Monthly Archives: February 2017

Faulty genomic pathway linked to schizophrenia developing in utero, study finds – Medical Xpress

Posted: February 28, 2017 at 5:47 am

February 27, 2017 by Ellen Goldbaum Credit: University at Buffalo

The skin cells of four adults with schizophrenia have provided an unprecedented "window" into how the disease began while they were still in the womb, according to a recent paper in Schizophrenia Research.

The paper was published online in January by researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo in collaboration with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. It provides what the authors call the first proof of concept for their hypothesis that a common genomic pathway lies at the root of schizophrenia.

The researchers say the work is a first step toward the design of treatments that could be administered to pregnant mothers at high risk for bearing a child with schizophrenia, potentially preventing the disease before it begins.

Multiple mutations

"In the last 10 years, genetic investigations into schizophrenia have been plagued by an ever-increasing number of mutations found in patients with the disease," said Michal K. Stachowiak, PhD, senior author on the paper, and professor in the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.

PHOTO available here.

"We show for the first time that there is, indeed, a common, dysregulated gene pathway at work here," he said.

The authors gained insight into the early brain pathology of schizophrenia by using skin cells from four adults with schizophrenia and four adults without the disease that were reprogrammed back into induced pluripotent stem cells and then into neuronal progenitor cells.

"By studying induced pluripotent stem cells developed from different patients, we recreated the process that takes place during early brain development in utero, thus obtaining an unprecedented view of how this disease develops," said Stachowiak. "This work gives us an unprecedented insight into those processes."

A central intersection point

The research provides what he calls proof of concept for the hypothesis he and his colleagues published in 2013. They proposed that a single genomic pathway, called the Integrative Nuclear FGFR 1 Signaling (INFS), is a central intersection point for multiple pathways involving more than 100 genes believed to be involved in schizophrenia.

"This research shows that there is a common dysregulated gene program that may be impacting more than 1,000 genes and that the great majority of those genes are targeted by the dysregulated nuclear FGFR1," Stachowiak said.

When even one of the many schizophrenia-linked genes undergoes mutation, by affecting the INFS it throws off the development of the brain as a whole, similar to the way that an entire orchestra can be affected by a musician playing just one wrong note, he said.

The next step in the research is to use these induced pluripotent stem cells to further study how the genome becomes dysregulated, allowing the disease to develop.

"We will utilize this strategy to grow cerebral organoids - mini-brains in a sense - to determine how this genomic dysregulation affects early brain development and to test potential preventive or corrective treatments," he said.

Explore further: Stem cell research helps to identify origins of schizophrenia

More information: S.T. Narla et al, Common developmental genome deprogramming in schizophreniaRole of Integrative Nuclear FGFR1 Signaling (INFS), Schizophrenia Research (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.12.012

New University at Buffalo research demonstrates how defects in an important neurological pathway in early development may be responsible for the onset of schizophrenia later in life.

An in-depth computational analysis of genetic variants implicated in both schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh points to eight genes that may explain why susceptibility to ...

By turning skin cells into brain neurons, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified that certain tiny molecules aiding in gene expression, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), are under-expressed ...

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have used human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to identify a characteristic of abnormal brain development in schizophrenia. Published in Translational Psychiatry, ...

Schizophrenia has been considered an illness of disrupted brain connectivity since its earliest descriptions. Several studies have suggested brain white matter is affected not only in patients with schizophrenia but also ...

(HealthDay)There is a genetic link for strabismus and schizophrenia, with almost half of the genes dysregulated in strabismic medial rectus muscle identified as biomarkers for schizophrenia, according to a study presented ...

We all know that practice makes us better at things, but scientists are still trying to understand what kinds of practice work best. A research team led by a Brown University computer scientist has found insights about how ...

If your name is Fred, do you look like a Fred? You mightand others might think so, too. New research published by the American Psychological Association has found that people appear to be better than chance at correctly ...

