Daily Archives: March 31, 2022

WHO urges countries to keep up COVID-19 testing and surveillance as the viral outbreak remains a global pandemic – MarketWatch

Posted: March 31, 2022 at 2:38 am

The World Health Organization said Wednesday its increasingly concerned at the reduction in COVID-19 testing, surveillance and overall monitoring among its member countries, reminding the public that the coronavirus is still circulating at high levels.

COVID-19 remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and it is too early to reduce the quality of surveillance, the agency said in its weekly epidemiological update.

Data are becoming progressively less representative, less timely and less robust, as many countries start to behave as if the pandemic has reached an endemic phase, where the virus is still present but is no longer infecting so many people that its overwhelming healthcare systems.

Until we reach the end of the acute phase of the pandemic, countries must maintain sufficient epidemiologic surveillance to inform evidence-based operational decision-making on crucial parameters, including vaccination strategies, vaccine composition, use of therapeutics, and tailored and appropriate public health and social measures, said the update.

The global tally of new cases fell in the week through March 27, a welcome trend after it rose in the two preceding weeks. But global deaths climbed to more than 45,000, up 43% from a week earlier, although that might be due to changes in how they are defined in some countries in the Americas and Asia.

The WHO also offered another update on some of the recombinant variants of the virus, includingone that has been unofficially named deltacronbecause it combines features of the delta and omicron variants.

Just last week, the agency assigned that variant Pango lineage designation XD under the system used to name and track variants as they emerge. It reiterated that, for now, there is no new evidence to suggest XD is associated with higher transmissibility or more severe outcomes but said it would continue to keep close tabs on that and other variants.

See: U.S. average daily deaths from COVID fall below 800 to lowest level since mid-August, and FDA allows second booster shot for people 50 and older

The news comes a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the BA.2 subvariant of omicron accounted for 55% of new U.S. cases in the week through Saturday. The subvariant is more infectious than the original omicron but appears to be no more lethal.

The average number of deaths in the U.S. fell again after dipping below 800 on Tuesday for the first time since omicron took hold,according to a New York Times tracker.

The seven-day average death tally stands at 716, down 42% from two weeks ago.

New cases are averaging 29,253, down 9% from two weeks ago, and hospitalizations are down 34% at an average of 17,464.

But cases have started to climb again in states in the Northeast and South, and the pace of improvement in places where they are falling has slowed.

Other COVID-19 news you should know about:

President Joe Biden was scheduled to deliver remarks later Wednesday on the rollout of a new website to offer Americans help in accessing vaccines, tests, treatments and masks, according to a White House official. Biden will outline the infrastructure and tools and the systems the government has put in place to help the country battle COVID.Biden is also expected to urge Congress to allocate the funding needed for the next part of the program and to highlight the risks if lawmakers fail to act.

See: Biden to receive second COVID vaccine booster shot: White House

A sharp rise in COVID deaths during Hong Kongs fifth wave has led to a shortage of coffins, the South China Morning Post reported. In some instances, coffins are understood to have been stolen or the subject of mix-ups in funeral homes.

Adagio Therapeutics Inc. ADGI, +30.39% said its experimental COVID-19 monoclonal antibody worked as a treatment and for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial. Adagio said it plans to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration in the second quarter of this year. The drug, adintrevimab, was put into clinical trials before the emergence of the omicron variant, the company said; however, Adagio noted that it then conducted a pre-specified exploratory analysis among a group of participants in the pre-exposure cohort, and when compared to placebo, a clinically meaningful reduction in cases of symptomatic COVID-19 was reported.

See now: BioNTech reports soaring earnings, revenue on COVID vaccine, plans $1.5 billion in buybacks

CureVac CVAC, +0.52% said it dosed the first participant in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the new mRNA COVID-19 vaccine its developing with GlaxoSmithKline GSK, +0.95% GSK, +1.18%. The study is being conducted in the U.S. and is set to enroll 210 adults. The company said it expects to have data in the second half of this year. Continued innovation and progress in the development of mRNA-based vaccines is a critical prerequisite to combat the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Klaus Edvardsen, CureVacs chief development officer, said in a news release.

