exasperated but the remark was not worth repeating to the patient. I failed in my negotiations and never saw her again. Much later, I realised I had tried to use intellect to bulldoze through sentiment. Countering her grief with images of wigs and scarves and, desperately, cancer recurrence rates was never going to work. But back then, thats all I had earnest facts and figures to combat existential dread.

When younger, I was sometimes incredulous that patients could really choose preserving hair over longevity or favour supportive care instead of active treatment, even if the chance of success was small. But the older I grow, the more I understand that the most consequential decisions we make in life are rarely binary. It has taken ageing parents, dependent children and the cumulative experience of thousands of patients navigating enormous challenges to realise this obvious truth.

I now know that patients can lose their hair and still succumb to disease. People who brave the same treatment can have entirely different outcomes. Those who elevate quality of life over a drawn-out, painful existence are being courageous, not defeatist. And when suffering patients say, I might as well die, they are not always depressed but have assessed their life thoroughly and concluded that their best days are past.

The invincibility and impatience of youth has been slowly but surely replaced by a deeper understanding of what patients mean when they say they dont want to lose their hair, dont want to go to hospital and will never undergo another surgery. Now, my response is no longer Why not? but Tell me more. This single phrase, more than any other, has opened up world views that I may not necessarily agree with but which nonetheless illuminate my thinking.

Each year, a few patients reject conventional treatment with a staunch belief in alternative therapies which range from being decidedly odd to downright deadly. (Once, a patient insisted it wasnt chemotherapy but an anticancer powder working its magic and urged me to become an agent. The only reply shed accept is that the hospital wouldnt allow it.) A few patients are permanently conflicted, seek opinions that never satisfy them and make unreasonable demands on the energies of staff. The issues vary but if there is a constant, it is the presence of fear. People behave in seemingly irrational ways under the influence of fear. The fear of complications; the fear of the unknown; the fear of dying.

When the philosopher Seneca observed, They lose the day in expectation of the night and the night in fear of the dawn, he might well have been talking about many of my patients. But medical training doesnt really teach us to be comfortable around the fears of patients. Much easier to ignore or discount something than try to understand it. Except in medicine it makes for unsatisfactory care and unpleasant memories.

Once a patient flatly refused to have his diabetic foot amputated, frustrating his doctors. In response to the text-book arguments about the dangers, he shrugged, I really like my foot. It was as poignant a reason as I ever heard. At 90, he was afraid of being sent to a nursing home minus his foot but would willingly submit to sepsis. Eliciting this fear made the difference between treating him with compassion and labelling him obstinate.

Having seen enough such incidents, I am determined to not lose another patient over an argument about hair.

I can tell your hair really matters to you, I offer. I am going to think of options. Her whole body relaxes as if I have promised her the world, although I have not.

I ask her son to help me understand her distress. Its not vanity, he thoughtfully explains. She is a widow. Most of her friends dont know her longstanding diagnosis and she fears they may judge her if they do. If not, they may still talk about her, and she seeks friendship, not pity. Now, what seemed a whim assumes a whole new significance.

From a purely medical standpoint it may be dispensable, but to my patient the loss of a beautiful head of hair signals the loss of life as she knows it, the beginning of the great unravelling. When the hair on the floor reminds you of your mortality, it mustnt be so easy to sweep it up.

Slowly, the factual points I had marshalled take a back seat as I see that what she needs most is empathy and time to figure out her own mind. Maybe she will delay the chemotherapy and keep her hair. Or lose her hair but also her peace. Maybe she will regret the hair loss and curse the day she agreed to it, or maybe she will acquire a colourful scarf and say it was worth it.

The truth is, I dont know and wont pretend to know. These are some of the hardest decision points in medicine. The only assurance I can offer is that I will respect her choice, noting that while I may be the doctor, she knows herself best.

Ranjana Srivastava is an Australian oncologist, award-winning author and Fulbright scholar. Her latest book is called A Better Death

Original post:
I understand why my patient is scared to lose her hair: it signals the loss of life as she knows it - The Guardian

TheBig Data in the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Industry: 2017 2030 Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecastsreport presents an in-depth assessment of Big Data in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry including key market drivers, challenges, investment potential, application areas, use cases, future roadmap, value chain, case studies, vendor profiles and strategies. The report also presents market size forecasts for Big Data hardware, software and professional services investments from 2017 through to 2030. The forecasts are segmented for 8 horizontal submarkets, 5 application areas, 36 use cases, 6 regions and 35 countries.

The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report.

The report covers the following topics:

Forecast Segmentation

Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories:

Hardware, Software & Professional Services

Horizontal Submarkets

Application Areas

Use Cases

Regional Markets

Country Markets

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, UK, USA

Key Questions Answered

The report provides answers to the following key questions:

Key Findings

The report has the following key findings:

List of Companies Mentioned

For More Information Kindly Contact: ResearchMozMr. Rohit Bhisey,90 State Street,Albany NY,United States 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: [emailprotected]Media Release @ https://www.researchmoz.us/pressreleaseFollow me on Blogger: https://trendingrelease.blogspot.com/

Read this article:
Big Data in the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Market Global, Chinese Newest Industry Data, Future Trends, Key Indicators, Forecast 2030 - 3rd Watch...

These days its easy to feel frazzled and distracted. You may be multi-tasking and not getting enough sleep. Maybe youre anxious. And youre probably not doing enough to help your brain work efficiently. If you want to remain sharp and clear-headed as you age, taking care of your brain should be top of mind, says functional medicine expert Bryce Wylde, author of the newly released book Brainspanners.

Accumulation of toxins is associated with cognitive decline, which makes detoxifying essential.

While the brain is designed to detoxify itself, over time this process may become less efficient. Your brain may also be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of toxins its exposed to from the environment and your diet. Thankfully, there are ways you can support your brains detoxification process, says Wylde. And doing so may increase your Brainspan.

Your lifespan is the number of years youll spend on this planet. Healthspan is the number of years you will live in good health. Brainspan, explains Wylde, is the number of years you will live in good health with the healthiest brain possible.

You probably know how much you weigh, and possibly your cholesterol levels and blood pressure. But Wylde says, most people dont know what their brain is doing. We dont give our brain the attention it deserves. Yet it controls the heart, gut and every organ in the body. We arent taught a lot about how to make it healthier.

Wylde says that some of the more efficient ways to support your brains detox process include: M

While many people only think of folate as a necessary nutrient during pregnancy, it is very active in the brain and central nervous system. It also aids in cellular detoxification. Vitamin B9 is found in many fortified foods, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables including nuts and leafy green vegetables.

Glutathione is the most important detoxification molecule, essential for getting rid of harmful chemicals and metabolic byproducts that are dangerous to the human brain. The body makes glutathione but depending on our genetics, some of us are more efficient than others at making it.

Also, our ability to manufacture glutathione declines with age. Others cant get into the cells. Research has shown that a new compound called Glyteine, now available over the counter as Continual-G, raises the cellular levels of glutathione rapidly, within an hour or two.

Our brains do most of their detoxifying when were in deep, non-REM sleep. Thats when the spaces between the brains cells enlarge, and accumulated waste can be flushed away. This cant happen during waking hours. It would be like a railway crew trying to repair tracks while the trains are running.

Wylde explains that toxins lurk everywhere. These include bleach in the laundry room and chemicals in foods and cosmetics. Youve got to pee, poop, sweat, or breathe out these toxins. When your output is less than your input, your brains health may be compromised.

We spoke to Bryce Wylde about how doing something for your brain, every day, is the best thing you can do to ensure its longevity.

Follow this link:
What are you doing to increase your Brainspan? - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: May 31, 2020 11:22:59 am A lot of people have taken to talking about immunity-boosting measures, along with Actor Anushka Sharma. (Source: Getty/Thinkstock Images)

Ever since the coronavirus has impacted the world, immunity boosters have become the buzzword. A lot of people have taken to talking about immunity-boosting measures, along with actor Anushka Sharma who has been sharing tidbits from her lockdown days along with husband and cricketer Virat Kohli.