The skin cells of four adults with schizophrenia have provided an unprecedented "window" into how the disease began while they were still in the womb, according to a recent paper in Schizophrenia Research.

Flashbacks of scenes from traumatic events often haunt those suffering from psychiatric conditions, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). "The close relationship between the human imagery system and our emotions ...

Small study in 16 people suggests technique is safe and might help improve mood, anxiety and wellbeing, while increasing weight.

These days, it's a territory mostly dominated by the likes of Raffi and the Wiggles, but there's new evidence that lullabies, play songs, and other music for babies and toddlers may have some deep evolutionary roots.

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Jennifer Saunders Claims Political Correctness Has Ended … – Huffington Post UK

Posted: at 5:47 am

Jennifer Saunders has claimed political correctness has put paid to there being any more Absolutely Fabulous.

The comedian has ruled out resurrecting characters Edina and Patsy for another series of the BBC sitcom because people are now too easily offended.

Handout via Getty Images

Speaking to the Press Association (via The Mirror), she said:People are so politically correct now; we couldnt get away with anything. You cant even get away to be a politically incorrect character, because that is seen as being politically incorrect [sic].

Everyones down on everyone for everything.

Her co-star Joanna Lumley seemed to agree, adding it was best toleave it where it is.

The worlds a bit funny now, its gone a bit strange, its a bit harder to parody, Jennifer continued.

Because so much of the world right now is so grim, and hard and fearful, and people so take affront at everything.

BBC

Absolutely Fabulous had a outing on the big screen last year, which proved to be a hit at the box office.

However, it wasnt without its controversy, as it faced accusations of racism when Janette Tough - best known for her portrayal of Wee Jimmy Krankie - was cast as fictional male Japanese fashion designer, Huki Muki.

Stand-up Margaret Chowho branded the casting as yellowface,by having a white actor playing an Asian character.

#YELLOWFACE is racism. Sorry. Its unacceptable, she tweeted. Not now. I was thrilled about #abfabmovie but now I just cant be. Im very disappointed.

I love AbFab but #YELLOWFACE is something I cannot watch - I just cant. Its sad when heroes are no longer heroic. Too bad. #racism.

She added: Its hard enough to get into film and TV as a person of color - and when roles written for us are played by white actors - its an outrage.

Joanna previously spoke out against political correctness, claiming it was watering down British comedy.

'Absolutely Fabulous' Film Premiere

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders pose with guests at the World Premiere of 'Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie' at Odeon Leicester Square on June 29, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)

David M. Benett via Getty Images

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Remembering Ren Hang: A Subversive to China’s Censorship – The … – Daily Beast

Posted: at 5:45 am

Ren Hang, the controversial Bejing photographer, has died at 29 of suicide.

Always provocative and often surreal, Hang featured his friends (and later his fans) nude. While his work was controversial in conservative China, it was revered worldwide. Like Ai Wei Wei, Ren Hang was on the front lines for expression in art in a China. The battle wasn't easy, and he was often censored and arrested for his explicit photographs.

Much of Hang's work is explicit (featuring erections, urine, and sexual acts), but on a broader spectrum he explored youth, sexuality, and nature in beautiful ways. Dwarfing nude human forms against monstrous Beijing architecture, or juxtaposing a sullen subject against milky waters, his work often feltethereal. While the focus of his critics was always been the explicit quality, he wasn't interested in discussing sex and gender. After being pressed on why he so heavily featured penises in a VICE interview, he responded: "Gender isnt important when Im taking pictures, it only matters to me when Im having sex.

Hang's perhaps most endearing quality was his humility and bluntness. He wasn't pretentious by any stretch of the imagination, casually shrugging off his controversies. I dont really view my work as taboo, because I dont think so much in cultural context, or political context." he said. "I dont intentionally push boundaries, I just do what I do."