Heres what the numbers say

The global tally of confirmed cases of COVID-19 topped 485.8 million on Tuesday, while the death toll rose above 6.13 million,according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. leads the world with 80 million cases and 978,842 fatalities.

TheCenters for Disease Control and Preventions trackershows that 217.5 million people living in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, equal to 65.5% of the population. But just 97.4 million are boosted, equal to 44.8% of the vaccinated population.

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COVID-19 and Sex: What Men Need to Know – Everyday Health

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Just over two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, experts are still unraveling the mysterious impacts the coronavirus has on almost every part of the body from the heart, lungs, and brain to the eyes, skin, and reproductive organs.

While most studies on COVID-19s effect on fertility have focused on women, emerging research on men is starting to show that the infection may lead to a temporary dip in male fertility and sexual function.

A study published in November 2021 in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation found that men whod had COVID-19 were over 3 times more likely to experience erectile dysfunction than men whod not had COVID-19. Still, this accounted for less than 5 percent of people in the study whod been infected.

According to Kevin Chu, MD, an andrology fellow at the University of Miami, the discovery of the coronavirus in penile and testicular tissue raised questions that required answers.

Finding virus in this tissue is what first drove researchers to look at certain parts of the body that werent initially looked at, says Dr. Chu. There is still so much we dont know.

For astudy published in February 2022 in the journal Sexual Medicine, Chu and his coauthors hypothesized that because COVID-19 can result in the constriction of blood vessels around the heart, it might affect a mans ability to have an erection.

You need good blood flow into the penis to get good erections, and if thats impacted, that could cause erectile dysfunction, says Chu.

He and his team reviewed electronic medical records of millions of patients in the United States, identifying over 230,000 adult men who had COVID-19 and comparing them with a similar number of men who were not infected. Their conclusion: COVID-19 can be linked to erectile dysfunction.

According to Chu, experts should continue to review new data as it comes out.

Looking for associations is an important first step, but we need to then identify these cause-and-effect correlations, he says.

Its important to note that erections are not purely biological. They require psychosocial factors and that needs to be looked at, too, Chu says, explaining that the mental strain from being sick or even the stress of the pandemic might come into play.

Scientists have long documented the toll that stress takes on libido and sexual function, but the research on how pandemic-related stress is affecting peoples sex lives has produced mixed results.

A meta-analysis published in January 2022 in the journal BMC Public Health looked at 26 studies involving nearly 2,500 women and 3,800 men. Overall, the researchers found that there was an association between the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced sexual activity, especially in women, and that fear of contracting or transmitting COVID-19 had the greatest impact on the occurrence of sexual dysfunction.

But a small study published in February 2021 in the journal Sexual Medicine, which included 76 male cannabis users, found that the pandemic didnt appear to influence sexual function and actually increased sexual activity.

The research on how COVID-19 may impact male fertility is also new, but a growing body of evidence suggests it might have a negative effect, at least in the short term.

A study of 120 men published in February 2022 in the journal Fertility and Sterility found that 60 percent of those whod had COVID-19 experienced reduced sperm motility (referring to sperms ability to move) in the month following infection, even though the virus was not detected in the sperm itself.

Because the research is still new, its not clear how long this drop in fertility lasts, though the authors estimated around three months.

A separate study, published in January 2022 in the American Journal of Epidemiology, included more than 2,100 couples. Researchers found that while COVID-19 in women didnt appear to impair their ability to get pregnant, COVID-19 in men did seem to reduce fertility. Compared with males who did not have COVID-19 within the last 60 days, men who did were almost 20 percent less likely to conceive during that time frame.

We assume that the effects wont be permanent but we dont know that yet, says Chas Easley, PhD, an associate professor of environmental health science at the University of Georgia School of Public Health in Athens, who was not involved with the research.

According to Dr. Easley, all viruses target different receptors, or proteins, to gain entry into cells. The coronavirus behind COVID-19 targets two proteins: ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Easley and some other experts hypothesize that organs that contain both these proteins are particularly susceptible to infection by the COVID-19 virus. The testes, which are the organs responsible for making sperm, contain both.

Sertoli cells, a type of cell in the testes, also contain these proteins. These cells form a physical barrier that separates blood vessels from the testes, called the blood-testis barrier. When the virus latches onto these proteins, it disrupts the function of Sertoli cells in multiple ways.

