Category Archives: Transhuman News

Circuit Sport reinvents cycling program

Human Powered Health

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Building on 15 years of bringing the best of North American cycling to a global audience, Circuit Sport announces a powerful reimagining of what a racing team can stand for. The new team and the movement it aims to ignite will be known as Human Powered Health.

Human Powered Health will be a wellness platform built to empower people to take control of their own physical and mental well-being. It will spread the message that cultivating healthier habits and living a more active lifestyle can lead to dramatic improvements in health and wellness.

"Human Powered Health represents more than racing, more than athletics," said Charles Aaron, managing director and founder of Circuit Sport. "It's about reminding people that they have more power over their health than they think. We want to support people, mind and body, and use our platform to inspire them to take small, simple steps towards greater health and well-being."

In previous iterations of its teams, Circuit Sport has continually gone beyond the traditional sports marketing model with health and wellness-minded campaigns like Inspired Bikes, Body Positivity, Healthy Habits, and Longevity.

That will expand and evolve as the Human Powered Health platform grows into a hub for health and wellness content with its athletes as the main mouthpiece. New brand partnerships will allow the team to incorporate data analytics across sleep, nutrition, movement, and health care to support its followers on their health journey.

The team will also launch a Discord channel that will serve as a hub for fans, partners, and clients interested in all things Human Powered Health. Hosted by the team and with regular appearances by professional riders, the channel will be a place to share ideas on how to live healthier lifestyles.

Building for the future

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Human Powered Health joins the Women's WorldTour in 2022. It is the realization of a dream that began 10 years ago with the formation of the women's program. The move makes Human Powered Health the first co-ed team to send its women to the top division of the sport before its men.

Following a sensational season that included victories in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Denmark, France, and Turkey, the men's program continues in the ProTeam ranks with its sights set firmly on the WorldTour.

"We couldn't take this step without the support of our partners and their shared vision for the future," added Aaron. "We've shown our ability to win bike races around the world but what sustains us is creating connections and empowering people."

Circuit Sport is currently aligning with brands that stand for something bigger than their product, a vital step to building the foundation of Human Powered Health for years to come. These brands, which will be announced in the coming weeks, share the belief that our collective health matters.

In a world navigating a pandemic, and where obesity and heart disease are at all-time highs, there has never been a more important time for each of us to invest in our health and inspire those around us to do the same. Building connections and sharing encouragement and knowledge are pivotal to empowering people to lead healthier lives.

About Circuit Sport

Circuit Sport takes a unique platform approach to sports marketing and management that redefines what a professional cycling team represents. Our teams are more than just a collection of logos on a jersey - we passionately believe that riding a bicycle can improve a person's life. For more information, visit circuitsport.com.

Media contact: Tom Soladay at tsoladay@circuitsport.com

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Circuit Sport reveals Human Powered Health brand and logo

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Introducing Human Powered Health: A Brand at the Intersection of Health, Wellness, and Sports - Yahoo Finance

In 2020, US and Chinese scientists found a way to enable nematode worms to live five times longer than normal by manipulating their genes. Worms are often used in ageing research since weve inherited some of the same genetic circuitry during evolution. Its suggested that targeting some of these conserved genes using drugs could be a way to extend the human lifespan.

But since worms only live for a few weeks, extrapolating the US and Chinese scientists success to humans could be foolhardy. In short, we cant expect to live to 500.

But lets not be greedy. We already live far longer than our hunter-gatherer ancestors, who invariably snuffed it before the age of 40. Should we, though, stop considering life as something that comes to its natural conclusion at 73 (todays average global life expectancy) and devote more of our time to curing old age?

One argument against extending human life beyond the norm is that it would lead to overpopulation, requiring more resources, while creating more waste, carbon emissions and pollution on a planet weve already stressed to breaking point.

Thats not usually what happens when people start living longer, though. Instead, birth rates tend to drop as people have fewer children and have them later in life. We know this because its already been happening for several decades as healthcare has improved.