In addition to being an acclaimed photographer, Ren Hang was also a poet. He documented his long-fought battle with depression on his website, sharing poems and stream-of-consciousness musings.

Ren Hang's arrests came from violating China's obscenity laws, shooting his subjects nude outside. He faced resistance throughout his career from arrests, his exhibitions in China getting cancelled, and his website being shut down twice.

His most recent collection spanning his entire, albeit brief, six year career was released just last month via Taschen. His long-time parter,Jiaqi, is featured on the cover.

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Critics accuse European Parliament of censorship over ‘kill switch’ to … – RT

Posted: at 5:45 am

The European Parliament is introducing a new rule set to curb hate speech, cutting live debate feeds and removing video/audio traces of offensive remarks. A fierce backlash from press and MEPs has critics accusing the EU Parliament of censorship.

The new rule would let the chair of a debate cut a live feed from the parliament in the case of defamatory, racist or xenophobic language or behavior by a member, also imposing a $9,500 fine on the offender. Remarks deemed offensive could also be erased from the audiovisual record of proceedings.

The step apparently aims to tackle racist remarks by far-right members of the EU parliament. For instance last year, Eleftherios Synadinos, an MEP for Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party, was expelled from the parliament after calling Turks dirty and polluted and comparing them to wild dogs.

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Some MEPs agree that far-right rhetoric can go over the top at the parliament.

There have been a growing number of cases of politicians saying things that are beyond the pale of normal parliamentary discussion and debate, said Richard Corbett, a UK MEP who backed the new rule, according to AP.

What if this became not isolated incidents, but specific, where people could say: Hey, this is a fantastic platform. It's broad, it's live-streamed. It can be recorded and repeated. Let's use it for something more vociferous, more spectacular, he added.

The latest step wasnt made public and triggered a massive backlash by the press representatives and MEPs, with many of them questioning if the latest measure could amount to censorship.

This undermines the reliability of the Parliament's archives at a moment where the suspicion of fake news and manipulation threatens the credibility of the media and the politicians, Tom Weingaertner, president of the Brussels-based International Press Association, told AP.

Many journalists and MEPs took to Twitter to vent over the latest development.

It should be noted that the issue was on the table as early as last December. Back then Gerolf Annemans, an MEP from Vlaams Belang, Belgium's Flemish independence party, voiced his concern that the measure could be abused by those who have hysterical reactions to things that they qualify as racist, xenophobic, when people are just expressing politically incorrect views, as cited by AP.

Some of the MEPs voiced more balanced views, with German deputy Helmut Scholz saying that EU lawmakers are chosen to speak out on the state of Europe, adding that one can't limit or deny this right. At the same time, he said a tool was needed to tackle Nazi shouts and racists remarks.

We need an instrument against that, to take it out of the record, to stop distribution of such slogans, such ideas, Scholz argued.

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Ron Paul: Trump Versus Trump On Military Spending – FITSNews

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AMERICAS NEW PRESIDENTIS ALL OVER THE MAP WHEN IT COMES TO DISCUSSING OUR NATIONS FAILED INTERVENTIONISM

It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Donald Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute. Consider his speech last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). It was reported as fiery and blistering, but it was also full of contradictions.

In the speech, President Trump correctly pointed out that the last fifteenyears of US military action in the Middle East has been an almost incomprehensible waste of money six trillion dollars, he said and that after all that U.S. war and meddling the region was actually in worse shape than before we started.

It would have been better for U.S. Presidents to have spent the last fifteen years at the beach than to have pursued its Middle East war policy, he added, stating that the U.S. infrastructure could have been rebuilt several times over with the money wasted on such militarism.

All good points from the President.

But then minutes later in the same speech he seemed to forget what he just said about wasting money on militarism. He promised he would be upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything, in what would be one of the greatest military buildups in American history.

This greatest military buildup is in addition to the trillions he plans on spending to make sure the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at the top of the pack in the world, as he told the press last Thursday. And that is in addition to the trillion dollar nuclear modernization program that is carrying over from the Obama Administration.