If you screw up the Sertoli cells, you lose the ability to promote the spermiogenesis required to create real sperm, says Easley.

He advises people whove had COVID-19 and are having difficulty conceiving to consider testing to evaluate sperm count and sperm motility.

According to Easley, none of the COVID-19 vaccines reduce male fertility. The vaccine cant cause infertility but the virus can, he says.

The study published in January 2022 in the American Journal of Epidemiology found no difference in male or female fertility among uninfected people who were vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines compared with uninfected people who were not vaccinated.

The new study backs up prior research on mRNA vaccines. An investigation published in June 2021 in JAMA, which included 45 men who received two doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, found that the vaccine did not lower sperm counts. In fact, sperm counts increased, from a median count of 26 million per milliliter at baseline to 30 million per milliliter after the second shot.

According to Easley, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is an important way for men to protect their fertility.

"Even mild cases of COVID can lead to decreased sperm counts, lower sperm motility, and increased DNA fragmentation in sperm, and we predict that vaccines will prevent this damage," he says.

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Need a COVID test in Utah? Be prepared to pay the price – Deseret News

Posted: at 2:38 am

Starting Friday, most Utahns will no longer have access to free COVID-19 testing and theres no limit on how much the companies hired by the state to run testing sites can start charging patients, according to the Utah Department of Health.

Prices for testing are set by the market, Nate Checketts, the departments executive director, told reporters Wednesday during a virtual news conference on Utahs move to a steady state pandemic response announced earlier this month by Gov. Spencer Cox.

Utahns are encouraged to check between multiple companies to find the one thats the best fit for an individual, and that may include the cost of the services provided because they can vary, just as they might for other medical services, he said.

When it comes to COVID-19 tests, the price tag to get testing needed for travel ranges from $60 to $350, depending on the type of test required before a trip and the company providing it, the state health department says on its coronavirus.utah.gov website, pointing out that insurance may not be accepted.

Checketts said signs and other materials should be posted at sites that are transitioning to for-profit testing to alert Utahns that when April starts, it will be a company seeking to make money rather than the state vendor offering the service.

But its not clear which sites will be privately run after the governors Thursday deadline for shifting COVID-19 testing and treatment to private providers, or whether there will be new for-profit locations opened, although Checketts said he doesnt expect new companies to start offering testing in Utah.

We dont know that, state health department spokeswoman Jenny Johnson told the Deseret News, since the vendors Nomi Health, Mako Medical and TourHealth have not provided lists of sites theyll operate privately after Thursday. When they do, those sites will be included on the state website, Johnson said.

She said the agreements for the remaining testing sites were with the state, so companies that wanted to continue for-profit testing in the same location would have to secure new agreements with the property owners on their own.

Orem-based Nomi Health will continue offering COVID-19 testing at the Provo Towne Center and in the next few days, more sites will be announced, spokeswoman Jenny Olson said. She said state sites operated by the company in Logan and Ogden are set to remain open at least until April 15, as for-profit sites.

The Nomi Health sites will be requesting insurance for both rapid antigen and PCR tests, but wont turn any patients away, Olson said. She did not know what insurers would be billed for those tests. Rapid PCR tests widely used for travel will be offered for $179, Olson said, and an invoice provided so patients can seek reimbursement.

A marketing company associated with TourHealth, which provides testing at sites in South Carolina and in mobile vans in Utah, did not respond to questions. A spokeswoman for MAKO Medical in North Carolina, Heather Matthews, said, At this time, MAKO will not be offering for-profit testing in Utah.

MAKO, which ran state testing sites in Grand, San Juan and Sanpete counties, has been honored to serve the citizens of Utah and we stand ready to re-engage should state leaders request our assistance, Ryan Dienst, executive vice president of strategy and business development, said in a statement.

Our contract will remain in place, so we are able to re-engage and provide COVID-19 testing at any time, Dienst said.

Checketts said Utah is ready to ramp up services like testing again should there be another surge. But neither he nor state epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen were able to spell out specifically what would have to happen to trigger a resumption of state testing and treatments for COVID-19.