So even though the global population is growing, its not growing as fast as it once was and in many richer countries, across Europe for example, populations are plateauing or shrinking as the birth rate (the average number of children each woman has) drops below two. The worlds longest-lived nation, Japan, has an average life expectancy of 84 and a birth rate close to one, down from over two in the 1960s when life expectancy was below 70.

So provided people had fewer children, perhaps we could all live a little bit longer maybe as long as people in Japan. In fact, some of todays four-year-olds can already expect a much better innings. In the UK, around a third are predicted to see their 100th birthday due to a trend towards living longer.

Whether those extra years are desirable is another matter though, given theres no indication they would be healthy ones studies from countries where life expectancy has increased have shown mixed results.

Meanwhile, the gulf between life expectancy in richer and poorer countries leads us to suspect that life-extending drugs and technologies will take longer to reach the less-developed nations.

Today, people in some African countries die on average two or three decades before the Japanese. So given the disparities that already exist, is it ethical to have more people living longer in richer countries, where we consume more resources?

If we were going to be fair about it, our first aim should be to increase life expectancy in Africa and the rest of the less-developed parts of the world, and ensure that a longer life doesnt come at the expense of healthy, happy life, right up to the end.

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We could radically extend the human lifespan. Heres why we shouldnt - BBC Science Focus Magazine

The three-part series conveys crucial health messaging and amplifies the voice of people of trans experience

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NoiseFilter an educational platform that addresses health and wellness topics through creative storytelling in conjunction with Access Health Louisiana (AHL) and the AIDS Education Training Center, is pleased to announce a new animation trilogy that conveys crucial health messaging around HIV and HIV medications.

NoiseFilter is hosted by infectious disease physician Dr. MarkAlain Dry and community health expert Dr. Eric Griggs (Doc Griggs). Through podcasts, live streams and animations, they explain complex health topics simply. Dr. Dry is also the Medical Director of Infectious Diseases and Chief Innovation Officer for AHL where he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Dr. Dry sees patients from across the region at the Pythian clinic in New Orleans.

"Our goal is to change the stigma that remains around HIV," says Dr. Dry. "The colorful and compelling videos use creative exploration into the human body to explain HIV medications and how they protect individuals from transmission."

In the first animation, Undetectable, Untransmittable and Undeniably Fierce! the pair journey inside the body of trans activist and educator Milan Nicole Sherry explaining that people living with HIV and taking their medications, can have the same quality and quantity of life as individuals living without HIV, termed U=U.

In Get in Step with PrEP, the second animation, Milan joins Dr. Dry and Doc Griggs inside Dr. Dry's body explaining how PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, prevents HIV transmission. The key takeaway is that people living without HIV can take PrEP as a defense against autoimmune disease.

The third animation, Little Miss Muffuletta uses the Little Miss Muffet nursery rhyme to explain nPEP or non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis. In this animation an HIV exposure has occurred but nPEP prevents HIV from replicating.

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The three-part series is available for viewing on the NoiseFilter website https://www.noisefiltershow.com/watch. Access Health is seeking partnerships with organizations, associations, celebrities and influencers to launch a campaign advocating for the animations leading up to World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 2021.

"These animations can educate all audiences," says Doc Griggs. "This information has longevity and can be used nationwide to advocate for transgender individuals and teach people about these resources."

About Access Health Louisiana: Access Health Louisiana (AHL) is a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers. Our network of more than 100 providers sees more than 45,000 patients a year in 12 Louisiana parishes. Our mission is simple: To improve the health of the people we serve. We do this by striving for the highest levels of patient care every day. For more information about Access Health Louisiana and the additional services available including STI testing, telemedicine and teletherapy, please visit https://accesshealthla.org.

