Biology Digest

  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV’s “Dr. Oz Show” after rocketing to fame on Oprah Winfrey’s show, announced Tuesday that he is running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat as a Republican. Oz, 61, will bring his unrivaled name recognition and wealth to a wide-open race that is expected to be among the nation’s most competitive and could determine control of the Senate in next year’s election. Oz — a longtime New Jersey resident — enters a Republican field that is  resetting with an influx of candidates  and a new opportunity to appeal to voters loyal to former President Donald Trump, now that the candidate endorsed by Trump  has just exited the race . In a one-minute video message on social media, Oz casts himself as a sort of champion for people’s health, who “took on the medical establishment to argue against costly drugs and skyrocketing medical bills” and is prepared to fight a government that he...

  SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Starting Monday, the U.S will ban entry to most travelers from several African countries. Vallejo resident, Gray Pimentel arrived from London to the Bay Area on Friday. "I thought things were getting better quite frankly. This is so new, and it was kind of happening while we were there," said Pimentel. As Omicron continues to spread, the UK, Japan, Brazil, Thailand and Singapore are among a growing list of countries imposing restrictions on travelers from South Africa. Carsten missed his flight to Singapore after not meeting the testing requirements before his flight. "It turns out that the test results that I got from a test center were the wrong type of tests and that type of test is not accepted," said Carsten. Strict guidelines are happening across the globe. Edwards Siu is the owner of the travel agency Classic Tour. He is getting flashbacks of the beginning of the pandemic. "We are expecting more business coming in but now it'...

  DETROIT (WXYZ) — Late Monday night, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release that the newly discovered COVID-19 omicron variant has not yet been detected in Michigan, however the department is now actively monitoring for it. Doctors in metro Detroit say when it's here, it will be known. “It is not going to be a huge challenge to discover this variant," said Dr. Teena Chopra, the director of the Center for Emerging and Infectious Diseases at Wayne State University. "When we see it, we will know it right away.” The center is sending in samples and  monitoring for signs of omicron  in metro Detroit. “The fact that now this variant has been seen in other countries, more and more samples are going to be tested," Chopra said. "The CDC is testing thousands and thousands of them. So is the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit.” The variant has not yet been found in the U.S. but has been found in neighboring Ontario. Chopra says ...

 

 

  CRISPR gene editing is a popular tool among scientists searching for new targets in treating inflammatory diseases. A team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center used the technology to study the role of metabolism in the functioning of immune cells, and they ended up uncovering a target they believe could be exploited to treat several inflammatory diseases. The CRISPR screen pinpointed MTHFD2, a gene that makes an enzyme vital to the development and functioning of the immune system's T cells. Inhibiting the enzyme or genetically eliminating it was effective in animal models of multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and allergy, the researchers  reported  in the journal Immunity. MTHFD2 is well known in the cancer community, because the enzyme it makes is overexpressed in many tumors. Drugs targeting it had been studied preclinically but never made it into clinical trials.  MTHFD2 is part of what's known as the "one-carbon" metabolism pathway, a ...

  Presented By: Matt Mckenna Sr. Field Applications Scientist, Thermo Fisher Scientific Ketil Pedersen Manager & Staff Scientist, Thermo Fisher Scientific Laura Chapman Staff Scientist, Thermo Fisher Scientific Alexander "Sasha" Vlassov Senior Manager R&D at Thermo Fisher Scientific Webinar: Innovations in Vaccine Research and Development Webinar Abstract: Reducing the spread of highly infectious and deadly diseases within the population, vaccine development is crucial in saving millions of lives each year. As a part of the scientific community working on novel vaccines, you are connected to a legacy that began with breakthroughs in the 18th century, and continues to break the boundaries of precision medicine. Join our Thermo Fisher scientists as we give an overview of vaccine platforms and attributes, and discuss new vaccine research and development workflows in relation to SARS-CoV-2. Emphasis will be placed on the tools and workflows enabling rapid progress in va...

  Nov 9 (Reuters) - A couple sued a California fertility clinic for switching their embryo with another couple's during in vitro fertilization treatment, resulting in each couple giving birth to and raising the other's baby for months before discovering the mistake. In a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, Daphna and Alexander Cardinale accused California Center for Reproductive Health of breach of contract, medical malpractice and negligent infliction of emotional distress, seeking an unspecified amount of money damages. The clinic did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Daphna Cardinale gave birth to a girl in 2019, but her husband immediately suspected something was wrong because the baby did not resemble either of the parents, according to the lawsuit. Two months later, the couple obtained a DNA test confirming the child was not related to them. The Cardinales then contacted the clinic through a lawyer, and the clinic eventually told t...

  Nov 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will buy another $1 billion worth of the COVID-19 pill made by Merck & Co Inc  (MRK.N)  and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, the companies said on Tuesday. The government in June agreed to buy 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir for $1.2 billion and is now exercising options to buy 1.4 million more. That brings the total secured courses to 3.1 million and worth $2.2 billion. Merck said the government has the right to buy 2 million more courses as part of the contract.  read more The drug has been closely watched since data last month showed that when given early in the illness it could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of developing severe COVID-19.  read more "Molnupiravir, if authorized, will be among the vaccines and medicines available to fight COVID-19 as part of our collective efforts to bring this pandemic to an end," said Frank Clyburn, president of Merck's human health b...

  LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Britain will start to roll out Merck's   (MRK.N)   molnupiravir COVID-19 antiviral pill through a drug trial later this month, Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at the UK Health Security Agency said on Sunday. Last week Britain became the first country in the world to approve the potentially game-changing COVID-19 antiviral pill, jointly developed by U.S.-based Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.  read more The government said in October it had secured 480,000 courses of the Merck drug, as well as 250,000 courses of an antiviral pill developed by Pfizer Inc  (PFE.N) .  read more Asked about the molnupiravir approval, Hopkins told BBC television: "That is great news and it will start to be rolled out through a drug trial in the end of this month/the beginning of December." Hopkins said all the trials so far had been done with the unvaccinated, so this would help understand how it will work in the wider vaccinated ...

  This is Similar to when Neil Cavuto Reacted to the Hydroxycloroquine situation in 2020 involving President Trump.