Nolen said while there will certainly be future waves of the virus coming, ramping up is something to look at when we have severe disease that overwhelms the health care system. Going forward, the state will focus more on measures like emergency room visits for the virus and its presence in wastewater, she said.

The states coronavirus website will now update once a week, on Thursdays, rather than daily, Nolen said, and Utahns will need to look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see what community transmission levels are in the state.

The changes come as so-called stealth omicron, a subvariant of omicron known as BA.2 by scientists thats even more highly transmissible, is now the dominant type of COVID-19 in the U.S. after driving up cases overseas, especially in Europe.

So far, Nolen said BA.2 has not caused an increase in cases in Utah. She said because so many Utahns were infected with the original omicron variant that sent cases skyrocketing to record levels in January, theres hope the state has enough immunity to stave off a surge from the subvariant.

The best way Utahns can protect themselves against COVID-19 is by getting a booster shot, including the second booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine that was authorized Tuesday by federal authorities. Studies have shown the shots greatly increase the effectiveness of the vaccine against hospitalization or death.

Free state testing, including at-home testing kits, will remain available in vulnerable communities, Checketts said, with more self-testing kiosks expected in the coming months. As for treatments, he said federal funding has been discontinued, and the states monoclonal antibody infusion site in Millcreek has already closed.

Asked about the stalemate between the White House and Congress over new COVID-19 funding, Checketts said many of the treatments are covered by insurance. For the uninsured, he said the state is considering expanding Medicaid coverage quickly to include vaccinations and treatments along with testing.

The state health department, which is set to merge in July with the Utah Department of Human Services, has some money available to restore COVID-19 services without a new appropriation from the Utah Legislature, but whether thats enough would really depend on how large a ramp-up would need to occur.

If COVID-19 explodes again in Utah like it did in January, when cases exceeded 13,000 in a single day compared to the 133 reported Wednesday, numbers so high the governor urged most Utahns to skip testing, Checketts said, that would mean a significant increase in testing that would likely require additional funding.

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Save Over $100 On This Incredible Health-Focused DNA Test Kit – FOX Bangor/ABC 7 News and Stories

Posted: at 2:38 am

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 13:30

Written byTMZ

TMZ may collect a share of sales or other compensation from links on this page.

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BC man and mom to reunite with long-lost family following DNA results Peace Arch News – Peace Arch News

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When Mission resident Glenn Wells submitted his DNA to Ancestry.ca in 2018, he didnt expect a family reunion years after the results.

Wells spent time in the foster care system growing up, and had been looking for his father. Four years later, by chance, hes going to meet a new uncle, cousin, and his mom will be connecting with her long-lost half-brother for the first time in over 60 years.

I was crying because I was able to provide my mom with some happiness, he said. She was totally beside herself, and it was all she could think about.

On March 20, Wells received a message from the other side of Canada from Courtney Mahler. Mahler lives in Brantford, Ontario, and is helping her father in-law, Harry Mahler, dig for answers regarding his biological parents.

Harry, 74, has had some health problems as of late, and decided to submit his DNA to Ancestry several months ago. The result came back on March 18, and Wells name came up as a 12 per cent match.

Harrys adoptive parents never told him the truth about exactly where he came from, according to Courtney, adding he suffered a lot of hardships growing up.

They never actually came out and told him he was adopted. He just always had questions, because it didnt make sense, she said. And then later on in life, he actually located the adoption papers (and birth certificate) in his adopted parents home.

The documents list May Simm as his mother.

After receiving the DNA results, Courtney reached out to Wells on Facebook, not knowing if he was Harrys cousin or nephew. They spoke by phone shortly afterwards, and Wells told her his grandmothers name was May Simmons.

He then asked his mother, Violet, if she knew someone named Harry from Brantford.

Violet is 77-years-old and her memory is not always reliable, according to Wells, but a light went off in her head when he mentioned that name.

She goes: Oh my God! I think I have a half-brother in Brantford! Wells said. She said: Ive not seen him since I was a teenager.

Harry did, in fact, remember meeting Violet and May growing up, but he had no idea how closely related they were, according to Courtney.

She said they visited Harry a couple of times when he was a teenager, but his adoptive family told him Violet was a cousin, and Mays relation was never explained.