CONTACT:April Catarella 504-577-7390 april@gambelpr.com

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Animation Series Aims to Educate and Break Down Stigma Surrounding HIV - Yahoo Finance

Xenotransplantation or procedures is not a new concept. The history of animal-to-human transplant experiments has been evolving for centuries. Recently, one such encouraging finding was done by a medical team in the US, New York University Langone Health, who claim to successfully transplant a pigs kidney to a brain-dead human patient. The procedure was termed breakthrough as they used a kidney that had been grown in a genetically-altered-pig. It is considered to be the first successful case where an entire organ was transplanted from a pig to a human. As per healthcare experts, due to the obvious similarities between humans and other primates, particularly baboons or gorillas and the pigs, these are considered to be the most viable donor animals as they share similar DNA. Pigs organs in size, function are anatomically comparable to humans. However, experts cite that there are still significant scientific barriers to the successful implementation of such transplantation, though advances in technology can help to achieve this daunting challenge.Is it a Eureka moment yet?

The recent transplantation of a pig kidney into a human at the New York University Langone Health centre by Doctor Robert Montgomery is a moonshot moment, inform experts.

Terming it as an extraordinary experiment in xenotransplantation, Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals, said, The experiment is done using the most modern technology in editing and genetically modifying the pig so that its organ does not elicit a strong immediate immune response in the host. This experiment could be a potential game changer in our future endeavor to overcome the extreme shortage of organs leading to the death of many people in the transplantation waiting list.

Highlighting the complications in such transplantation, Dr Sunil Shroff, noted Urologist, Managing Trustee, Mohan Foundation and president elect of the Indian Society Of Organ Transplantation informed that xenotransplantation has challenges.

One is there is a natural rejection when you put an animal organ to a human. As the animal tissue is different, so till now, pig heart has been used in a few instances. It is not very reactive so that procedure is done. But, other than that we have not used pigs for anything.

Affirming that this transplant is more unique, Dr Ballal stated that features of this transplant could pave the way for future successful xenotransplants.

First, the problem of hyper acute rejection which is seen with all xenotransplantations was avoided by genetically modifying the carbohydrate moiety of the pig gene so that the pig kidney would not mount a hyper acute response in the host. This turned out to be effective and successful since the kidney worked normally for a few days in the recipient with no evidence of hyperacute rejection clinically or on biopsies of the transplanted kidney. Secondly, the transplant was performed on a brain-dead recipient before switching off the support system so that even if there was an adverse effect on the recipient it would cause no harm since the person was brain dead anyway, he added.

Citing this as a first step or gradual evolution, Dr Shroff said, The experiment has been very innovative and the brain-dead patient is said to be observed for almost 52 hours and he did not seem to have any rejection or any problem. A genetically-modified pig was used to match the protein differences between pigs and humans. But there is a sugar called GAL in pigs which is not present in humans. So the reaction against that is very strong which can lead to hyperacute rejectiona violent immune response that can destroy a transplanted organ in minutes. They have addressed that issue to some extent with this experiment.

However, experts worry about the risks of zoonotic diseases, which will be transmitted into the human population. As both baboons and pig carry known myriad transmittable agents and perhaps many more, which cannot be detected. The bacteria, viruses and fungi may be fairly harmless in their natural host, a baboon or pig, yet extremely toxic--even deadly--in humans. COVID 19 which has changed our world came from an animal reservoir!

Is Zoonotic Disease a Speed Breaker?

Despite the more obvious similarities and pigs being the most viable donor animal for xenotransplantation, they share similar DNA and organs are similar in size and function. The zoonoses or transmission of infections from the host animal to the transplanted human being is a huge risk and challenge.

Explaining the risk, Dr Sunil Prakash, Senior Director, HOD, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, Max Hospital, said, The two types of animal viruses that are especially troublesome are herpes viruses and retroviruses. Both types have already been proven to be rather harmless in monkeys, but fatal to humans. HIV also came from animal reservoirs. Some retroviruses may be latent and lead to disease years after infection. The animal tissues may wear out very soon in humans as the average life of pigs is much less than humans and their organs therefore have a shorter life span. The genes of these animals have to be modified and the human genetic code has to be inserted in their chromosomes successfully. These animals need selective breeding in sterile-controlled environments. The latest xenotransplant by Dr Montogomery has turned the medical world by storm as genetically-modified pig kidney is used in a brain-dead person. The kind of tolerance to a foreign tissue achieved is remarkable. This is leading to the holy grail of transplantation which is achieving graft tolerance without giving immunosuppressive medicines.