Alkaline water has a ph level 8 to 10 against the pH level of 6.5 to 7.5 for drinking water. This gives a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is on a scale of 0-14. Generally, regular drinking water has a ph of 7 making it neither acidic nor alkaline. Alkaline water has antioxidant properties and helps to fight free radicals.

There are quite a few studies which highlight the benefits of drinking alkaline water. According to one published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, alkaline water provides higher longevity in terms of deceleration in ageing as it increases survival functions. In another study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, a significant difference was observed in the whole blood viscosity of participants after consuming alkaline water as opposed to drinking regular water after a vigorous workout.

A study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine indicated that drinking alkaline water may prevent osteoporosis and protect pancreatic beta cells with its antioxidant effects.

How does alkaline water boost ones immunity?

An excess amount of toxic compounds in the body means it will have to work extra hard to maintain its biological functions. This may lead to weakness. On the other hand, alkaline water neutralises these toxic compounds present in the body. Moreover, alkaline water is more easily absorbed by the body. This allows your body to use the water you drink effectively, and toxins and harmful substances are flushed out of your system more easily.

Drinking alkaline water regularly can improve the performance of your circulatory system, says Dr Suresh Sisodia, Sr. Vice President, Havells India Ltd. It alters the quality of blood in such a way that more oxygen is carried to vital organs. All benefits of alkaline water work in tandem to make the immune system stronger in order to fight foreign pathogens and infections.

Due to its basic nature, alkaline water neutralises the acidic content in the bloodstream, lowers the Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) resulting in the antioxidant nature of water while introducing a variety of natural minerals to regular drinking water. Drinking alkaline water has umpteen number of health benefits such as supporting digestion and assimilation, strengthening of bones, weight reduction, better hydration for skin and body alongside other benefits such as anti-ageing and detoxifying properties, etc.

Further, it also relieves acid reflux, which affects people who eat cuisines that tend to be spicy. Additionally, alkaline water has antioxidant properties that help to prevent the growth of cell-damaging free radicals, which can accelerate the ageing process.

The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Lifestyle News, download Indian Express App.

IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

Read more from the original source:
Here is how alkaline water boosts immunity - The Indian Express

Dr. Coleen Kivlahan knew what the result of her coronavirus test would be the moment she stepped outside her San Francisco home and sensed she was smelling a forest fire, a symptom that can accompany loss of smell.

Then that persistent cough kicked in. Those are two of the lasting symptoms. So it was no surprise that she tested positive on Wednesday. The surprise was that it had been at least 85 days that she has been infected with the coronavirus and 62 days since she first tested positive. That she is both alive and still has symptoms may be some kind of record for longevity for suffering the disease without hospitalization.

I belong to the very small club of persistent positives, said Kivlahan, who is executive medical director for all primary care at UC San Francisco. She has seen some 60 UCSF colleagues come down with the coronavirus, almost all going through a miserable few weeks and then test negative and be allowed to return to work.

For Kivlahan, the worst of the symptoms are over. She narrowly avoided hospitalization and the dreaded intubation. She is able to get out of bed and even enjoy the luxury of walking up a flight of stairs. But she has lived essentially in isolation with her husband at their home in Crocker-Amazon since March 6, 10 days before the citywide shelter-in-place order, and has no idea when it will end.

We dont know why I am persistently positive and when I am going to turn negative, she said in a phone interview following her test on Wednesday. Im anxious to join the world again.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, does not know Kivlahan and is unfamiliar with her case. But this is the first time he has heard of a patient still testing positive for the coronavirus nearly three months after infection. Within eight days of the onset of symptoms, the virus is normally dead.

I would be shocked if that is live virus, he said of Kivlahans positive test this week. My gut sense is that it is persistent fragments of the virus. This patient may be the exception, but no one really knows.

Chin-Hong said there are not enough data yet on COVID-19 survivors, but with other viruses there have been survivors who develop chronic symptoms like the ones Kivlahan cannot shake.

This is a club, she says, that I dont want to be in.

Kivlahan, who is 66 and in otherwise excellent health, is not sure when she joined the club. It was either Feb. 25 or March 3, the last two days she took time away from her administrative and faculty duties to work in the urgent care clinic at UCSF Parnassus.

On both days she wore a face mask and so did her patients, but there was no coronavirus test available to UCSF patients at that time, and on either day she was examining patients with the standard COVID-19 symptoms of fever and a cough.

I spent a lot more than 10 minutes closer than 6 feet with each patient, she said, so I was a direct hit.

As head of the clinical services side of primary care, Kivlahan oversees hundreds of doctors and thousands of patients, of all ages. She was among 100 UCSF leaders to attend the first strategic meeting on dealing with the coming pandemic, on March 6, three days after she had seen patients in the clinic. The meeting took most of a day, and late in the afternoon as she was hearing about the symptoms to recognize in patients, she started feeling them chills and a fever. She got home just in time for her first cough.

It sounded just like the cough I had been hearing in the clinic, she said. I was having trouble breathing. I knew something was very bad.

She rested through the weekend and on Monday morning she went to UCSF for a nasal swab test and it came back negative, for both influenza and COVID-19. She was sent home to rest and began work on a meticulous medical diary that may serve as a case study some day.

Ive had malaria three times for my work overseas, she said, and I knew there was something severe about this virus.

The journal details her temperature, pulse rate and oxygen level any time she felt symptoms. It also details how, on March 11, her husband, Dave, developed the same symptoms. He also tested negative for the coronavirus but positive for human metapneumovirus, an upper respiratory infection known as HMPV.

Suddenly, we were both quite ill and had to figure out how to get food and medicine, and isolate from each other while being each others only caregiver, she wrote.

On March 15, Kivlahan tested negative for the coronavirus for the third time, but positive for HMPV and bronchitis.

She was given a 12-day course of steroids, and her symptoms waned. Her husband recovered, and she felt well enough to resume working while in bed as shed done all along. But she was hit with a second wave on March 25. She lost her voice, and by nightfall the cough had taken over. She had alternating chills and night sweats so bad that she changed the sheets twice.

The next morning, March 26, she made one of her now too-frequent visits to the UCSF Respiratory Care Clinic. It was one of lifes small strange victories that she finally tested positive for the coronavirus.

I felt relief actually, she wrote. I knew it had been hiding away, under the banner of HMPV, and waiting to take hold of me.

Within a few hours of the diagnosis, she lost her sense of smell and taste for food, which have been revealed in studies to be telltale symptoms. Neither one has come back.

I have a fake smell of smoke from forest fires all around me, she said. It always got worse around 6 p.m. with fever, burning eyes, headaches, nausea. By nighttime shed be so short of breath I couldnt get out of bed to go to the bathroom, and usually I walk 5 miles a day.

But by morning she would feel that she was on the mend, until it started up again. Through it all, she was determined not to go to the hospital and did not want intubation.

For elderly people who are intubated, the mortality rate is high, she said. I was not confident that that was how I wanted to die.

She had the advantage of being able to constantly test herself with a digital thermometer, plus a device that measures the oxygen in the blood and a pulse cuff to measure her blood pressure.

They let me know where I was on the continuum, she said. I prayed that I would be conscious and cognitively clear enough to make a good decision to stay at home until I could not stay at home anymore.

That came on March 31. Her temperature spiked to 102.1, and the dry cough was so bad she packed up for the hospital. Dave was ready to drive her to UCSF.

I said, Give me one more hour, she recalled, and it slowly stabilized.

One of the mysteries is why Dave caught HMPV but it never advanced to COVID-19. He and Kivlahan have joined a UCSF study on couples, one of whom tests positive and the other doesnt. Chin-Hong said she is a model candidate for a second UCSF study being mounted called LIINC (Long-term Impact of Infection with Novel Coronavirus) being set up at San Francisco General Hospital.

How nice, she says, another club to belong to.

One of the first studies on survivors was published by the JAMA Network on May 22. Researchers at Hunan Normal University in China tracked 60 adult patients who had recovered from COVID-19 and been released from the hospital. After 14 days of home quarantine, they were tested again. Ten of the 60 still tested positive for up to 24 days after discharge. An earlier study suggested that patients could test positive up to 30 days after recovery.

