Daily Archives: July 27, 2024

Attorneys waiting on DNA evidence in case of Duxbury mom accused of killing 3 kids – WCVB Boston

Posted: July 27, 2024 at 8:04 pm

AGAINST LINDSAY CLANCY STANDS NOW. LINDSAY CLANCYS APPEARANCE WAS WAIVED, MEANING SHE DID NOT HAVE TO ATTEND TODAYS HEARING AT SUPERIOR COURT HERE IN BROCKTON. AND SHE DID NOT. CLANCY IS RECEIVING TREATMENT AT A STATE HOSPITAL. KEVIN REDDINGTON ON BEHALF OF THE DEFENDANT, HER ATTORNEY, KEVIN REDDINGTON, IS SEEN HERE APPEARING ON HER BEHALF. HE AND THE PROSECUTOR WERE UPDATING THE JUDGE ABOUT EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE, SPECIFICALLY DNA EVIDENCE THAT IS STILL IN THE TESTING QUEUE. ACCORDING TO THE PROSECUTOR CLANCY IS CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS EACH OF MURDER AND STRANGULATION FOR KILLING HER. THREE CHILDREN IN THEIR THEIR HOME IN DUXBURY IN JANUARY OF 2023. HER HUSBAND MADE THE DISCOVERY. HER ATTORNEY, KEVIN REDDINGTON, HAS PREVIOUSLY STATED THAT HIS CLIENT HAD POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND WAS OVERMEDICATED AT THE TIME, BUT THE PROSECUTION HAS DESCRIBED LINDSAY CLANCYS ACTIONS ON THE DAY OF THE KILLINGS AS DELIBERATE AND PREMEDITATED. ITLL BE AT 2 P.M. HERE IN THIS COURTROOM. THE CASE RETURNS TO COURT ON SEPTEMBER 27TH. ON THAT DATE, LIKE TODAY, LINDSAY CLANCY IS NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND. REPORTING IN BROCKTON TODD

Attorneys waiting on DNA evidence in case of Duxbury, Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy accused of killing 3 kids

Updated: 1:03 PM EDT Jul 26, 2024

A hearing was held Friday in the case of the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three young children with exercise bands and jumping out of the window of the family's Duxbury home last year.Lindsay Clancy is facing three counts each of murder and strangulation in the January 2023 deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and 7-month-old son Callan.Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, said his client had postpartum depression and was overmedicated at the time. However, prosecutors described Lindsay Clancy's actions on the day of the killings as deliberate and premeditated.During a status hearing Friday in Brockton Superior Court, the defense and prosecution updated the judge about evidence in the case, specifically DNA evidence that is still in the testing queue, according to the prosecutor.Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty and is receiving treatment at Tewksbury State Hospital while her attorneys wade through nearly 300 pages of documents that were released last year.They include 11 search warrants that sought access to collect exercise bands, medications, phones, computers, notebooks, cameras, a bloody knife and other physical evidence from inside the Clancy home. According to the documents, Lindsay Clancy's notebooks contained documentation of her medications and thoughts of suicide. There's also mention that she used her phone to document her mental state and research ways to kill. Prosecutors allege on the evening of the alleged attack, Clancy's husband, Patrick, left the couple's home to pick up medications and dinner, and when he returned, he found Clancy outside."He called 911. During this time, he asked the defendant, 'What did you do?' She responded to him, 'I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window.' During the 911 call, Patrick can be heard asking the defendant, 'Where are the kids?' He later told police that she replied 'in the basement,'" Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said during Clancy's arraignment.Patrick Clancy allegedly found his children in the basement. All three had exercise bands around their necks and died of "ligature strangulation," Sprague said.The case is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 27. Lindsay Clancy is not required to attend. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit 988lifeline.org.

A hearing was held Friday in the case of the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three young children with exercise bands and jumping out of the window of the family's Duxbury home last year.