Courtney and Harry are continuing to try and piece everything together. She said they dont know why Harry was given up and Violet was not, and May had been married several times.

After his adoptive parents passed, Harry came into possession of some old black and white photos.

One photo shows a woman now confirmed to be May with a man they suspect to be Harrys father. Another shows the same man in military uniform with a baby girl, who they suspect is Violet. Wells said Violet was also placed in group homes growing up. He said he was as well, and so were older kids, who are now adults.

Its been a vicious circle for that kind of stuff, but its stopping here, Wells said of his 10-year-old daughter. Im breaking that cycle right now, this little girl is about to be a black belt in Taekwondo.

Wells is travelling to Ontario to see his mom,Violet, on May 18 for her birthday, something he does every year.

But this time, Courtney is bringing Harry, and her husband, Jon Wells new first cousin.

(Harrys) very excited about it, Jon said. Our goal was to get him the truth before his time.

Theyve also made contact with the family of the mystery man in the black and white photos, and will be meeting with them soon.

RELATED: Abbotsford woman fills in gaps in grandmas war bride history

@portmoodypigeonpatrick.penner@missioncityrecord.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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DNA from welding glove leads to arrest of Delmont break-in suspect – TribLIVE

Posted: at 2:38 am

DNA evidence from a welding glove left at the scene of a 2020 burglary in Delmont led to the arrest of a Washington Township man on Monday.

Jesse T. Noble, 26, was charged with burglary, receiving stolen property, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and possession of instruments of crime in connection with a December 2020 burglary at Fletchers Outdoor Equipment on Route 66.

On Dec. 4, 2020, Delmont police responded to a burglar alarm at Fletchers and arrived to find a door at the back of the building with a smoking hole in it that appeared to have been made by some kind of welding torch.

Officers followed boot prints from Fletchers to the woods behind the building, where they found that a generator, saw and two chain saws had been taken from the business. They also found a welding torch and black welding gloves and were able to confirm the use of a torch through security video from Fletchers. A Westmoreland County K-9 helped officers track the boot prints across Route 66 back to a home on the 300 block of Freeport Street, where it appeared the thief had gotten into a vehicle and left.

During the investigation, Delmont officers received a call from nearby Washington Township police, who had just arrested a suspect Noble matching the description of the man who had broken into Fletchers. Delmont police went to Nobles house on Spring Hill Road in Washington, where officers saw several torch welding cables in plain view next to the house, along with boot prints similar in design and tread to those at the scene of the burglary.

A search warrant for Nobles home turned up boots and clothing matching the burglar in the security footage, and officers also seized a set of welding cables. Security footage from a nearby church in Delmont, as well as from license plate recognition readers in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, appeared to link Nobles vehicle to the scene.

Finally, DNA testing matched Nobles DNA to a sample found inside the left welding glove recovered from Fletchers.

Delmont police Chief T.J. Klobucar said he appreciated the patience Fletchers had as the case progressed.

Sometimes it takes time and investigation, gathering evidence so we can make a solid arrest like this, Klobucar said.

Noble was arraigned Monday and faces an April 5 preliminary hearing in District Judge Charles Conways Export court.

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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Lawsuit: NYPD Secretly Collected DNA from Tens of Thousands of People and Stored It, Violating Unwitting Donors Constitutional Rights – Yahoo News

Posted: at 2:38 am

The New York City Police Department surreptitiously took DNA samples from more than 30,000 people and kept them in a database, a lawsuit from the Legal Aid Society shows.

Once the DNA profiles are stored in the database, the department uses them in genetic lineups, comparing them to samples from previous and future crimes.

The legal advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit demanding the NYPD removes the DNA profiles and eliminate the database, which attorneys say disproportionately targets Black and brown people.

A bag to collect forensic evidence is seen as the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner hosts DNA Extraction demonstration on Sept. 6, 2018, to unveil groundbreaking technology allowing OCME to test degraded DNA samples. (Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Thousands of New Yorkers, most of whom are Black and brown, and many of whom have never been convicted of any crime, are illegally in the Citys rogue DNA database, which treats people as suspects in every crime involving DNA, Phil Desgranges, a supervising lawyer in Legal Aid Societys Special Litigation Unit of the Criminal Defense Practice, said.