Of course when it comes to nuclear weapons, the United States already is at the top of the pack, having nearly 7,000 nuclear warheads. How many times do we need to be able to blow up the world?

At CPAC, President Trump is worried about needlessly spending money on military misadventures, but then in the same speech he promised even more military misadventures in the Middle East.

Where is the money going to come from for all this? Is the President going to raise taxes to pay for it? Is he going to make massive cuts in domestic spending?

In the same CPAC speech, President Trump reiterated his vow to massively lower taxes on the middle class, reduce taxes on American business, and make our tax code more simple and much more fair for everyone. And thats all good. So its not coming from there.

Will he cut domestic spending? The President has indicated that he also wants a massive infrastructure modernization program launched in the near future. The plan will likely cost far in excess of the trillion dollars the President has suggested.

That leaves only one solution: printing money out of thin air. It has been the favorite trick of his predecessors. While he correctly condemns the $20 trillion national debt passed down from previous Administrations, his policies promise to add to that number in a massive way. Printing money out of thin air destroys the currency, hastening a U.S. economic collapse and placing a very cruel tax on the working and middle classes as well.

Following the Presidents constantly changing policies can make you dizzy. Thats a shame because the solution is very simple: end the U.S. military empire overseas, cut taxes and regulations at home, end the welfare magnet for illegal immigration, and end the drug war. And then get out of the way.

Ron Paulis a former U.S. Congressman from Texas and the leader of the pro-liberty, pro-free market movement in the United States. His weekly column reprinted with permission can be foundhere.

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There was one group noticeably absent from CPAC, the biggest conservative conference of the year – AOL News

Posted: at 5:45 am

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. The "Stand With Rand" shirts were out, and the "Make America Great Again" were in among the younger crowd at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference.

Libertarians, who normally make up the loudest and most vocal faction at the annual nationwide gathering of conservatives, had a noticeably diminished presence at the 2017 political confab.

"I think it's disheartening," said Michael Hall, a spokesperson for Students for Liberty. "I'd like to see more libertarians here."

In previous years, armies of supporters swarmed the conference halls championing Sen. Rand Paul and formerly Ron Paul as the future of the Republican Party. These attendees argued that an embrace of libertarianism would usher in a wave of youth support and rescue the GOP from assured death.

But, after President Donald Trump's surprise November victory, the CPAC program conspicuously changed, underscoring nationalistic ideals while tepidly moving away from principles of small government that were popular among conservatives during President Barack Obama's eight years in office.

The ideological shift at the conference aligned with the dominance of a new populist strain that took hold of the Republican Party in the 2016 campaign.

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Scenes from CPAC 2017

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Joe Enders of Chicago, Illinois, wears a "Make America Great Again" cap as he listens to remarks during the opening day of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an annual gathering of conservative politicians, journalists and celebrities, at National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 22, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Theiler

A man uses a rifle at a virtual shooting range hosted by the National Rifle Association at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

US President Donald Trump addreses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, on February 24, 2017. / AFP / Mike Theiler (Photo credit should read MIKE THEILER/AFP/Getty Images)

Kelly Anne Conway during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center February 23, 2017 in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted by the American Conservative Union, CPAC is an annual gathering of right wing politicians, commentators and their supporters. (Photo by Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Richard Spencer taking questions at CPAC from reporters, before he was removed from the convention during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center February 23, 2017 in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted by the American Conservative Union, CPAC is an annual gathering of right wing politicians, commentators and their supporters. (Photo by Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump addreses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, on February 24, 2017. / AFP / Mike Theiler (Photo credit should read MIKE THEILER/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman uses a pistol at a virtual shooting range hosted by the National Rifle Association at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

A man wears a yarmulke supporting U.S. President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Eric Golub, a conservative comedian, poses for a portrait at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

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Matt Kibbe, president of Free the People, a nonprofit organization that promotes libertarian principles, said this year's agenda and lineup of speakers may, in part, explain the lack of libertarians present.