Lindsay Clancy is facing three counts each of murder and strangulation in the January 2023 deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and 7-month-old son Callan.

Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, said his client had postpartum depression and was overmedicated at the time. However, prosecutors described Lindsay Clancy's actions on the day of the killings as deliberate and premeditated.

During a status hearing Friday in Brockton Superior Court, the defense and prosecution updated the judge about evidence in the case, specifically DNA evidence that is still in the testing queue, according to the prosecutor.

Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty and is receiving treatment at Tewksbury State Hospital while her attorneys wade through nearly 300 pages of documents that were released last year.

They include 11 search warrants that sought access to collect exercise bands, medications, phones, computers, notebooks, cameras, a bloody knife and other physical evidence from inside the Clancy home.

According to the documents, Lindsay Clancy's notebooks contained documentation of her medications and thoughts of suicide. There's also mention that she used her phone to document her mental state and research ways to kill.

Prosecutors allege on the evening of the alleged attack, Clancy's husband, Patrick, left the couple's home to pick up medications and dinner, and when he returned, he found Clancy outside.

"He called 911. During this time, he asked the defendant, 'What did you do?' She responded to him, 'I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window.' During the 911 call, Patrick can be heard asking the defendant, 'Where are the kids?' He later told police that she replied 'in the basement,'" Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said during Clancy's arraignment.

Patrick Clancy allegedly found his children in the basement. All three had exercise bands around their necks and died of "ligature strangulation," Sprague said.

The case is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 27. Lindsay Clancy is not required to attend.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit 988lifeline.org.

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Utahn is first ever Tulsa Race Massacre victim identified through DNA – Salt Lake Tribune

Posted: at 8:04 pm

Years after the city of Tulsa began exhumations at a cemetery long believed to hold the unmarked graves of numerous Tulsa Race Massacre victims, DNA has confirmed the speculation and identified a victim.

Its the first such identification in 23 years revealing a 20-something Black man whose last known residence was in Utah.

The man C.L. Daniel had been buried in an unmarked grave at the Oaklawn Cemetery, east of downtown and about 1.5 miles away from Tulsas Greenwood District, in what was known more than a century ago as Black Wall Street.

DNA collected from Daniels living relatives and submitted to GEDmatch.com and FamilyTreeDNA.com connected his name to the remains found in burial 3, according to Intermountain Forensics, the nonprofit laboratory contracted to do the DNA analysis.

From there, researchers learned more about him. For instance, Daniel, who was Black, had been living in Ogden prior to visiting Tulsa, and he was a World War I veteran with a disability that hindered his ability to find work.

In one letter, Daniel wrote that if the government had a job he could perform, he would work it until I die, Intermountain Forensics said in a news release.

But much else about Daniel, including why he was in Tulsa, has been lost to time, like many facts about the massacre itself.

All 35 blocks of the affluent Black, Tulsa neighborhood were razed between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when, according to research posted by the nonprofit digital library JSTOR, white rioters looted and burned the district, while deputized white people arrested and interned Black people in detention camps. Planes flew low over the neighborhood, with some witnesses claiming they dropped accelerant on the already burning neighborhood.

The Tulsa Historical Society and Museum said that around 300 people were killed in the massacre many buried in unmarked graves.

The massacre began with an encounter between a Black man, Dick Rowland, and a white woman, Sarah Page, in an elevator in downtown Tulsa on May 30. Rowland was arrested.

The details of what followed vary from person to person, according to the Tulsa Historical Society. Accounts of an incident circulated among the citys white community during the day and became more exaggerated with each telling.

The next day, an inflammatory Tulsa Tribune article stoked tensions, and racially segregated armed mobs faced off in front of the courthouse, where Rowland was jailed.

Shots were fired and the outnumbered African Americans began retreating to the Greenwood District, according to the historical society. And the white rioters followed. Greenwood was left in charred shambles.