State law requires police to get a court order or a conviction before someones DNA can be kept in a state database. However, New York Citys Local DNA Index System includes DNA from more than 31,800 people who were questioned or arrested but never convicted.

NYPD detectives are instructed to offer water, soda, gum, food, or a cigarette to secure DNA samples for testing. Given that 75 percent of the people arrested in the city over the past decade reportedly have been Black or Latino, The New York Times estimates that the database most likely reflects the same racial makeup.

The NYPD said the database is vital in solving crime. Civil rights advocates say potential errors could increase the chances of wrongful convictions.

You can change your Social Security number if youre a victim of identity theft. You cant change your DNA, Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told the paper. Youre creating this constant threat not for months, not for years, but the rest of your life, that you can be targeted by this information.

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One of the plaintiffs, Shakira Leslie, alleges she was traveling in a friends car when police found a gun in another passengers bag during a traffic stop. Leslie was arrested and taken to the station for questioning, where after several hours, detectives offered her a cup of water.

She was released and a gun possession charge against her was dropped. Leslie told reporters she was shocked to find out later that police used the cup to collect her DNA.

I completely lost trust for NYPD, Leslie said.

After a sample is collected by detectives, it is stored by the medical examiners office in the database. The medical examiners office said it operates according to scientific standards and the law.

The NYPD announced plans in February 2020 to discard samples more than two years old if the person is not part of an investigation or convicted of a crime. Legal Aid accused the city of moving at snails pace.

Politico reports that even though more than 1,000 samples were removed from the database a year later, another 2,849 were added. The New York Times reports that 4,000 profiles have been removed since 2020.

NYPD also promised to limit the DNA collection from minors, who currently only have DNA taken if theyre suspected of serious offenses. The New York City Council is reportedly expected to reconsider a 2020 measure that would prevent police from obtaining DNA samples from minors without an adults consent.

NYPD officials in 2019 said the process helped solve about 5,000 crimes in five years.

The driving motivation for the NYPD to collect DNA is to legally identify the correct perpetrator, build the strongest case possible for investigators and our partners in the various prosecutors offices and bring closure to victims and their families, NYPD spokesperson Sgt. Edward Riley said.

Legal Aid has named the city, the police department and the medical examiners office in the lawsuit. The group fears the database also lacks independent oversight.

This database operates virtually unchecked, and despite promises from the city to reduce its size, the database has continued to grow at the expense of communities of color, Desgranges said. We simply cannot trust the NYPD to police itself, and we look forward to judicial review of these destructive practices to bring our clients the justice they deserve.

More crime-fighting technology may be on the way for New Yorkers.

New York Mayor Eric Adams has proposed the use of facial recognition tools amid rising crime in the city. Adams announced the proposal in his plan in January to target gun violence. Facial recognition works by matching stills from video footage to images already in a database.

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Lawsuit: NYPD Secretly Collected DNA from Tens of Thousands of People and Stored It, Violating Unwitting Donors Constitutional Rights - Yahoo News

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Morbius review: Even with Jared Leto and bat DNA injections, second-tier Marvel movie never takes off – Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: at 2:38 am

All those movie Batmen have the impressive costumery and in some cases the cool, bat-based toys and those pricey Batcave living quarters, and sometimes there even are some actual bats hovering aboutbut as far as I can recall, none of em has ever injected himself with actual bat DNA like Dr. Michael Morbius. I mean, talk about a guy who has earned the twisted right to call himself Batman!

But hes not The Batman, hes the titular character of Morbius, a second-tier MCU movie with some interesting performances and a few flashes of inspiration that unfortunately never goes deeper than superficial storytelling and grows increasingly tiresome over the relatively brief running time (1 hour, 48 minutes) before it reaches a predictable, underwhelming conclusion. (Even the two brief mid-credits scenes teasing the further adventures of Morbius are less than stirring.)

Jared Leto, who has never met an accent, a wig, a prosthetic, a dramatic weight loss or a Method role he couldnt sink his teeth into, actually plays it somewhat straightforward and grounded as Michael Morbius, a brilliant scientist who invented an artificial blood that has saved more lives than penicillin, or so were told at a Nobel Prize ceremony. (Distractingly, another character calls it the Noble Prize, not once, but twice, in the next scene.)