But all of those patients were symptom-free. Kivlahan still has the lingering dry cough, tightness in her chest and an elevated heart rate. She still has not regained her sense of smell or taste. Saturday will make at least 88 days since she was infected.

What makes me unusual, and I share this with a small group of people throughout the world, is that my COVID nasal test remains positive this far out from my illness onset, she said. Thus we are in limbo trusting that we are not infectious and that maybe we have antibodies that protect us if exposed ... or maybe not.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @samwhitingsf

See the original post:
The curious case of the SF doctor whos been coronavirus-positive nearly 90 days and counting - San Francisco Chronicle

DAILY BRIEFING Rescued sea otter thriving at SeaWorld, new principal for The Preuss School, Scuderie Italia to open in Pacific Beach

Rescued sea otter Nova at SeaWorld.

A round-upof news, community, and business briefs from sdnews.com highlighting whats happening in our community.

Monday, June 8

NOVA IS HER NAME

Thanks to SeaWorld fans from across the country, a new otter who arrived at SeaWorld in March now has a name, Nova. Nova is the feminine singular form of the Latin adjective novus "new," and it is commonly used in reference to Nova Stella "new star." Followers on Facebook and Instagram were asked to vote on five different names, and Nova won by a large margin.

Nova was deemed non-releasable by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and transported from Monterey Bay Aquarium to SeaWorld, where animal care specialists have been caring for rescued sea otters for more than 40 years. She has been thriving in SeaWorlds care, eating about 20 percent of her body weight daily and getting to know her pool mates: five sea otters ranging in age from 10 months old to 9 years old.

Until today, SeaWorlds newest southern sea otter was known only as 820, the designation assigned to her after being rescued and cared for by Monterey Bay Aquarium. The young southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) was found stranded with no mother in sight on a beach in Cambria, Calif. in March 2018. Marine-animal experts from Monterey Bay Aquarium took her in and provided care and stabilization. She was outfitted with a tracking transmitter and released back into the wild along Monterey.

After much travel and challenge, she was rescued again by the Monterey Bay Aquarium team to improve her chances of survival, and they continued to care for her until she made a full recovery and was brought to SeaWorld.

THE PREUSS SCHOOL NAMES NEW PRINCIPAL

After a nationwide search, Matthew Steitz, Ed.D, has been appointed principal of The Preuss School UC San Diego, effective July 1. The nationally-ranked charter school is focused on low-income students who strive to become the first in their families to graduate from college.

Most recently, Steitz served as assistant superintendent of Educational Excellence for the Vista Unified School District. Located on the University of California San Diego campus, the school was recently recognized as the No. 1 high school in San Diego County by U.S. News & World Report.

We are delighted to welcome Matthew Steitz to The Preuss School, said UC San Diego executive vice chancellor Elizabeth H. Simmons. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, a passion for excellence and a commitment to the mission and vision of The Preuss School that will continue to support outstanding outcomes.

As principal, Steitz will work closely with Helen V. Griffith, Ed.D., executive director of The Preuss School, to build the capacity of scholars, faculty, staff, parents and community partners. As an educator who is dedicated to transformational student success, Dr. Steitz is an ideal addition to our Preuss leadership team, said Griffith. I look forward to partnering with him in preparing our scholars to succeed in college and career.

I am thrilled to join the The Preuss School team, ready to support the schools history of transformational success, especially at a time when our educational system is challenged by a worldwide pandemic, said Steitz.

ITALIAN RESTAURANT COMING TO PB

The owner of San Diego's popular Landini's Pizzeria is opening a full-service Italian restaurant in Pacific Beach.Scuderie Italia will open later this year in the standalone building that last housed Caff Bella Italia at 1525 Garnet Ave. Florence-native Leo Landini took over the former Pizzeria Luigi in Little Italy in 2009 and opened his namesake eatery. In 2016, Landini repurposed the second-tier space above his pizzeria and launched full-service restaurantRistorante Illando.

In 2018, he launched a small-scale eateryinside the Little Italy Food Hall in Point Loma's Liberty Station. Scuderie Italia, which translates to "stable Italy, will have a full menu of Italian dishes, as well as wood-fired, East Coast-style pizza. The eatery will also have a variety of local beers and a curated wine list. Scuderie Italia is anticipated to open by this fall. Visitlandinispizzeria.comto learn more.

UC SAN DIEGO DIGITIZES WINE AND FOOD CULINARY COLLECTION

Nearly 100 historic cookbooks, manuscripts, and pamphlets dating back to the early 17th century have been digitized and made available via the UC San Diego Librarys American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF) Culinary Collection.

Cooks, bakers, and culinary historians around the globe now have immediate online access.

Spearheaded by Special Collections & Archives (SC&A), this digitization project has allowed the Library to share historic and rarely seen cookbooks, manuscripts, and pamphlets featuring advertisements for food productssome materials dating back to the early 17th century.

Making a portion of this collection digitally accessible via our Digital Collections website allows usto share these rare books and recipes from generations past with both the UC San Diego community and the public at large, said Lynda Claassen, director of the librarys Special Collections & Archives. The digitized volumes give users a taste of the breadth and depth of our culinary collection, which includes more than 7,000 volumes and continues to grow. We encourage community members to access and share these newly digitized treasures, whether for scholarly research or personal pleasure.

The digitized items include a wealth of Mexican culinary manuscripts, some dating back to the early 19th century, as well as other unique manuscripts. Additional works reflect the assimilation of ethnic cuisines into Californias food culture, and all illustrate how food and drink reflect the cultural environments in which they exist.

Many are turning to cooking to help them decompress during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Erik Mitchell, the Audrey Geisel University librarian. Digitizing and sharing a portion of the Librarys culinary collection gives us an opportunity to help our community cope with the pressures of the pandemic, while also delivering on our duty to preserve these materials in perpetuity.

In 1991, the AIWF donated half of its library, which consisted of approximately 400 volumes, to UC San Diego. Those volumes focused largely on European cuisine and culinary history from the 17th to early 19th centuries.

In the years since, the Library has continued to add materials to this collection that support the campuss academic interests in Mexico, the Pacific Rim, Latin America, California and the American West.

To peruse the newly digitized AIWF Culinary Collection items, please visit the Librarys Digital Collections website. To celebrate this milestone, the library will also be sharing content from this collection, handpicked by librarians, on its social media channels throughout the month of June. Follow along on this culinary adventure on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The UC San Diego Library, ranked among the nation's top 25 public academic libraries, plays a critical role in advancing and supporting the university's research, teaching, patient care, and public service missions. The UC San Diego Library provides the foundation of knowledge needed to advance cutting-edge discoveries in a wide range of disciplines, from healthcare and science to public policy and the arts.

Friday, June 5

THREE PADDLE OUTS FOR PEACE

Surfers are hosting three separate paddle-outs in the next few days to memorialize the death of George Floyd and honor the Black Lives Matter movement.

The first is being held Saturday, June 6 at 9 a.m. at Tourmaline Surf Park in north PB. The following day, Sunday, June 7, a paddle-out is planned at 9 a.m. at Ocean Beach Pier. The third paddle-out will be Monday, June 8 at 5 p.m. at WindanSea Beach in La Jolla.

BLACK LIVES MATTER FLOWER MARCH

A recent Helix High School graduate has organized a Black Lives Matter flower march Friday, June 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. in La Jolla.

La Jolla community leaders and I intend to be present at the gathering on June 12, said District 1 Councilmember Barbara Bry.I am very proud of the way the leaders, especially the Village Merchants Association, are welcoming the students and their peaceful march to La Jolla.We are truly a community that cares about our City and all San Diegans.

Added Bry: What we know isthatthe student organizers are working with the police to get the necessary permits to meet at or near the Cove.They intend to hand out flowers, water, etc. starting about noon, listen to a few speakers and then walk toward Windansea.

COVID-19 UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE

The San Diego Workforce Partnership releases a weekly email update to serve as a one-stop-shop on employment figures and analysis specific to our regions workforce in regards to impacts associated with Covid-19.

In the midst of Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, it is worth noting that unemployment is significantly higher for Black San Diegans.