Dick Rowland, Sarah Page and an unknown gunman were the sparks that ignited a long smoldering fire, the historical society said. Jim Crow, jealousy, white supremacy, and land lust, all played roles in leading up to the destruction and loss of life on May 31 and June 1, 1921.

In 2001, Oklahoma officials brought together a commission to investigate the massacre, culminating in a 200-page document that outlined how the massacre began and its repercussions. Daniel was the first victim identified since that report was released, according to a news release.

The city of Tulsa began exhuming graves in the Oaklawn Cemetery in 2018, in hopes to learn more about those killed in the massacre. Daniels remains were exhumed in 2021.

C.L. Daniel was a veteran who served our country in World War I, who was killed in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, and whose family did not know where he had been buried for the last 103 years - until [now], Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a news release. The Salt Lake Tribune was unable to contact Daniels family members.

In addition to DNA, analysts also verified Daniels identity using physical evidence, including notes from relatives and one from a Georgia congressman, a representative from the state where Daniels mother was living at the time.

That letter stated, C. L. Daniel was killed in Oklahoma some time shortly after his discharge Another letter, written by an attorney representing Daniels mother and sent to the U.S. Veterans Administration, stated Daniel died in a race riot in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1921.

Records show Daniel was drafted in the Army in 1918 and was discharged in 1919. He wasnt married and didnt have any children.

Letters also indicate that prior to his death, Daniel had been in Utah working to find a job and a way back home to his mother in Georgia, according to a news release.

Daniels remains will stay where theyve been buried at the Oaklawn Cemetery until his family members decide on a proper burial. Meanwhile, excavators have begun the next round of exhumations at the cemetery in hopes to identify more victims, according to a news release.

Intermountain Forensics continues to analyze DNA taken from the burial sites. They are also working to see if any of Daniels other relatives were connected to Tulsa or the massacre.

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How roads are reshaping and scarring our planet, and even changing animals DNA – The Conversation

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A web of roads encircles the Earth and stretches 40 million miles. In Crossings, a new book by environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb, tarmac is exposed for the planet-shaping force it is one that has polluted rivers and the air, emptied soils and woodlands, and struck fear into wild animals.

Roads are one of the most ubiquitous man-made features, existing on every continent and in most habitats. Their effects dont end at the paved periphery either. While roads cover 1% of land in the US, their ecological effects disruptive noise, foul air and habitat fragmentation, to name a few extend over 20% of the country, according to Goldfarb.

Furthermore, transport is among the fastest-growing contributors to climate change, wildlife collisions with vehicles cause more than 59,000 human injuries in the US each year, and road design disproportionately burdens the health and welfare of low-income and minority communities.

As an ecologist who studies their effect on wildlife, I applaud Goldfarb for weaving such a rich commentary on roads. Crossings could not be more timely: the biggest expansion of infrastructure in history is underway and road networks are growing fastest of all.

An estimated 25 million miles of new road lanes will be built worldwide by 2050. Roadbuilding will have to change drastically for any hope of preserving biodiversity and halting climate change.

But first, we must face some uncomfortable truths.

Roads bring us into contact with animals we rarely see. Unfortunately, theyre usually dead.

Despite roadkill being a common sight, its consequences are easily ignored. Vehicles directly kill more land-based vertebrate animals than anything else humans do, be it poaching, hunting, trapping or causing fires.

Roads and their effects are so pervasive that they even leave a mark in DNA. For example, after years of flying in between and over cars, cliff swallows have evolved shorter wings to nimbly avoid getting hit by them.

Swifts are, in one sense, a success story. Other species havent been so lucky. Throughout Crossings, roads are described as knives, scalpels and guillotines that carve up the landscape. Nor are waterways spared: culverts (tunnels that carry streams and rivers under roads) are so ubiquitous and faulty that they have thwarted fish migrating upstream to breed, and caused populations to collapse.

Even the sounds that roads create can dramatically change animal lives. Robins, wrens and great tits raise the frequency of their calls to be heard above cars. One study found that some birds spent so much additional energy around noisy roads, trying to listen for predators, that they were too tired to forage and starved.