Looking like hes been pounding at deaths door since last winter, Michael is suffering from a rare and fatal blood disease, and despite the financial backing of his lifelong friend Milo (Matt Smith), who has the same condition, Michael been unable to come up with a cureand time is running out for the both of them.

Cue the bats! As Michael explains to his longtime associate and potential love interest, Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona), certain types of bats are the only creatures that can survive by consuming only blood, so if Morbius injects himself with vampire bat DNA, maybe thatll fix him up real good! (Man, I dont know. Even the likes of Seth Brundle from The Fly and Dr. Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin might think that was a bat-bleep crazy idea.)

With Milos backing, Michael builds a lab on a tanker that will sail international waters off the East Coast (what with this process being illegal and all), with Martine onboard to aid with the experiment and a bunch of armed henchmen along for the ride in case things go awry.

Spoiler alert: Things go awry.

Within moments of receiving the injection, Michael is transformed into a howling, fanged, clawed, bloodthirsty beast who wreaks havoc before jumping off the ship and returning to New York City. (Manchester, Englands, Northern Quarter doubles for New York, but theres never a certain sense of place and time about this film. It seems self-contained and smallish. We never get the sense the good people of New York are truly interconnected with The Vampire Murderer, the lackluster term assigned to Michael by the tabloid press.)

Michaels transformation and subsequent, periodical returns to normal human form seem more wolfman-like than vampiric, as he doesnt have the usual aversion to sunlight, fear of garlic or holy water, etc., etc. For the time being, Michael is able to sustain himself on artificial blood, but the window in which he remains human is tightening, meaning its only a matter of time before hell have to resort to guzzling the real deal.

Ah, but Michaels old friend Milo has no such moral qualms. Against Michaels warnings, Milo has injected himself with the vampire bat DNAand he immediately turns into a killing machine who embraces his role as a super-sucking, super-villain. Dancing about with a hairdo and wardrobe that conjures up images of David Bowie in his Lets Dance period, bellowing statements such as, I am resurrected!, Matt Smith as Milo gives a terrifically over-the-top performancebut theres never any explanation for why Michael would be so conflicted and torn about his transformation, whereas Milo would suddenly turn into a psychopath. He seemed like a really good guy before he, you know, shot up bat DNA.

Morbius friend Milo (Matt Smith) embraces villainy after a transformation of his own.

The great Jared Harris does what he can with an underwritten role as Emil Nikols, the obligatory Kindly Mentor to both Milo and Michael, while Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal are stuck playing cynical, bantering NYPD detectives who ask questions straight out of the Law & Order playbook and are always showing up at the scene of the crime and shaking their heads at the carnage.

As for the action sequences: When Michael Morbius flies around the city, he often leaves a smoky trail of blue or orange in wake, like a gender reveal where they ordered the wrong colors, and the big finale is shot in dizzying closeups, edited in headache-inducing fashion and is often murky. It looks like Morbius might soon cross paths with Spider-Man in one universe or another, but that would be a big step up for him, because his introductory vehicle feels more like a just-average 1990s vampire movie.

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Morbius review: Even with Jared Leto and bat DNA injections, second-tier Marvel movie never takes off - Chicago Sun-Times

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Is DNA Stock a Buy After Earnings? 3 Analysts Weigh In on Gingko Bioworks. – InvestorPlace

Posted: at 2:38 am

Gingko Bioworks (NYSE:DNA) stock is up more than 10% today after its latest earnings report.

Source: Yurchanka Siarhei/Shutterstock

Ginkgo Bioworks reported that its fourth-quarter 2021 revenue increased 363% year over year to $148 million, which beat the $94 million forecast of Wall Street analysts. However, the company reported a net loss from operations of $1.7 billion.

Still, the company guided that its expects full-year 2022 revenue to be between $325 million and $340 million. This also came in higher than analyst estimates of $306 million. Ginkgo Bioworks is focused on building a platform to enable customers to program cells as easily as computers.

Year to date, DNA stock is down 57%. Heres where three analysts see the share price headed in coming months.