Nephrologists also inform that options for kidney ailments are plentiful as the technology like artificial kidney, haemodialysis, stem cell regenerating are looked upon. Still, xenotransplants can be a good alternative as it is costeffective, if it becomes practically viable.

Xenotransplants of pig kidneys to humans can be universally available because the other options will come at a high cost. What the scientific community will have to look at is, how long the pig's kidney lasts in the human being. The longevity of the graft, as the pig's kidney is smaller than the human kidney, that's one, second thing will be the cost of the procedure because we may need to give more kinds of medication to curb the rejection. So, these challenges will be there but the overall cost may likely be less compared to other technologies, Dr Shroff added.

Pig-to-Human Kidney Transplant What Awaits ESRD patients?

As we debate on the new kidney transplant solutions, over two lakh patients in India await organ donation with a mere 15,000 donors available. As per Union Health Ministry estimation, the annual requirement for kidneys could range between two-to-three lakhs with a mere 6,000 transplants occurring in reality. While other statistics indicate that approximately 7500 kidney transplants are performed at 250 kidney transplant centers in India. Of these, 90 percent come from living donors and 10 percent from deceased donors. The data are not as accurate due to the absence of a national transplant registry.

Experts inform that xenotransplantation could be very good news for patients with end-stage renal diseases (ESRD) as there would be no more anxious months of waiting for an organ donor. Disease-free pigs would provide most of the organs. Raised in sterile environments, they would be genetically-altered with human DNA so that the chance of rejection is greatly reduced.

I do believe the NYU experiment would certainly help us in the long-term treatment of end-stage organ failure of different kinds but not of any major benefit for acute critically -ill patients as other modalities of replacement therapy (extra corporeal therapies) are currently available to tide over the acute crisis. The major advances in modern technology in xenotransplantation would be the ability to genetically modify animals so that they do not elicit a very severe immune response in the host human being. Modern science has also brought in a host of different kinds of very powerful immunosuppressive agents which would either prevent or ameliorate different kinds of rejection in the field of transplantation. Advances in the field of organ support by extracorporeal therapy like CRRT for kidney, liver dialysis (MARS therapy) for liver , LVAD for heart and ECMO for lung and heart support can act as a bridge for people with severe organ failure till such time that they get a transplant, Dr Ballal added.

Citing that almost 10 to 12, 000 kidney transplants are done almost every year, Dr Shroff said, Last year was bad due to the pandemic. We did maybe only 5,000 transplants but we need more than 100,000 every year. Every 1 in 10 people in the world has a risk of kidney disease and many transcend to kidney failure due to lack of awareness and early diagnosis. So, we need to take a two-point strategy- one is early diagnosis and prevention and second is to make more organs available. So, in India, we dont even meet one in 10th of the demand or even less. So, thats the tragedy. Many of them die because they do not even get to the hospital, many are not affordable, kidney transplant happens only in corporate hospitals mostly. Only 10-20 percent happens in government hospitals. So, those who cant afford, dont even have a chance of getting a transplant.

Although clinical application of xenotransplantation in the kidney is probably still several years away, newer techniques like Next-Generation Sequencing and sequence- based typing is enabling the researchers to better understand the mysteries of xenotransplants to allow better acceptance of pigs genome in humans. Humanising non-human organs working in tandem with tolerance-inducing protocols, seem to be not far from the future.

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Transplanting kidney of pig to human: Is it really a moonshot moment? - ETHealthworld.com

Dr. Sonya Gordon and Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm.

Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the second most-common acquired cardiac disease in dogs.

In its early stage, called the preclinical stage, dogs are apparently healthy to their owners, but beneath the surface, DCM causes a progressive enlarging and weakening of dogs hearts. Over time, dogs with DCM will progress to the diseases clinical phase and develop congestive heart failure (fluid in the lungs).

But what if owners of dogs with DCM had the ability to extend the amount of quality time they spend with their beloved four-legged friends?