"I was shocked when I looked at the schedule and, except for Ted Cruz, there are no liberty Republicans on the stage," he said. "There's no Rand Paul, obviously there's no Ron Paul but there's no Justin Amash, there's no Thomas Massie, there's no Mike Lee."

"So maybe part of the reason the liberty youth is not here is there is no liberty on the stage," he added. "It's very much driven by Trumpism and nationalism."

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Nick Gillespie, editor-in-chief of the libertarian Reason magazine, agreed, contending that the American Conservative Union, the organization that hosts CPAC, had "started squeezing out" those who believed in libertarian ideals.

"During the Obama years, Paul pere et fils were the only ones offering a serous critique of mainstream Republicanism, which the party recognizes is drifting," he said an email. "Trump's victory, however narrow, allows the GOP regulars to go about their business as if nothing is wrong."

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the ACU, denied suggestions CPAC had abounded libertarianism, insisting in a brief interview that it was a "very big and important part of the conference."

Asked if he sensed a smaller libertarian presence from previous years, Schlapp replied, "No, not at all."

Yet, despite his claims, Students for Liberty was perhaps the only libertarian-minded youth organization advocating for libertarian ideals at CPAC. Other groups, like Young Americans for Liberty, chose to forego the conference this year.

Cliff Maloney, president of YAL, said his group's purpose in the past has primarily been to "deliver a win for liberty minded folks in the CPAC straw poll" and that with Trump in the White House, influencing the straw poll would not achieve much.

"I'm interested if it makes sense for us to be there, if the straw poll matters," Maloney said, pushing back against the idea that YAL aimed to make a statement by skipping this year's conference.

Others also rejected the idea that the sizable decrease in numbers was reflective of how popular libertarianism is more broadly among the American people.

"Rand isn't there and we have a newly elected president who is," said Doug Stafford, who served as chief strategist for Paul's 2016 presidential bid. "I don't find this at all mysterious or any indicator of the broader fight for liberty."

Still, the absence of a vocal faction of libertarians left many attendees disappointed and dismayed. Kibbe said he was "surprised by the lack of liberty groups," and others who have been active in the movement said they too were disconcerted.

"As someone who came into this movement through Dr. Paul's 2008 campaign, I'm disappointed more of my libertarian friends aren't here," said Matthew Hurtt, a libertarian activist and former Ron Paul-supporting delegate at the Republican National Convention.

He added: "We need their voices at this event now more than ever."

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Libertarians Should Go See Moonlight – Reason (blog)

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'Moonlight'I had already prepared myself for the disappointment of La La Land beating out Moonlight for the Academy Award for best movie. I saw both movies and thought Moonlight was superior in all the ways that matter to mestrong characters, powerful storytelling, and emotional impact. But Hollywood loves itself above all things, and I was prepared for another Crash versus Brokeback Mountain train wreck.

When La La Land was initially declared the winner, I simply shrugged and started shutting everything down for the night. It was only by circumstance that I powered down my computer first and still had the television on when the mistake was revealed. It was a happy surprise to me that Moonlight won, and I just wanted to take a moment to recommend anybody who identifies as a libertarian to go so the movie if they haven't yet.

If I were to describe a movie as being about a young gay black man coming of age in an extremely poor Miami neighborhood surrounded by drug culture, violence, and bullies, it may be a natural inclination to expect something very preachy and full of "Something must be done about this!" messages.

That's not Moonlight. What makes Moonlight work is that it's almost the exact opposite. It throws the viewer into the life of young protagonist Chiron and has the confidence to let us come to terms with the combination of awfulness and hopefulness of his experiences. It's a deeply personal story informed by the real world experiences of the two men behind it.