Given that this inequity is the result not just of individual discrimination but of centuries of discriminatory public policy, we have an obligation to pursue policies aimed at equalizing access to opportunity. By taking action, including sending a letter to your politicians supporting the CRISES Act, you can help bring about a just and equitable San Diego.

492 total businesses reporting layoffs to the Workforce Partnership since March 10, 2020(up from 482 last week)

75,712 total reported employees affected since March 10(up from 73,617 last week).

This includes 37,045 in the hospitality and restaurant and bar industries. This is an estimate based on the notices received by the Workforce Partnership, although the full impact to employees and the regions economy is still unknown.

240 open jobs that the Workforce Partnership team is working to fill with local employers in ourCareer Portal.

Data from theU.S. Department of Labor:230,461 Californians submitted unemployment insurance claims last week.

SD LOYAL SOCCER CLUB BACK IN ACTION

San Diego Loyal Soccer Club has announced that the USL Championship Board of Governors voted in favor of returning to play for the 2020 season, with a provisional start date set for July 11.

While additional information on competition format, scheduling, broadcast and other important details will be made available in the coming weeks, its important to note that the leagues return to play will be conducted in strict alignment with all local and state public health guidelines.

The announcement feels good, and Im ecstatic for our club, coaches, players and fans, said SD Loyal president Warren Smith. Were beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I look forward to days like our sold-out, March 7 inaugural match.

"We are excited to bring soccer back to our amazing fans in San Diego, said VP of soccer operations and team manager Landon Donovan. Our players are eager to get back on the field and continue putting smiles on peoples' faces."

Fans are encouraged to stay connected in the safety of their own homes by downloading the official team appor signing up for updates and news via SDLoyal.com and #SDLoyal. For more information, visit sdloyal.com.

A.R. VALENTIEN REOPENING

The Lodge at Torrey Pines signature restaurant, A.R. Valentien at 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road, will reopen for in-restaurant dining June 5. It will be open for dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations are encouraged.

Chef Jeff Jackson has curated a menu in honor of reopening that highlights the local farms and dishes that have been integral in the restaurants growth and success since first opening in 2002. This includes Chino Farms corn soup with scallop mousse and basil, as well as the local favorite Liberty Duck breast and confit leg with peach shortbread, arugula, and pine nuts. Guests can enjoy this curated seasonal menu along with an extensive wine list and panoramic views of the Torrey Pines Golf Course.

Additionally, restaurant staff has been thoroughly trained in new city safety protocols and we are certified Clean and Safe by the California Hotel and Lodging Association.

GONZALEZ CALLS FOR CLEAR STANDARDS ON RUBBER BULLET USE

In response to recent days filled with images of peaceful protesters maimed by rubber bullets, California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), along with Assemblymembers Dr. Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) and Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), have announced they will pursue legislation to set clear standards on how these harmful projectiles should, and shouldnt, be used by law enforcement.

No one who is simply exercising their right to protest should face possible injury or death because officers are indiscriminately firing rubber bullets into a crowd, Assemblywoman Gonzalez said. Breaking a city-imposed curfew is not a sufficient basis for use of rubber bullets. Crowd control where there is no rioting is not proper grounds to use rubber bullets. It is past time for the State of California to set clear standards on when and how these bullets are used by law enforcement.

Rubber or plastic bullets, also called Kinetic Impact Projectiles (KIPs), are deployed by law enforcement as a means for crowd control. They are increasingly used to respond to protests and are designed to incapacitate individuals by inflicting pain or sub-lethal injury. But researchers have said rubber and plastic bullets should not be used for crowd control. According to BMJ Medical Journal in 2017, three percent of people hit by rubber bullets died of their injuries. Fifteen percent were permanently injured. Rubber bullets are only rubber on the outside, but often contain a metal center that can easily tear through a persons flesh.

There is limited regulation on the development of these weapons. Manufacturers are not required to keep records of injuries from their products in development, field trials, or actual use. There is also no legal requirement for law enforcement to collect data on injuries from rubber bullets or document their use.

The United States began using rubber and plastic bullets during the Vietnam War protests but stopped the use in protests after a fatality in 1971. They were reintroduced in the early 1980s.

LJ COMMUNITY CENTER HOSTS SPEAKER SERIES

La Jolla Community Center has announced an online Distinguished Speaker Series.

Tuesday, June 9, 10-11 a.m.; Q&A to follow. Fitness expert, motivational speaker, author (and wife of the fitness icon Jack LaLanne) Elaine LaLanne. Elaine is 94 years old and the author of numerous books including her latest, If You Want to Live, Move; Putting the Boom Back into Boomers. Elaine (LaLa) will entertain the online audience with her wit, fitness suggestions. To register for the Distinguished Speaker Series or an online class, visit ljcommunitycenter.org/dss.

PRAYER VIGIL AT KATE SESSIONS

The Pacific Beach Interfaith Coalition will hold a Prayer Vigil Sunday, June 7, starting at 7 p.m. at Kate Sessions Park, 5115 Soledad Road in PB. The gathering is intended to provide people of all faith and spiritual traditions to come together in prayer and/or meditation seeking peace, justice, and unity in our community, nation, and world. All are welcome to peacefully participate. Attendees must wear masks and practice social distancing.

NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE FOCUSING ON NEXT YEAR

The National Lacrosse League announced it is focusing its attention and efforts on preparing for the next season and has decided not to complete the 2019-20 season. The decision follows the cancellation of the regular season, which was announced April 6 after suspension of the regular season on March 12 due to Covid-19.

"While we are disappointed that we will not be able to complete our 2019-20 season, we understand and respect the decision made by the NLL, said Seals president Steve Govett. On behalf of the entire San Diego Seals organization, Id like to say thank you to all of our fans and partners for their unwavering support. The safety of our fans, partners, players, and staff is our top priority. We are dedicated to the San Diego community and will be ready for a safe and healthy return.

The San Diego Seals, who play their home games in Pechanga Arena in the Midway District, concluded their second season with a 6-6 record, winning five of their last six games.

Thursday, June 4

PADDLE FOR PEACE AT TOURMALINE

A paddle for peace honoring the life of George Floyd and all the loved ones lost will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 6 at Tourmaline Surf Park. Meet on the sand below the showers.

It is important that we lead with kindness and come together as a community full of love and support, said organizers on social media. If you can not paddle out feel free to stand in solidarity with the rest of us on the beach. If youre in doubt, paddle out. Your voice and presence matters. Black lives matter.

The observance will include leis. No plastic is allowed at the event. Each lei made and provided will be given to anyone who will be in the water and on land to be placed in the water for a moment of silence.

BAHIA RESORT HOTEL IMPROVEMENTS

Dempsey Construction has completed an extensive lobby renovation and site improvements for the Bahia Resort Hotel, 998 W. Mission Bay Drive. The project consisted of the renovation of the existing lobby, front of house amenities and additional site improvements.

The scope of work included sectional glass doors, framing and finishes throughout, upgraded lighting in the lobby and exterior soffits, new guest services and guest luggage storage. Site improvements included the addition of a lounge area adjacent to the entry drive, accessible parking and path of travel, decorative concrete hardscape, and landscape throughout.

Dempsey Construction worked with the owner, Evan Hotels, to relocate check-in and guest services to alternate, on-site locations, while the property remained in full operation during all construction activities.

BREAKFAST REPUBLIC OPENS IN PACIFIC BEACH

Following the re-opening of its North Park outpost last week, Breakfast Republic, will re-open for onsite dining at Mission Valley, Pacific Beach, Costa Mesa and East Village locations this week at 7 a.m. Encinitas dwellers can expect to return to their neighborhood brunch spot on June 5. Check the restaurants website and social media platforms for a confirmed re-opening dates.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF SOFT PRETZELS

San Diego Pretzel Company celebrates its 25th anniversary providing the pretzel-loving public with authentic, Bavarian-style pretzels.And to mark this important milestone, the company has recently launched its new website: sandiegopretzel.com. During these two and a half decades, their pretzels, sold originally from carts, are now selling in restaurants, bars, amusement parks, convention centers, supermarkets, even at Legoland, SeaWorld, and Disneyland.