Highways and dirt roads enable deforestation, hunting, urban sprawl and tourism. More than 50 studies have shown what this means for wildlife. Elk, bears and wolves have learned to associate cars with the hunters they carry. These animals avoid roads not because of the vehicles, but because of the people inside them.

Roads have created a new landscape of fear, according to ecologists; one that governs how animals behave in an environment. Species may avoid being killed by remaining on one side of a busy road but by clinging to safety like this, they increase the rate at which natural habitats are being broken up.

Goldfarb also explores the racist legacies of interstate highways that were bulldozed through predominantly Black and Latino neighbourhoods in his native US, dividing families and causing extensive economic damage. One such neighbourhood in the Bronx is tightly bound by three expressways. Here, asthma kills three times more people than the national average.

And a paper published by the Paris regional health agency calculated that even the noise from roads shortens the lifespan of some Parisians by up to three years.

Solutions in road ecology have, to date, been more reactive than proactive. This is because many roads were built long before their harmful effects were understood. For example, the US Forest Service has only recently started to remove a proportion of the 370,000 miles of road it manages.

The difficulty with mitigating the effects of roads is in changing driver behaviour. Road signs rarely slow drivers down. In fact, some people intentionally swerve to hit animals. The best solutions remove choice altogether.

In one example, Goldfarb praises the SP-139 highway in Carlos Botelho state park in southern Brazil. When I worked there in 2015 and 2016, I saw how this highway was closed at night, and that the road was designed to wind and undulate, forcing drivers to slow down. The Brazilian government dared to inconvenience drivers, and wildlife was the better for it.

The dream of road ecology is a dream of connectivity. Wildlife crossings, bridges and other man-made structures that go over or under roads offer an opportunity for animals to cross safely. They are, as Goldfarb says, the work of literal and metaphoric bridge-building. In Banff National Park, Canada, 44 wildlife crossings have helped cut the number of collisions between cars and large mammals by more than 80%.

Goldfarb proposes building more of these. But, while there are several case studies demonstrating their success, I doubt that crossings are a panacea for the coming infrastructure tsunami.

Research shows that what works for a handful of species may not work for others. Foxes and feral cats in Australia used road crossings on average three times more frequently than scientists expected. In stark contrast, 40% of surrounding animal species were not detected at a crossing at all. Whether effective or not, wildlife crossings could become a new form of greenwashing that excuses more roads and more destruction.

To wildlife, roads spell death and division. People are the cause but they can also be the solution. I share Goldfarbs optimism and hope road ecology will grow into a global campaign for a kinder, more connected world.

In the meantime, I urge you to read Crossings.

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If we want to settle on other planets, well have to use genome editing to alter human DNA – The Conversation

Posted: at 8:04 pm

When considering human settlements on the Moon, Mars and further afield, much attention is given to the travel times, food and radiation risk. Well undoubtedly face a harsh environment in deep space and some thinkers have been pointing to genome editing as a way to ensure that humans can tolerate the severe conditions as they venture further into the solar system.

In January, I was fortunate to attend a much-anticipated debate between astronomer royal Lord Martin Rees and Mars exploration advocate Dr Robert Zubrin. The event at the British Interplanetary Society took on the topic of whether the exploration of Mars should be human or robotic.

In a recent book called The End of Astronauts, Lord Rees and co-author Donald Goldsmith outline the benefits of exploration of the solar system using robotic spacecraft and vehicles, without the expense and risk of sending humans along for the ride. Dr Zubrin supports human exploration. Where there was some agreement was over Reess advocacy of using gene editing technology to enable humans to overcome the immense challenges of becoming an interplanetary species.

Our genome is all the DNA present in our cells. Since 2011, we have been able to easily and accurately edit genomes. First came a molecular tool called Crispr-Cas9, which today can be used in a high school lab for very little cost and has even been used on the International Space Station. Then came techniques called base and prime editing, through which miniscule changes can be made in the genome of any living organism.