What does this have to do with libertarianism? Government institutions are shown as failing Chiron, and there's no effort to present these systems as part of the solution. School does nothing to protect him. And when he finally acts out in frustration when the violent bullying becomes too much, he finds the criminal justice system ready to come crashing down on him.

There is no lecturing about this institutional failure. It's presented as a lived-in experience. The story of Moonlight trusts the viewer to understand its deeper meaning. It's not complicated, but it is subtle. That the time jump between teen Chiron and adult Chiron includes a prison stint is handled almost like an aside.

But the movie is far from hopeless, and it's not a tragedy. This is not Brokeback Mountain recast in an urban setting during the crack epidemic. It's challenging and at times very difficult to watch play out (particularly if you were, for disclosure's sake, a gay man who also grew up dirt poor in Florida and had a mother with drug issues), but Chiron does find a path that suggests a way toward personal happiness even as it embeds him further into a life operating through some shadowy options (I'm trying not to spoil too much).

Consider Moonlight to be the film equivalent of the personal stories Reason shares about those who have been granted mercy from harsh mandatory minimum sentences. When we look at the cruelty of the drug war, the use of police in schools, and the failures of prohibition and their disparate impact on minorities, it's easy to want throw out data and just hope that makes an impression. Moonlight attaches it all to a story and invites the audience to live through the consequences of this harsh dynamic partly created by government officials (at the demand of their constituencies) without judging them and putting them on the defensive. The movie illustrates a fight for self-determination and personal happiness in a harsh environment where authority is stacked against the protagonistsomething every libertarian should be able to identify with.

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Precision Medicine: Who Will Live Forever? – InfoWorld

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Crunch more data, build code faster with top compilers and libraries, and take advantage of the incredibly wide vector registers on todays and tomorrows Intel processors.

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Will medical advances using Big Data finally yield a Fountain of Youth unlike anything found in the legendary quests of Ponce de Len? Will someone eventually be able to live forever?

For me, the term Precision Medicine evokes the image of the tricorder,which rapidly and accurately diagnosed many ailments on Star Trek.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes Precision Medicine as an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person.

Matching blood types for transfusions and organ transplants, and other types of matching, are examples of medicine slowly moving away from one size fits all. More recently, researchers have been demonstrating that technology coupled with Big Datamade up of information such as gene sequencing information, lab tests (e.g., blood work), scan data (e.g., CT and MRI), and treatment outcomescan greatly accelerate the move to more precise medicine. And it seems much more is in store.

The futurist Ray Kurzweil, author of The Singularity is Near, has even predicted that within a dozen years (by 2029), humans will be extending their lives considerably or even indefinitely.

Big Data is at the heart of this revolution. Facebook, Google, and credit card companies (to name just a few) can spot trends in behavior. Imagine if all our medical information were available to researchers to study for trends. Call it the correlation of Big Data to find causes and cures.

As you can imagine, many experts expect big things. However, given how much is at stake and the amazing possibilities, it might surprise you to know that the medical field is not the biggest user of Big Data. Not by a long shot. The amount of Big Data available to researchers in the medical field pales in comparison to the Big Data being gathered by Facebook, Google, and others trying to understand us in order to reach us with advertising.

Big Data will revolutionize medicine, but it faces enormous challenges revolving around very valid privacy concerns. After all, what is more personal than my medical data?

I attended a panel session entitled Precision Medicine at the Supercomputing Conference last November. While the use of Big Data in medicine is already in full swing, I was disappointed to be reminded how much harder it is for doctors and scientists to use Big Data in their work than it is for search engines, credit card companies, and shopping web sites.

The panel really painted an amazing field of endeavor, and got me excited about the use of Big Data techniques in the medical field. There are many great initiatives under way and very smart people working on making advances in medicine with Big Data. Yes, by all means protect privacy, but I want to see as much Big Data used for better medicine in the future as we can muster.

And if we develop the technology to enormously prolong lives or grant immortality what do we do then? Perhaps well need an answer by the end of the next decade!