The key to our success, and longevity, has been our commitment to high quality, authentic, fresh soft pretzel, and our experienced workforce. Our distribution partners, retailers, restaurant, and bar owners love our consistency and excellent customer service, said Harris Golden, president. And the best part of all, their customers eat them up, literally.

San Diego Pretzel Companys product line-up includes a large Double Twisted Pretzel, New York Style, Philly Style, Munich style, bites, sticks, and custom designs.

The rest is here:
DAILY BRIEFING Rescued sea otter thriving at SeaWorld new principal for The Preuss School Scuderie Italia to open in Pacific Beach - A round-up of...

Dr. Darryl Robinson, our board certified Medical Director and his expert team offer a full range of treatments for all ages, in a laid-back, friendly environment. Our process places an emphasis on learning about your goals and supporting you to make the best decision for you. We address everything from acne to weight loss to unwanted tattoos- and both men and women are welcomed with open arms.

We promise to provide the best customer service, vetted medical spa treatments, and equipment on the market. The Longevity team also offers the following to each client Complimentary Numbing with InjectablesComplimentary Pro-Nox pain control with Tattoo Removal, Halo, and Ultherapy Highly Trained Staff (in fact we require a minimum of 64 hours of continuing education per year per staff member)We don't aspire to make you a new person, but instead, to make you the fullest version of yourself-to help you feel great and to enhance what you've already got, without the pain and commitment of surgery.

Originally posted here:
Longevity - Medical Spa, Body Sculpting and Non-Surgical ...

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Eighty-nine-year-old Vanda Nohinek has plans to raft down Cataract Canyon with her 15-year-old grandson next year. With two new hips and a new knee, one might question Nohineks sanity. But fear not she says.

I feel 20 years younger than I am, said Nohinek from her Steamboat Springs townhome. Im as good or better than I was before the replacements.

Medical procedures replacing full hip and knee joints have gotten so sophisticated that even after Nohineks first hip surgery in 2014, she was back on the slopes skiing and out on the road riding bicycles. Then fall 2015 hit, and Nohinek said her right knee went out. Once again, she consulted with Dr. Alex Meininger of the Steamboat Orthopaedic and Spine Institute.

The whole office is just tremendous friendly and uplifting, she said about the group of local surgeons who recently opened a new clinic space and outpatient surgery center, where they anticipate up to 90% of their surgeries will be performed.

Meininger explained that 20 years ago his mentors told surgical residents that knee replacement patients wouldnt likely be skiing or playing tennis again.

Nowadays, I virtually guarantee theyll get back to those things patients enjoy, Meininger said.

Arthritis and joint pain are not a reason to make sacrifices in your life, he added. If you have goals and desires you need to fulfill, then joint replacement is something you should consider.

Meininger cited a number of advancements including artificial joints designed to feel more natural and the sophisticated instruments used to install them more accurately.

Today, we have available new techniques, such as customized instruments and cutting guides based on MRI or CT images, computerized navigation and robotics that allow surgeons to place the joints more perfectly, Meininger explained. I use computerized navigation to identify the axis of the joint and reproduce it precisely within 1% to 2% of the natural knee joint.

After her knee replacement, Nohinek was back on her bicycle, riding through Europe and logging 26-mile marathon rides in Routt County.

So by the time she broke her right hip last fall, the spunky senior seemed almost nonchalant about yet another surgery.

Wasnt worried at all. What good would it do? she laughed.

Nohinek described how quickly patients are up on their feet, usually the same day they come out of surgery.

Physical therapy starts right away, she said.

Nobody knows that better than Marcia Pomietlasz, another active Steamboat resident who was amazed by her two knee replacements in 2013 and 2015, both done by Dr. Meininger.

I was so excited to have the procedure done, said the 72-year-old avid tennis player who suffered from bone-on-bone arthritis in her knee joint. The new knee works right away.

Both women stressed that a positive attitude and consistent rehab, both with the physical therapist and at home, are essential to a full recovery.

Pomietlasz remembers when her own mother had knee surgery back in the 1980s.

It was a whole different ballgame then. She was in the hospital for four days, she said.

Nowadays, its becoming more frequent to go home the following day and in some patients even the same day.

Pomietlasz even noticed the difference between her two knee operations in 2013 and in 2015. She said by 2015, she didnt have to wear a brace after the surgery thanks to new advances in techniques and medications.

Previous anesthetic techniques caused lasting side effects like weakness in the quadriceps muscle, so patients needed a brace so their muscles didnt give way on them, Meininger said.

Meininger said surgeons are now using shorter-acting medications and targeting specific areas or nerves with anesthesia that need it, which leads to less pain and a faster recovery.

Today, Pomietlasz is skiing and playing tennis with ease.

Even my daughter said, you are skiing so much better now that you have new knees, Pomietlasz said. I was favoring one leg over the other. So yes, this is a whole new skiing experience for me.

Both Pomietlasz and Nohinek encourage older people to put away their fears and seek out answers.

How badly do you want your life back? Pomeitlasz asked. Thats what joint replacement can do. It gives you your life back. The technology is so incredible, and it has to have improved in the five years since I had my last surgery.

Meininger said he is also lucky to practice in an active, mountain community with motivated patients.

Results and outcomes are improved when the patient participates in the process, he said. Our patients have higher expectations for themselves, which means more success.

About two years ago, two private orthopedic practices merged to create the Steamboat Orthopaedic and Spine Institute, which is expected to compete with the reputable Vail-based Steadman Clinic. Michael Sisk, Andreas Sauerbrey, Alexander Meininger, Patrick Johnston and Clint Devin are owners of the new medical facility. Additional doctors in the practice include Bryan Bomberg, Adam Wilson, Alejandro Miranda and Lex Tracy.

In North Routt County, Clark residents Jeanne and Dennis Lodwick are shooing their dog away from a visitor. The duo move around briskly, cracking jokes at each other like an old couple in a comedy TV sitcom.

Jeanne got a new hip just three months ago and is back playing pickleball and paddleboarding. Meiningers partner, Dr. Andreas Sauerbrey, operated on Jeannes hip and also put in Dennis new titanium knee two years ago.

But it was another technological advance that changed the Lodwicks lives dramatically.

It was the most amazing medical miracle Ive ever seen in my life, said 74-year-old Jeanne.

She is talking about her husbands neurostimulator, a sort of pacemaker for the brain.

About 15 years ago, doctors diagnosed Dennis with Parkinsons Disease, a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness, difficulty walking and bad balance and coordination. By 2016, the Lodwicks quality of life had plummeted.

I couldnt hold a glass of wine. I literally had to sit on my hands to keep from shaking, Dennis said.

The two couldnt go out in public, because his intense shaking could lead to accidents. The couple even stopped their yearly driving vacations. Then about four years ago, neurologist Dr. Mihaela Alexander gave a talk about advancements in treatment for Parkinsons patients at the Bud Werner Memorial Library in Steamboat.

After hearing about the procedure called deep brain stimulation, the couple made Dennis an appointment with the Denver-based neurologist.

He endured a battery of mental and physical tests before he got the go-ahead to proceed with the innovative procedure.

As the couple scrolled through cellphone photos of all their surgeries, from old bones taken out of Dennis knee, to an X-ray of Jeannes new metal joint, Dennis tried to paint a picture of how the neurosurgeon proceeded.

They basically bolt a robot to your head that helps guide the surgeon, he said.

Dennis hair covers the two large scars where the surgeon implanted the stimulators on each side of his head with probes aimed at a specific site on the brain. Two weeks after they put in the stimulators, they put batteries on each side of his chest and ran wires to the stimulators in his head. Then after two more weeks of healing, the neurosurgeon dialed in the amount of electrical stimulation theyd send to Dennis brain probes.

It was unbelievable, truly a medical miracle, said Jeanne remembering the first time the neurosurgeon turned on the neurostimulators in Dennis brain. He went from shaking all over to nothing. I told the doctor, thats a really good trick. Lets do it again.

We bought five years of quality life so far. I wouldnt have been able to take care of him without it, Jeanne added.