The potential applications of gene editing for allowing us to travel further are almost limitless. One of the most problematic hazards astronauts will encounter in deep space is a higher dosage of radiation, which can cause havoc with many processes in the body and increase the longer-term risk of cancer.

Perhaps, using genome editing, we could insert genes into humans from plants and bacteria that are able to clean up radiation in the event of radioactive waste spills and nuclear fallout. It sounds like science fiction, but eminent thinkers such as Lord Rees believe this is key to our advancement across the solar system.

Identifying and then inserting genes into humans that slow down aging and counter cellular breakdown could also help. We could also engineer crops that resist the effects of exposure to radioactivity as crews will need to grow their own food. We could also personalise medicine to an astronauts needs based on their particular genetic makeup.

Imagine a future where the human genome is so well understood it has become pliable under this new, personalised medicine.

Tardigrades are microscopic animals sometimes referred to as water bears. Experiments have shown that these tiny creatures can tolerate extreme temperatures, pressures, high radiation and starvation. They can even tolerate the vacuum of space.

Geneticists are eager to understand their genomes and a paper published in Nature sought to uncover the key genes and proteins that give the miniature creatures this extraordinary stress tolerance. If we could insert some of the genes involved into crops, could we make them tolerant to the highest levels of radiation and environmental stress? Its worth exploring.

Even more intriguing is whether inserting tardigrade genes into our own genome could make us more resilient to the harsh conditions in space. Scientists have already shown that human cells in the lab developed increased tolerance to X-ray radiation when tardigrade genes were inserted into them.

Transferring genes from tardigrades is just one speculative example of how we might be able engineer humans and crops to be more suited to space travel.

Well need much more research if scientists are ever to get to this stage. However, in the past, several governments have been keen to enforce tight restrictions on how genome editing is used, as well as on other technologies for inserting genes from one species into another.

Germany and Canada are among the most cautious, but elsewhere restrictions seem to be relaxing.

In November 2018, the Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced that he had created the first gene edited babies. He had introduced a gene into the unborn twins that confers resistance to HIV infection.

The scientist was subsequently jailed. But he has since been released and allowed to carry out research again.

In the new space race, certain countries may go to lengths with genome editing that other nations, especially in the west where restrictions are already tight, may not. Whoever wins would reap enormous scientific and economic benefits.

If Rees and the other futurists are right, this field has the potential to advance our expansion into the cosmos. But society will need to agree to it.

Its likely there will be opposition, because of the deep-seated fears of altering the human species forever. And with base and prime editing now having advanced the precision of targeted gene editing, its clear that the technology is moving faster than the conversation.

One country or another is likely to take the leap where others pull back from the brink. Only then will we find out just how viable these ideas really are. Until then, we can only speculate with curiosity, and perhaps excitement too.

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Domesticated rabbits can rewild thanks to feral DNA, study finds – The Washington Post

Posted: at 8:03 pm

Feral DNA may help domestic rabbits thrive in the wild, a new analysis suggests, shedding new light on the evolution of an animal that can cause major environmental destruction.

Publishing in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers looked at the relationship between rabbit genetics and feralization, an evolutionary process in which the descendants of domestic rabbits that live in the wild shed characteristics that helped them survive in human settings, taking on those of feral animals instead.

The researchers sequenced DNA from 297 rabbits in six populations in South America, Europe and Australia, all places where rabbits were introduced within the past 200 years. They compared the genetic information with the DNA of other wild and domestic rabbits.

To their surprise, the researchers discovered that all of the rabbits studied had a mixture of wild and domestic DNA.

This was not what we had expected to find, Leif Andersson, a professor of veterinary integrative biosciences at the Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and a co-author of the study, says in a news release. We expected that feral rabbits were domestic rabbits that have somehow relearned how to live in the wild. But our findings show us that these rabbits already had a portion of wild DNA helping them survive in nature.