Through The REPAIR Study (Rapamycin Treatment inPreclinical Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy), cardiologists at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) Small Animal Teaching Hospital (SATH) are investigating the use of the drug rapamycin in dogs with preclinical DCM.

Rapamycin, which will be distributed by the Ireland-based company TriviumVet, is a drug that affects both the immune system and metabolism; it has been shown to improve heart function and reverse age-related changes in rodents with heart disease.

The primary objective of our study is to determine if rapamycin is safe for use in dogs with preclinical DCM, as well as to evaluate the effects of this medication on heart size and function in these dogs, said Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm, an SATH cardiology resident whose work on The REPAIR Study is part of her residency research.

To complete this study, the SATH is looking to enroll 12 dogs with preclinical DCMno more than six Doberman Pinschers (the breed most commonly affected by DCM) and up to two dogs of any other breed.

Eligible dogs must be older than 3 years, be on a stable dose of pimobendan (Vetmedin) for at least 60 days prior to the screening examination, have no evidence of congestive heart failure, and not be receiving diuretic (furosemide) medication.

We know that despite proof that pimobendan (Vetmedin) can delay the onset of heart failure and death, disease progression is relentless and dogs with DCM are still destined to die from this disease, said Dr. Sonya Gordon, cardiology professor, Eugene Chen Chair in cardiology and principal investigator for The REPAIR Study. Pimobendan treatment works by reducing heart size and improving function, essentially resetting the clock; however, that clock continues to tick. We are optimistic that the addition of rapamycin will yield additional benefits that translate into increased health span and lifespan in dogs with preclinical DCM.

For this study, we require participants to continue to receive pimobendan because it is proven to be beneficial and represents the current standard of care; we are just adding rapamycin, Gordon said. Living longer is great, but the real goal is to live betterthats what health span is all about; it is the part of life when you feel great, even if you have disease.

As a cardiology resident, I see firsthand how devastating DCM is for patients and their owners. While pimobendan is an important medication that has been shown to have significant beneficial effects in dogs with DCM, we must continue to investigate additional therapies with the potential of increasing longevity, as well as enhancing the quality of life in dogs with this heartbreaking disease, Malcolm said.

Those selected to participate in the trial will take a pill three times a week and will be required to visit the SATH for enrollment screening, as well as three additional times over six months.

While this trial will hopefully lead to larger studies, its important for owners to know that if the drug works, their dogs would be eligible to continue to receive chronic treatment with rapamycin, Gordon said.

There will be no cost to owners of dogs participating in this trial; TriviumVet, the sponsor, will cover the costs for diagnostic testing, rapamycin, and Vetmedin for the duration of the study.

This is a really stand-up company. They are all about the dogs and they have a potential game changer here, because if it works its going to have a far-reaching impact, Gordon said. If we move forward with a larger study after this investigational study, Texas A&M will serve as the lead investigational site.

Rapamycin has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use and has been used safely for decades. While cardiac disease such as DCM is not among the labeled indications for which the drug is currently prescribed in humans, Gordon and Malcolm believe this trial could have important implications in human medicine given the similarities of heart disease among dogs and humans.

We are delighted to be able to bring our proprietary, novel veterinary rapamycin formulation to clinical trials in dogs and cats for a multitude of diseases, said TriviumVet CEO Louise Grubb. Our partnership with Texas A&M for The REPAIR Study has been an incredible synergy given their cardiology expertise and passion for research. The potential of this drug is far-reaching and we look forward to continuing our research with Texas A&M across cardiology and other target disease areas.

Owners with dogs diagnosed with preclinical DCMincluding those diagnosed within the past two yearsthat are interested in enrolling their dogs in this study should email tamucardiology@cvm.tamu.edu with REPAIR Study in the subject line.

For more information, including the list of exclusion criteria, visit the CVMBS Clinical Trials webpage.

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Texas A&M Seeks Dogs With Cardiac Condition For Study On Heart Drug - Texas A&M University Today

Longtime host reflects on Raven, a red bandana and the Minnesota institution he helped create.

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. In the mass of people at the Minnesota State Fair are those who arrive just knowing where they are bound.