Dennis brought out his small hand-held programming unit to show us how many volts were going to each side of his brain. The part of the brain that controlled the left side of his body showed 2.7 volts, while 3.8 volts was used to control the right side of his body.

My wife keeps joking shell turn it off if I upset her, Dennis joked.

Although Dr. Alexander was unavailable to expound on Dennis treatment, Dr. Drew Kern, a movement disorders neurologist at UCHealth and the University of Colorado, urged people with movement disorders like Parkinsons, epilepsy, dystonia and essential tremor to seek out a full array of medical help.

Deep brain stimulation is one of many advanced treatments available for patients with movement disorders, Kern said. At UCHealth, we have a team approach alongside our patients to determine the best therapeutic approach neurologists, neurosurgeons, physical medicine, rehabilitation physicians, therapists.

He said patient-centered decisions allow people to live as active a lifestyle as possible.

As for the Lodwicks, Vanda Nohinek and Marcia Pomietlasz, they couldnt agree more and they said it all starts with research.

Always get a second opinion, said Jeanne. Any surgery is an important and difficult surgery. Give it a lot of thought, pick your doctor carefully.

And have a positive attitude and expect the best results, Dennis.

Pomietlasz cant imagine that any active senior would think twice about joint replacement.

If youre happy not doing the things you did before, maybe its not for you, she said.

Theres nothing to be scared of, added Nohinek, who moves nothing like an 89-year-old matriarch. Go see your doctor, and if youre a candidate for joint replacement, just go for it.

Frances Hohl is a contributing writer for Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Here is the original post:
The Longevity Project Part 1: Medical advancements are keeping people active well past retirement - Steamboat Pilot and Today

For many people, living to 100 is the ultimate goal, but becoming a centenarian is a byproduct of multiple variables. You've probably heard that longevity has a lot to do with good genes and a healthy lifestyle, but a new study found that there is more to it than that. Recent research conducted by scientists at Washington State University's (WSU) Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine found that where you live can have a significant impact on how likely you are to reach the big 1-0-0. So, what's the ideal environment? Highly walkable, mixed-age communities.

"Aging has been attributed to be only 2035 percent heritable," the authors wrote in the study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. "Social and environmental factors, such as high educational attainment and socioeconomic status, also significantly contribute to longevity."

The study particularly found that people who live in highly walkable, mixed-age communities tend to be more likely to live to their 100th birthday. "Protective factors for becoming a centenarian were higher walkability index and living in areas with a higher percentage of working age population," the authors wrote. According to the research, people with a high probability of living to 100 tended to live in geographic clusters in urban areas and smaller towns with higher socioeconomic census tracts.

The study adds to existing evidence that social and environmental factors contribute heavily to longevity. According to study author Rajan Bhardwaj, a WSU medical student, "These findings indicate that mixed-age communities are very beneficial for everyone involved. They also support the big push in growing urban centers toward making streets more walkable, which makes exercise more accessible to older adults and makes it easier for them to access medical care and grocery stores."

RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Additionally, "neighborhoods that offer more age diversity tend to be in urban areas, where older adults are likely to experience less isolation and more community support," the study's senior author Ofer Amram, an assistant professor who runs WSU's Community Health and Spatial Epidemiology (CHaSE) lab, said in a statement. So if you're looking to live to 100, set your sights on a location that enhances your quality of living. And for more health tips, check out 40 Tiny Health Adjustments That Can Change Your Life After 40.

Read the original here:
This One Thing Will Help You Live to 100, New Study Says - Best Life

ORLANDO, Fla., July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Engage Surgical, a privately held orthopedic implant company, announces FDA 510(k) clearance of the only cementless partial knee system available in the USA.

The EngageTM Partial Knee system offers porous implants for promoting biological fixation on both the tibia and femur. The 3-D printed Tibial Tray features the patented Engage Anchor technology that provides immediate stability at the tibial interface and the titanium Affinium3D ultra-porous bone ingrowth surface that promotes long-term cementless biological fixation.

The system features a simple, reproducible, ligament-guided surgical technique inspired by robotic methods. However, by using precise manual instrumentation, the Engage technique is able to achieve accurate implant placement and desired ligament balance, without requiring the added setup time and extra expense associated with robotic and navigation techniques.

According to Edwin Su, MD, from the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, "The EngageTM Partial Knee system fills a current gap in the treatment of medial compartment arthritis. Currently unicompartmental knee replacements are best suited for my youngest, most active patients. The disruptive technology incorporated into the Engage implant takes it to the next level, with osseointegration of the implant offering the potential for greater implant longevity, while avoiding the pitfalls of cement."

Andrew Pearle, MD, Chief of Sports Medicine at HSS adds, "Without the need for bone cement, the EngageTM implant system provides instant stability and enhanced compression while also offering long-term biologic fixation. The intuitive design of the instruments make this the best-in-class ligament-guided technique for partial knee replacement. Coupling this technique with a cementless design is a game changer, particularly for my younger, more active patients. As we return to surgery in our COVID-19 world, a knee implant system that is simple to use and minimizes time in the operating room is particularly attractive. Indeed, the efficiency of the EngageTM implant system is ideal for use in the ambulatory surgery center setting. I am excited to use this system in my partial knee arthroplasty patients and returning them to their athletic activities."

Drs. Su and Pearle with the help of other leading joint arthroplasty and sports medicine surgeons teamed with Engage Surgical to bring to life the 32 issued patents protecting the technology.

Dan Justin, CEO and Co-Founder, explains: "Before founding our company, we asked knee surgeons what problems we could help solve. Repeatedly, surgeons mentioned that active patients are more satisfied with their knee function when healthy articular cartilage and ligament balance is preserved. A stable, non-cemented, ligament preserving, fixed bearing partial knee system was needed. To solve this problem, we brought together an experienced team of surgeons, engineers, and manufacturers who are proud to introduce this groundbreaking system."

The EngageTM Partial Knee system, FDA cleared for both cementless or cemented fixation, is available first to surgeons at HSS and affiliated ambulatory surgical centers, and to select surgeons at participating facilities throughout the country.

Visit http://www.EngageSurgical.com to learn more about the technology behind the EngageTM Partial Knee system and Engage Surgical.

About Engage SurgicalEngage Surgical was founded by a team of leading surgeons and engineers with the goal of providing better outcomes for active arthroplasty patients. Engage Surgical prides itself in being more than just an implant technology company, but a multi-disciplinary team focused on clinically relevant problem-solving. The company's mission is to listen to surgeons and support them with the technical and capital resources needed to develop arthroplasty products that address clinical needs.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/engage-surgical-announces-fda-510k-clearance-and-limited-market-release-of-the-cementless-engage-partial-knee-system-301086541.html

SOURCE Engage Surgical

Continue reading here:
Engage Surgical Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance And Limited Market Release Of The Cementless Engage Partial Knee System - BioSpace

Theyre great in your Chipotle burrito bowl, but are beans ever really the star of the show? One person who thinks that they should be is longevity expert and Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner. After years of studying the worlds longest-living people, theres still no better option to put on your plate when youre trying to reach the age of 100.

In a lecture given by Buettner through the Global Wellness Summit, he broke down what those living in the Blue Zones eat to stay so healthy. While their diets consist of plenty of greens, whole grains, tubers, nuts, and very little animal products, beans are an unbeatable staple in all five areas. The longevity all-star food is beans, he says. If youre eating about a cup of beans a day, its probably worth an extra four years of life expectancy.

A cup of beans a day for all those extra years of life? Yeah, thats a pretty solid trade-off, IMO. Buettners findings come from researching the Blue Zones for years, where he discovered the longest-living people stick to that full cup opposed to the 1/2 cup recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Other studies have shown just how incredible beans are for longevity, too. In a study from the Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, participants risk of mortality was decreased by 7 to 8 percent for every 20 grams of legumes they ate.

The longevity all-star food is beans. If youre eating about a cup of beans a day, its probably worth an extra four years of life expectancy. Dan Buettner, founder of Blue Zones

When youre shopping for beans of any kind, experts recommend choosing either a dried or canned option. If you choose canned, just be sure that its low-sodium. Then, add them into anything and everything in order to get your daily cup in. You can use the protein- and fiber-filled food in desserts, soups and chili, veggie burgers, dips, salads, and more. Most of the time, you can even sneak them in without even noticing theyre there. (Looking at you, black bean brownies.)