The researchers found that the descendants of domestic rabbits quickly shed the docility and coat colors that humans prefer in pet bunnies, trading them for characteristics that help them thrive in the wild.

That might explain why rabbits in Australia, a continent now overrun with wild bunnies, didnt immediately take over when domestic rabbits were first introduced. The rabbit population surged only after 1859, when the introduction of just 24 wild and domestic rabbits began a population boom that continues to this day.

Today, there are at least 150 million feral rabbits in Australia. The animals are considered invasive pests, competing with livestock and native animals, destroying native plants and crops, and even affecting groundwater absorption.

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Domesticated rabbits can rewild thanks to feral DNA, study finds - The Washington Post

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How Gabby Douglas is using DNA tech in her comeback bid – TheGrio

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The road to Olympic gold might seem paved with sweat and genetics, but for three-time gymnastics champion Gabby Douglas, the reality is more complex.

During her most recent comeback attempt, she encountered a fascinating paradox: While dedication and diet have undoubtedly shaped her athletic potential, the precise influence of her own genetics remained a mystery, leaving Douglas to wonder how she can optimize her performance moving forward. Douglas has joined forces with Ancestry and 17 world-class athletes to unlock the secrets her genes hold, aiming to optimize her performance and conquer the podium once again.

Douglas first set foot in the world of gymnastics courtesy of her sister, Arielle. A triple threat with a background in cheerleading, gymnastics, and ballroom dancing, Arielles skills captivated Douglas, sparking a fire that would soon become a lifelong passion.

At just three years old, Douglas was already tumbling into the world of gymnastics, her tiny hands and feet pattering against the mat as she chased after her sisters lead. Arielle, delighted to share her own love for the sport, took Douglas under her wing and began teaching her the basics.

As Douglas grew, so did her skills. By the time she was six years old, she was already taking matters into her own hands or rather, her own feet teaching herself new tricks and stunts like cartwheels and backflips. By eight, she won her first competition.

Douglas would go on to have an illustrious career, securing three Olympic gold medals and making history as the first Black American gymnast to win gold in the Olympic all-around in London in 2012. She also became the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics cementing herself as one of the greatest gymnasts ever at 20 years old.

But Douglas road was not easy. During her career, Douglas endured vitriolic media criticism, including racist, sexist, and bigoted comments about her hair. In 2016 she stepped away from competition to prioritize her mental health, a pivotal decision that would ultimately allow her to reclaim her identity, rewrite her narrative (on her own terms), and rekindle her passion for gymnastics.

This year, Douglas began her comeback to competition after an eight-year hiatus, only for her attempt to be derailed by a serious ankle injury before the U.S. National Championships. But this injury is not stopping the 28-year-old gymnastics legend. Despite the setback, Douglas is determined to continue competing, telling theGrio that while bittersweet, this obstacle marks the end of a chapter, but not the end of her gymnastics career. Shes set her sights on the 2028 Olympics, and if successful, at age 32, Douglas would make history as the oldest gymnast to compete in the Olympic Games. To defy the odds, though, shes on a mission to unlock the secrets her genes hold, seeking answers on how to optimize her athletic potential and reach the peak of her game once again.

Douglas is not unique in her quest to repeat or return to athletic dominance, but a lingering question persists: What drives the competitive fire within her, and how do genetic factors influence an athletes ability to acquire new skills and re-master old ones as they navigate the physical changes that come with age?

Douglas athleticism and competitive nature appear to run deep, with a great-great-grandfather who served as a porter for the 1912 Mens National Gymnastics team. Modern science backs this up: a recent DNA test by Ancestry reveals genes linked to athleticism in Douglas. These include a natural inclination towards team sports, alongside qualities essential for elite gymnasts like flexibility, strength, and a high overall athletic potential.