DNA stock is rising today on strong forward guidance and an improving financial picture at the tiny biotechnology firm. Among seven professional analysts who cover the company, the median price target on the shares is $12, implying 180% upside over the next 12 months.

On the date of publication, Joel Baglole did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

Joel Baglole has been a business journalist for 20 years. He spent five years as a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and has also written for The Washington Post and Toronto Star newspapers, as well as financial websites such as The Motley Fool and Investopedia.

Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2022/03/is-dna-stock-a-buy-after-earnings-3-analysts-weigh-in-on-gingko-bioworks/.

2022 InvestorPlace Media, LLC

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Is DNA Stock a Buy After Earnings? 3 Analysts Weigh In on Gingko Bioworks. - InvestorPlace

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Global Fertility Test Market (2022 to 2027) – Featuring DNA Diagnostics Center, Lady Technologies and OOVA Among Others – ResearchAndMarkets.com -…

Posted: at 2:38 am

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Fertility Test Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included in this Global Fertility Test Market Report.

The growing awareness about fertility test and greater access to treatment is one of the major factors driving the global fertility test market growth. Fertility test industry is growing at a healthy rate during the forecast period.

Over the past few years, the fertility test industry has been growing at a healthy rate on account of rising awareness regarding fertility testing, increasing maternal age of women in developed and developing regions, rapidly increasing infertility population across the globe, and awareness among the adult population.

According to this market research report the fertility test market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 7% during the period 2022-2027.

The Ovulation test kit segment dominate the market with high market share. Smart Phone based sperm analysis is an emerging trend in the global fertility test market. Use of AI in sperm analysis will boost the market growth.

Based on distribution channels, the market is segmented into online sales channels, retail pharmacies, and hospitals pharmacies. In 2021, the online sales channel segment witnessed the highest market growth and is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 7% during the forecast period.

Vendor Analysis

The fertility test kit manufacturers are trying to achieve a high market share with different revenue generation strategies. Some of the sperm test kit manufacturing companies include swim count, advacare, DNA Diagnostics Centre, Hamilton Thorne, Home Health, Give Legacy. These companies deliver high-quality sperm test kits in domestic and international markets, and will achieve a higher share in the upcoming time in the fertility test market.

Prominent Vendors

The Report Includes:

1. The analysis of the global fertility test market provides market size and growth rate for the forecast period 2022-2027.

2. It offers comprehensive insights into current industry trends, trend forecast, and growth drivers about the global fertility test market.

3. The report provides the latest analysis of market share, growth drivers, challenges, and investment opportunities.

4. It offers a complete overview of market segments and the regional outlook of the global fertility test market.

5. The report offers a detailed overview of the vendor landscape, competitive analysis, and critical market strategies to gain competitive advantage.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Research Methodology

2 Research Objectives

3 Research Process

4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study

5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation

6 Market at a Glance

7 Introduction

7.1 Overview

8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Technological Advances in Male Fertility Tests

8.2 Smartphone-Based Sample Analysis

9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Increasing Maternal Age

9.2 Surge in Infertility Rates Worldwide

9.3 Rising Awareness of Fertility Tests

10 Market Restraints

10.1 Lack of Accuracy in Available Fertility Tests

10.2 Low Awareness & Acceptance of Fertility Tests

11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Five Forces Analysis

12 Products

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Market Overview

12.3 Ovulation Test Kits

12.4 Fertility Monitors

12.5 Sperm Test Kits

13 Gender

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Female

13.4 Male

14 Distribution Channels

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Online Sale Channels

14.4 Retail Pharmacies

14.5 Hospital Pharmacies

15 End-users

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Market Overview

15.3 Homecare

15.4 Specialty & Fertility Clinics

15.5 Hospitals

16 Geography

16.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Geographic Overview

17 North America

18 Europe

19 Apac

20 Latin America

21 Middle East & Africa

22 Competitive Landscape

22.1 Competition Overview

22.2 Market Share Analysis

23 Company Profiles

24 Report Summary

24.1 Key Takeaways

24.2 Strategic Recommendations

25 Quantitative Summary

26 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bf1zsn.

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Global Fertility Test Market (2022 to 2027) - Featuring DNA Diagnostics Center, Lady Technologies and OOVA Among Others - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

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