Those in the Blue Zones are proving staying healthy and living a long, happy life is easier than we think. And if I can up my intake of beans in order to make my centenarian dreams come true, you better believe Im going to stock up ASAP.

Speaking of black bean brownies, heres exactly how you can make them at home:

Read the original post:
Eating This High-Protein, High-Fiber Food Every Day Could Add 4 Years to Your Life - Well+Good

ATLANTA, June 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NFL Players Association (NFLPA), through its for-profit subsidiary NFL Players Inc., has invested in TendoNova Corporation. TendoNova is an Atlanta-based company that develops medical devices that enable microinvasive orthopedic procedures.

The companys initial product, the Ocelot System, addresses chronic tendon pain, which is prevalent in both athletes and the population at large. The investment in TendoNova further exemplifies the NFLPA's commitment to the health and longevity of football athletes. The NFLPA has also sponsored Harvard Universitys Football Players Health Study, from which TendoNova had previously received research support.

Approximately 30 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic tendon pain each year. This includes injuries such as tennis elbow, Achilles tendinosis and patellar tendon pain. These conditions are prevalent in NFL players and, if left untreated, can lead to career-ending injuries.

Chronic tendon pain in my knees was just a normal part of life as a player at all levels of the game, from high school to the NFL. Through my entire career I never found a way to resolve it; it was something I just dealt with. And I was not alone, said former New Orleans Saints All-Pro offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb.

TendoNova combines decades of regenerative medicine know-how with modern data analytics to enable in-office procedures to treat chronic tendon pain. The Ocelot system encourages the growth of healthy tendon to replace painful lesions by performing a controlled mechanical debridement of pathologic tendon. Current methods of treating chronic tendon pain, such as using a needle to poke holes in a tendon, rely heavily on clinician skill and are expensive, invasive or have inconsistent outcomes. This leaves patients and physicians with limited viable treatment options for patients that fail to heal. TendoNovas Ocelot System is a smart tool that is easy to use, cost effective and provides real-time data that enhances the clinicians skill. By making treatment of chronic tendon pain more accessible and reliable, TendoNova's Ocelot System brings surgical level care to the office and training room.

We believe investments in companies such as TendoNova are a crucial part of the NFLPAs mission to improve the health, safety and well-being of players both on and off the field, said Sean Sansiveri, who oversees the NFLPAs health, safety and medical research initiatives. TendoNovas Ocelot System will help players from all levels of the game overcome nagging injuries so they dont become lifelong problems.

Founded in 2017 by four Georgia Tech master's students and Dr. Kenneth Mautner of Emory University, TendoNova intends to disrupt the market with a suite of tools for microinvasive procedures performed during a visit with a doctor. TendoNovas Ocelot system is in the final phase of development and funds provided by the NFLPA will enable TendoNova to reach market launch in 2021.

About TendoNovaTendoNova is a medical device company whose initial product is the Ocelot system, a patented, cutting edge device and digital health solution that brings surgical level care to the physician office. Designed to treat chronic tendon pains such as tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis, the Ocelot system promises to lower both the recovery time and patient cost by bringing a proven treatment methodology into the physician office setting. For additional information go to http://www.tendonova.com or email info@tendonova.com.

About the NFL Players AssociationThe National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protectedincluding ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through the 2030 NFL season.

About NFL Players Inc.NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA, connects businesses to the power of NFL players. NFL Players Inc. creates customized business solutions for partners through licensing, marketing strategy and player activations. For more information, please visit nflpa.com/players.

View original post here:
NFLPA Invests in TendoNova to Develop Devices that Enable Microinvasive Orthopedic Procedures - GlobeNewswire

Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.

Lillie Shockney, RN, MAS, a two-time breast cancer survivor and professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland,mourns the many losses that her patients with advanced cancer now face in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the void of the usual support networks and treatment plans, she sees the resurgence of something that has recently been crowded out: hospice.

The pandemic has forced patients and their physicians to reassess the risk/benefit balance of continuing or embarking on yet another cancer treatment.

"It's one of the pearls that we will get out of this nightmare," said Shockney, who recently retired as administrative director of the cancer survivorship programs at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"Physicians have been taught to treat the disease so as long as there's a treatment they give another treatment," she told Medscape Medical News during a Zoom call from her home. "But for some patients with advanced disease, those treatments were making them very sick, so they were trading longevity over quality of life."

Of course, longevity has never been a guarantee with cancer treatment, and even less so now, with the risk of COVID-19.

"This is going to bring them to some hard discussions," says Brenda Nevidjon, RN, MSN, chief executive officer at the Oncology Nursing Society.

"We've known for a long time that there are patients who are on third- and fourth-round treatment options that have very little evidence of prolonging life or quality of life," she told Medscape Medical News. "Do we bring these people out of their home to a setting where there could be a fair number of COVID-positive patients? Do we expose them to that?"

Across the world, these dilemmas are pushing cancer specialists to initiate discussions of hospice sooner with patients who have advanced disease, and with more clarity than before.

One of the reasons such conversations have often been avoided is that the concept of hospice is generally misunderstood, said Shockney.

"Patients think 'you're giving up on me, you've abandoned me', but hospice is all about preserving the remainder of their quality of life and letting them have time with family and time to fulfill those elements of experiencing a good and peaceful death," she said.

Indeed, hospice is "a benefit meant for somebody with at least a 6-month horizon," agrees Nevidjon. Yet the average length of hospice in the US is just 5 days. "It's at the very, very end, and yet for some of these patients the 6 months they could get in hospice might be a better quality of life than the 4 months on another whole plan of chemotherapy. I can't imagine that on the backside of this pandemic we will not have learned and we won't start to change practices around initiating more of these conversations."

It's too early into the pandemic to have hard data on whether hospice uptake has increased, but "it's encouraging to hear that hospice is being discussed and offered sooner as an alternative to that third- or fourth-round chemo," said Lori Bishop, MHA, RN, vice president of palliative and advanced care at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

"I agree that improving informed-decision discussions and timely access to hospice is a silver lining of the pandemic," she told Medscape Medical News.

But she points out that today's hospice looks quite different than it did before the pandemic, with the immediate and very obvious difference being telehealth, which was not widely utilized previously.

In March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded telehealth options for hospice providers, something that Bishop and other hospice providers hope will remain in place after the pandemic passes.

"Telehealth visits are offered to replace some in-home visits both to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 and reduce the drain on personal protective equipment," Bishop explained.

"In-patient hospice programs are also finding unique ways to provide support and connect patients to their loved ones: visitors are allowed but limited to one or two. Music and pet therapy are being provided through the window or virtually and devices such as iPads are being used to help patients connect with loved ones," she said.

Telehealth links patients out of loneliness, but the one thing it cannot do is provide the comfort of touch an important part of any hospice program.

"Hand-holdingI miss that a lot," says Shockney, her eyes filling with tears. "When you take somebody's hand, you don't even have to speak; that connection, and eye contact, is all you need to help that person emotionally heal."

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Schockney's title and affiliation.

Kate Johnson is a freelance journalist based in Montreal. She has also written for the New York Times; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; MDedge, part of the Medscape Professional Network; Men's Journal; Allergic Living Magazine; and others. She can be reached at kkatejohnson@aol.com.

For more from Medscape Oncology, follow us on Twitter: @MedscapeOnc

Read the original here:
'A Good and Peaceful Death': Cancer Hospice in the Pandemic - Medscape

Marco Bertorello via Getty Images

In March, as Vadim Gladyshev shifted through the reams of data detailing the kinds of people who were more likely to fall victim to Covid-19, the Harvard biochemist started to wonder if we were thinking about the viral infection in the wrong way.

In Europe, 95 per cent of those killed by the disease were aged 60 or over. According to the UN, the fatality rate for those over 80 is five times the global average. Although many infectious diseases impact older people disproportionately, with Covid-19 the skew towards older people is devastating. Given all this, Gladyshev wondered, why arent we treating Covid-19 as a disease of ageing?