Still, the test did highlight areas for improvement, including balance and technique. I was surprised to see that I wasnt naturally good at something like balance, said Douglas who reflected on the results during our interview, but when I think about my career, I wasnt very good at the beam. I had to work hard to be consistent and solid, she continued.

The test results also revealed that Douglas has a remarkably high pain tolerance a cringeworthy finding, given the unfounded and long-standing myth that Black women experience pain differently than women of other races. However, Douglas own experiences confirm this notion.

I have a high pain tolerance, she said. In 2015, I hyperextended my leg while vaulting and heard a loud snap. Despite being compromised, I continued to compete. It wasnt until after returning from Scotland that I realized I needed to get [my injury] checked out and it turned out I had a significant break in my leg. Douglas has since learned the importance of addressing injuries promptly, acknowledging that the intensity of competition can lead to ignoring or downplaying injuries. However, she is now prioritizing the healing of her current foot injury, ensuring it is fully recovered before returning to competition.

As Douglas moves forward, she plans to use her newfound insights to focus on improving her weaknesses and refining her skills, but her primary focus is on supporting her teammates as they compete in this years Paris Olympics. Theres no doubt, however, that the flying squirrel (a nickname given to her by national team coordinator Martha Karolyi), armed with new knowledge, her trademark work ethic, and determination, is well-poised to make a triumphant comeback to the sport she loves. Well be watching.

Dr. Shamard Charles is the executive director of graduate studies in public health at St. Francis College and sits on the Medical Advisory Board of Verywell Health (Dot Dash-Meredith). He is also host of the health podcast, The Revolutions Within Us. He received his medical degree from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and his Masters of Public Health from Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Previously, he spent three years as a senior health journalist for NBC News and served as a Global Press Fellow for the United Nations Foundation. You can follow him on Instagram @askdrcharles or Twitter @DrCharles_NBC.

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Derm In The News: July 21-27 – Dermatology Times

Posted: at 8:03 pm

Morningstar: LEO Pharma Receives Positive CHMP Opinion of Anzupgo (delgocitinib cream) for the Treatment of Adults with Moderate to Severe Chronic Hand Eczema (CHE)

LEO Pharma has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agencys Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for delgocitinib cream (Anzupgo), a topical treatment for adults with moderate to severe chronic hand eczema. If approved, delgocitinib cream will be the first specific topical treatment for adults with CHE who do not respond to or cannot use topical corticosteroids. The positive opinion is supported by data from the DELTA phase 3 trials, which demonstrated significant efficacy and safety with delgocitinib cream compared to a vehicle control.

In Sudbury, Ontario, there is a significant shortage of dermatologists, leading to wait times of up to 6 months for appointments. This shortage has driven more individuals to use online platforms for skin care. Clinicians report seeing patients from various regions including Timmins and Ottawa due to the scarcity of local specialists, emphasizing that Canada's dermatology services are insufficient, with wait times often exceeding 1 year and up to 2 years in some regions.

The US FDA approved deuruxolitinib (Leqselvi), an oral Janus kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with severe alopecia areata. Deuruxolitinib, taken as 8 mg tablets twice daily, demonstrated significant efficacy in 2 phase 3 trials (THRIVE-AA1 and THRIVE-AA2), which included 1,220 patients. By 24 weeks, over 30% of patients achieved 80% or more scalp hair coverage, and up to 25% had nearly complete hair restoration (90% coverage).

Read more from Dermatology Times.

Top headlines from this week to share with your patients:

Earlier this summer, Penn State Health conducted a sun safety educational assembly at an elementary school, aiming to instill sun protection habits in third and fourth graders. During the assembly, Penn State Health staff, including dermatology professionals, emphasized the importance of regular sunscreen application. The initiative is part of a broader effort by Penn State Dermatology to address skin cancer prevention. According to their 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment, Lebanon, the city the elementary school is local to, has a high incidence of cancer. The team measures the event's effectiveness through pre- and post-tests administered to students and plans to evaluate long-term retention of sun safety practices.