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Miller: Eating mushrooms and brain health – Deming Headlight

Posted: at 5:43 am

Larry R. Miller, For the Headlight Published 9:26 a.m. MT Feb. 27, 2017 | Updated 17 hours ago

Columnist Larry R. Miller(Photo: Courtesy Photo)

Recently scientists reviewed multiple studies that covered the effects of mushrooms on brain health. Their conclusion: fungi have a preventive function against the development of Alzheimers disease.

Another study showed that mushrooms contain compounds that boost brain nerves, increase gray matter and can help prevent Alzheimers disease.

Research studies have found mushrooms contain antioxidant chemicals that protect against the inflammation that leads to cognitive decline. Inflammation is also the root cause of many other different diseases.

The compounds in mushrooms accomplish their cognitive benefits by boosting production of a chemical called nerve growth factor which in turn increases the brains gray matter. Nerve growth factor has also been found to increase the lifespan of brain cells and their ability to function at a higher level.

Another small Japanese research study involved seven people from 50 t0 80 who suffered from dementia. The study participants were evaluated before and after the study period for their Functional Independence Measure (FIM). FIM includes both physical and mental capabilities: eating, dressing, walking, communication, memory and understanding. The study lasted six months during which time the participants were fed 5 grams of dried lions mane mushrooms a day in a soup.

Six of the seven participants showed dramatic improvement and all seven improved their FIM score. The researchers conclusion? The cognitive benefits connected with mushrooms can dramatically improve the lives of Alzheimers patients.

A Chinese study and another done in Kuala Lumpur found mushrooms increase brain function in rats and humans.

Mushrooms have other benefits too.

Shitake mushrooms were found to protect your liver and relieve stomach ailments and have shown promise against stomach cancer. They contain antiviral and antibacterial properties and have been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat the common cold.

Reishi, the Mushroom of Immortality, boosts the immune system, promotes prostate health, lowers blood pressure and can ease arthritis pain.

A relative of the common white button mushroom called Himematsutake has shown to have promising anticancer properties and they help decrease insulin resistance in diabetics.

Mushrooms have been shown to help lower blood pressure and are high in vitamin B3 AKA niacin. Niacin increases the bodys ability to rid itself of toxic buildup.

A study on mice done in Japan found a mushroom supplement was capable of accomplishing complete cancerous sarcoma tumor regression.

Mushrooms are high in the health beneficial minerals selenium, iron and copper.

For more health information plus outdoor and nature photography, follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/larry.miller.14268769.

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Will Red Wine Help You Live Longer? – Beliefnet – Beliefnet

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Besides making you feel more chill and jovial, wine has many other benefits. Studies have linked the health benefits that come from wine consumption such as lowering the mortality rate in people and reducing the risks of high blood pressure because of the magical flavonoid compounds found in the grapes.

According to the American Heart Association, people who drink wine have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. "Research is being done to find out what the apparent benefits of drinking wine or alcohol in some populations may be due to, including the role of antioxidants, an increase in HDL ("good") cholesterol or anti-clotting properties."

We will explore some key points to see if drinking red wine increases your lifespan. Maybe Mr. Garca was onto something that we don't know, or maybe all this hype is hokum.

Here are some points to consider.

There are many factors that contribute to a long life. Eating a healthy diet, making healthy lifestyle choices and your family history all play a role in our longevity. Sorting through all the findings can be confusing. What we do know is there is efficacy to the growing research and studies. However, excessive alcohol consumption is counterproductive no matter what the advantages are. It causes damage to the heart, liver and to the brain. When it comes to immortality, take a step back and be skeptical, but be open minded. Until then, raise a glass and drink a glass of wine. If we don't live until we are 107, at least we can be happy and enjoy a glass with a meal or after work. Perhaps this was the reason Garca truly drank red wine.

The rest is here:
Will Red Wine Help You Live Longer? - Beliefnet - Beliefnet

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