As he watched the global arms race to try and find a treatment which either neutralised the SARS-CoV-2 virus or dampen the overactive immune response which leads to many of the deaths, Gladyshev one of the worlds leading experts on the causes of ageing could not help but ponder if academics and pharmaceutical companies across the world were heading down the wrong path. If Covid-19 has the greatest impact on the elderly, rather than targeting the virus, should we not be focusing more on strengthening the host? he says.

Since the 1930s, scientists have sought clues on how to turn back the ageing process in humans by first trying to extend lifespan in rodents, with two drugs rapamycin and metformin showing signs of promise. While it is doubtful that these drugs would be useful in severe cases of Covid-19 where patients are already on ventilator support, Gladyshevs idea was simple. Could prescribing these drugs to the elderly as preventative measures could give the most vulnerable a better chance of fighting off Covid-19, and prevent them getting to that stage?

Since April, his idea has been taken up by a series of scientists across the US ranging from pharmacologists at Thomas Jefferson University to the Boston-based biotech company resTORbio, who are now testing forms of rapamycin in a series of clinical trials over the coming months.

While rapamycin and metformin are typically known for their clinical uses in cancer and diabetes respectively, the reason why Gladyshev and other longevity scientists think that these drugs could protect the elderly from covid-19 is linked to theories regarding biological age. We typically measure age chronologically based on the number of years a person has been alive, but there is a school of thought that biological age determined by biomarkers varying from DNA expression to the length of telomeres, the tips of chromosomes can vary depending on factors ranging from lifestyle to genetics.

Nir Barzilai, founder of the Institute of Ageing Research at the Einstein College of Medicine in New York, argues that the reason some people are less prone to age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer and infections, is because their biological age is much younger. By the age of 65, half of people in Europe have two diseases or more, but half have less, says Barzilai. For me, this is due to their differing biological ages.

Most of the evidence that drugs might be able to reverse some of the hallmarks of ageing, and thus make an elderly person more resilient to viral infections, comes from studies either in human cells or rodents. This data suggests that rapamycin has the potential to revitalise the bodys natural defence mechanisms within the lungs, stimulating cells such as macrophages which are designed to seek out and remove viruses to work more efficiently.

But there have also been further findings in humans which has given longevity researchers increased confidence that they are on the right lines. Back in March, doctors in Wuhan published a study showing that diabetics taking metformin were much less likely to die of Covid-19 than diabetics not on the drug, an interesting finding which backed up previous epidemiological data showing that it can improve lifespan in diabetics. An earlier clinical trial conducted by resTORbio, using a formulation of rapamycin called RTB101, reported that it could reduce rates of respiratory viral infections in healthy people over 65.

Nevertheless when the Covid-19 pandemic began, few specialists outside of longevity research were aware of the anti-ageing properties of these drugs. At the start of April, Edwin Lam a pharmacology researcher at Thomas Jefferson University was looking at a study from molecular biologists across the US which used computer models to predict which drugs performed best when it came to helping the body remove the virus. To his surprise, rapamycin and metformin ranked top, ahead of many highly touted alternatives such as hydroxychloroquine.

Initially I thought this seemed far-fetched, says Lam. But then I looked further and found that some scientists had previously used a form of rapamycin called Sirolimus to treat people with severe cases of H1N1 bird flu. They saw a reduction in the viral load and better clinical outcomes. It had also shown antiviral activity in a preclinical model of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. I presented this to my colleagues and we became really intrigued.

Lam has now designed a placebo-controlled clinical trial to see whether rapamycin can reduce the viral load in 20 patients with mild to moderate cases of Covid-19. A similar study is also taking place at the University of Cincinnati. ResTORbio are now looking at whether giving 550 nursing home residents an oral capsule of RTB101 each day over a period of one month, could protect them from becoming severely infected with the virus, and needing hospitalisation.

Nursing home residents have a very high risk of dying from Covid-19, says Joan Mannick, co-founder and chief medical officer of resTORbio. This elevated mortality has made the public acutely aware of the dysfunction of the aging immune system. I think the pandemic has the potential to catalyse interest in therapeutics that target aging biology as a new way to improve the function of aging organ systems.

But other scientists looking at ways to protect the elderly from Covid-19 caution that while they will be monitoring the results of the trials with interest, the evidence regarding the effectiveness of anti-ageing drugs remains limited. Its an interesting approach, but the data will have to speak for itself, says Ofer Levy, who heads the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Childrens Hospital. Its all about safety and efficacy. Is it safe, how long can they be on it, and then is it effective? But its something to consider.

Levy points to another potentially promising approach for protecting the elderly from Covid-19, vaccines which are specifically designed for older people. These typically contain additional chemicals known as adjuvants to try and kick-start the ageing immune system. Its an approach which was successfully used by British pharma company GlaxoSmithKline to create the Shingrix vaccine in the past five years. This has shown to be highly effective in preventing shingles in people over 50, and Levy is looking to apply this strategy to a Covid-19 vaccine.

One of the ironies of vaccine development is that while over 65s stand to benefit most from immunisation, research has often shown that vaccines against influenza and other infections are at their least effective in the very old. This is thought to be due to changes in the blood which affect the immune response. As we age, the blood plasma changes and we tend to develop a low level of inflammation in our bloodstream, Levy says. Because of this, when you try to immunise someone, you often get an incomplete response to the vaccine.

Instead, Levys group is designing a vaccine which is specifically modelled on older immune systems. Our approach is to take blood donations from elderly volunteers, and then we isolate the immune cells in a dish, he says. We then screen lots of small molecules until we find ones which are like rocket fuel to the immune system, we add them to the vaccine and select the formulations which seem to work best against the coronavirus. This is completely different to normal vaccine development as were actually designing it with the ageing immune system in mind.

He hopes that such a vaccine could be in clinical trials by autumn 2021. Barzilai points out that in the meantime there is some evidence to suggest that supplementary treatment with rapamycin could enhance the effectiveness of the first wave of vaccines when they become available, with Japanese company AnGes hoping to make their Covid-19 vaccine available at the start of next year. Rapamycin has previously been shown to enhance the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. Im sure that the initial vaccines will not be effective in the elderly, because their designs ignore their immune deficiencies, Barzilai says. But rapamycin could make a difference.

With the increased interest in rapamycin, longevity scientists predict that Covid-19 could prove to be a major boon for the field of anti-ageing research, a sector which has already been benefiting from injections of funding in recent years. Last year Barzilai received $75 million (60.5m) to conduct the TAME clinical trial, looking at whether giving metformin to elderly people over a period of four to five years can give them more years of good health. Gladyshev says that the three Covid-19 clinical trials involving rapamycin could provide a whole host of information regarding its ability to reduce biological age.

However, Barzilai is still frustrated that many within the medical community appear to be unaware of the potential of these drugs. He points to the Wuhan study in March, saying that while similar findings have been observed in Italy and Spain, no one has conducted a clinical trial looking at whether administering metformin to the elderly population in general, can offer protective benefits against Covid-19.

The major problem is that our health organisations are in silo and so ageing is often overlooked as a risk factor in these diseases, he says. For me, the question is why are we not using these two drugs on a wider scale to try and protect the vulnerable, when we already have information that they can offer benefit? Metformin has been used clinically for 60 years, its already known to be safe. If we just focus on stopping the disease in older people, the whole mortality issue would be different, the lockdowns wouldnt need to happen, and the economic impacts would be less as well.

Google got rich from your data. DuckDuckGo is fighting back

The Animal Crossing fans running in-game businesses

Inside the 'bullshit' get-rich-quick world of dropshipping

The secret behind the success of Apple's AirPods

The UK's lockdown rules, explained

Follow WIRED on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn

Get The Email from WIRED, your no-nonsense briefing on all the biggest stories in technology, business and science. In your inbox every weekday at 12pm sharp.

by entering your email address, you agree to our privacy policy

Thank You. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. You will hear from us shortly.

Sorry, you have entered an invalid email. Please refresh and try again.

Read more:
To slow the coronavirus death toll we may need to slow down ageing - Wired.co.uk