Researchers at Northwestern Medicine have identified increased immune cell activity in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) tumors, which could be used to predict patient responses to treatment and guide the development of new targeted therapies. The study, published in Cancer Discovery, highlights the potential of using immune cell activity as a biomarker to improve treatment outcomes for MCC patients. The study found that specialized CD8 T-cells and V-delta-1-gamma-delta T-cells are key players in the anti-tumor immune response. These findings suggest that enhancing these immune cell activities could improve responses to existing therapies or lead to the development of new treatment strategies.

Have you seen any dermatology headlines this week that we may have missed? Share with us by emailing our team atDTEditor@mmhgroup.com.

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Derm In The News: July 21-27 - Dermatology Times

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Nemolizumab for Atopic Dermatitis Shows Positive Results in Phase 3 Trials – Drug Topics

Posted: at 8:02 pm

Positive results from 2 phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of nemolizumab in adolescent and adult patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis have recently been announced, according to a press release from pharmaceutical company Galderma.1

Nemolizumab for Atopic Dermatitis Shows Positive Results in Phase 3 Trials / - stock.adobe.com

Results from the ARCADIA 1 (NCT03985943) and ARCADIA 2 (NCT03989349) trials showed that the therapy met the co-primary endpoints of an Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) success score of 0 or 1 with a 2 or more point improvement from baseline at 16 weeks and at least 75% improvement in Eczema Area and Severity Index score. Nemolizumab also met its key secondary endpoints, including proportion of participants with Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (PP-NRS) score improvement of at least 4 points, PP-NRS score below 2, and Sleep Disturbance Numerical Rating Scale score improvement of at least 4 points.

READ MORE:Chronic Hand Eczema Treatment Shows Positive Results in Phase 3 Trials

Data from the 2 clinical trials were detailed in a study published in The Lancet.2

As a practicing dermatologist, Im excited about the potential of nemolizumab for atopic dermatitis patients, Jonathan Silverberg, lead investigator on the clinical trial program, said in a release.1 These phase III data demonstrate that, by blocking the activity of IL-31, nemolizumab could effectively address itch, skin lesions and sleep disturbance. Many patients complain that chronic itch negatively impacts their overall quality of life. Reducing itch within just one week of treatment could significantly ease the burden of disease.

The 2 clinical trials were identical 48-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of nemolizumab administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks compared to placebo in adult and adolescent participants aged 12 years or older with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, associated pruritus, and inadequate response to topical steroids.

The study cohort included 1728 across both trials who were enrolled between August 2019 and November 2022. Of the patients, 1142 were in the nemolizumab plus topical corticosteroids with or without topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCS-TCI) group, and 586 were in the placebo plus TCS-TCI group. ARCADIA 1 included 500 men and 441 females, while ARCADIA 2 included 381 males and 406 females. The mean age ranged from 33 to 35 across both trials.

Investigators found that more patients in the nemolizumab plus TCSTCI group had IGA success at 16 weeks compared to placebo. Patients receiving the therapy also had significantly improved skin lesions, itch as early as week 1, and sleep by week 16 compared to placebo. The safety profile was similar between groups, with most adverse events being mild to moderate in severity.

Galderma said in the release that the FDA has accepted the companys Biologics License Application (BLA) for nemolizumab for the treatment of adolescents and adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis based on the data from the trials. A decision on the BLA is expected by the end of the year. The company also said that it is awaiting decisions from the European Medicines Agency, Health Canada, and the Access Consortiumon applications for both atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis.

Publication of the phase III ARCADIA program results for the first time in The Lancet reinforces both the robustness of our trial design and the potential of nemolizumab as an effective treatment option for patients living with atopic dermatitis, Baldo Scassellati Sforzolini, global head of R&D at Galderma, said in a release.1 We are working closely with regulators in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere to bring nemolizumab to those in need as soon as possible.

READ MORE:Dermatology Resource Center

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