Big fan; I always watch Minnesota Bound, a visitor tells the affable man in the fishing vest, sitting comfortably on the porch of the little log cabin on the fairgrounds east side.

It makes me feel good, the woman continues. For some reason, it soothes me.

Ron Schara thanks the visitor, smiles, and tells her, We should hire you.

Its a scene that plays out again and again, as fans of the television show Schara launched 26 years ago stop for autographs and Minnesota Bound souvenirs.

If you have money you can go in, Schara jokes with a group heading inside the cabin where his books, calendars and branded clothing are on sale.

The fair porch encounters have been going on for years, but this year is special. Minnesota Bound is about to mark a milestone its 1,000th episode.

Its a feat almost unheard of for a 30-minute, weekly non-news show produced for local television.

Schara credits the shows staying power to a simple formula.

I tell people, I'm not trying to teach you how to catch a fish on Sunday night. We're telling stories about interesting people; we're telling stories about interesting places. That's the secret to the show. Plus, Schara says with a twinkle in his eyes, I'm damn good looking, I mean that didn't hurt.

For years, those good looks were wasted as Schara told his stories as the Minneapolis Star Tribune's first outdoors columnist.

Approached by KARE 11, Schara launched Minnesota Bound as a weekly segment for the station's 10 p.m. newscast.

Then, having found his footing in a new medium, Schara pitched a half-hour show to the station's, then-general manager, who promptly turned him down.

He sent down the message, Can't do it. We can't afford to do that show.

The rejection of Scharas pitch turned out to be a blessing when the GM suggested an alternative.

He said, Well, you produce it, we'll sell it, and I'll buy it from you, and you'll own it, Schara recalls. Bingo!

With ownership, Schara and his first employee, producer/photographer Joe Harewicz, invented a format that's remained, for the most part, intact.

The pair created an outdoors show with an emphasis on storytelling aimed at a broad audience. So, no tips for gutting a deer, but plenty of stories about family hunting and fishing traditions, fall colors, the quirks of wild birds, plus, a weekly cooking segment.

Schara and Harewicz also discovered Minnesota Bounds accidental co-host.

I'm sitting there talking to Joe Harewicz, Schara says. "What should the set look like? Should I sit by the fireplace like all the old outdoor shows? And my wife spouts up and says, Why don't you have Raven sit next to you?

Three generations of Ravens, Scharas beloved black Labradors, co-hosted with their human Schara always referring to his Ravens on-air as the star of the show.

Each Raven wore the signature red bandana Schara initially snagged from a hook in the hallway of his home, simply to provide a contrasting color to Ravens black fur for the camera.

The third Raven died in 2020, two years after Schara retired from his hosting duties and handed the reins to the show's longtime reporter Bill Sherck and Scharas daughter Laura.

The elder Schara remains as a Minnesota Bound contributor, still producing and writing stories that interest him.

I'm so proud of my dad and what he started, Laura Schara says. We hope we carry on that same tradition. That is our goal of keeping the essence of what the show is.

Sherck says it didnt take him long to realize a key to the shows longevity is Ron Scharas authenticity.

Ron gave me advice right when I started, Be yourself, dont try to copy, Sherck recalls. Ron always said, Dont be an expert, be a communicator and do it with heart.

Today, Ron Schara Productions employs two dozen people producing seven different programs scattered over broadcast, cable, and streaming services all spawned by the original.

Sherck stands next to a "Minnesota Bound" poster, featuring Ron Schara and Raven. Their backs are to the camera as they face a glassy lake and the setting sun.

It's one guy and his dog and a very quiet place in Minnesota, Sherck says.

For going on 1,000 episodes, its a place Minnesotans have been happily visiting.

NOTE: A Minnesota Bound 1,000th episode one-hour special will air on KARE 11 on Saturday November 13th at 7 p.m.

Revisit your favorite moments from Boyd Hupperts Land of 10,000 Stories by subscribing to Land of 10,000 Stories: The Complete Collection on YouTube.

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Ron Schara marks 1,000th episode of 'Minnesota Bound,' the show that almost wasn't - KARE11.com