Developing a Recellularization Approach to Produce Thymic Tissue
The thymus produces the T cells that make up the adaptive immune system, but the organ atrophies with age, contributing to the age-related decline of immune function. A popular science article here comments on a new biotech company seeking to produce thymus tissue for transplantation from decellularized donor tissues. This builds upon work of recent years that improves the understanding of the stem cell and progenitor cell populations that give rise to thymic tissue. Given that understanding, it should be possible to take decellularized thymic tissue and repopulate it with patient-derived cells, or from novel universal cel...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 14, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Our institutions have given up on the COVID-19 pandemic. We should not.
The COVID-19 pandemic is over. On May 5, The World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency. The U.S. followed suit on May 11, allowing the public health emergency declaration to expire. The pandemic did not end because of vaccination efforts nor from acquired herd immunity. The pandemic is over because Read more… Our institutions have given up on the COVID-19 pandemic. We should not. originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 11, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions COVID Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs

Mobilization for Truth, or Survival?
Scott Frickel, of my own university, and Fernando Tormos-Aponte of the University of Pittsburgh,have recently reviewed  studies of what they call " science activism " and find that it is " surging, " which they refer to as a " culture shift " among scientists. They write:Science activism has long been considered taboo, as many in the field fear thatpoliticizing science undermines its objectivity. Even so, scientist-activists have still managed to shape the U.S. political landscape throughout history. Over the past century, for example, scientists have protestedthe atomic bomb,pesticides,wars in Southeast Asia,genet...
Source: Stayin' Alive - July 10, 2023 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, July 10th 2023
In conclusion, the examination of the GBA can aid in understanding the etiology and development of NDs, which may benefit the improvement of clinical treatments for these disorders and ND interventions. This review indicates existing knowledge about the involvement of microbiota present in the gut in NDs and potential treatment options. The Aging of the Enteric Nervous System https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/07/the-aging-of-the-enteric-nervous-system/ The enteric nervous system is the nervous system of the intestines, and likely an important part of the relationship between the gut microbiome ...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 9, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Why We Can ’ t Eradicate Polio
by Gertrud U. Rey In 1988 the World Health Organization, Rotary International, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention passed the initiative to eradicate polio globally by the year 2000. We are now 23 years past this deadline, and it is increasingly clear that this goal will likely never be achieved. Smallpox … Why We Can’t Eradicate Polio Read More » (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - July 6, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Gertrud U. Rey Tags: Basic virology Gertrud Rey Albert Sabin asymptomatic infection childhood vaccination eradication fecal-oral route gut immunity inactivated poliovirus vaccine IPV jonas salk local immunity nOPV2 oral poliovirus vaccine paralysis Source Type: blogs

Why We Can ’ t Eradicate Poliovirus
by Gertrud U. Rey In 1988 the World Health Organization, Rotary International, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention passed the initiative to eradicate polio globally by the year 2000. We are now 23 years past this deadline, and it is increasingly clear that this goal will likely never be achieved. Smallpox … Why We Can’t Eradicate Poliovirus Read More » (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - July 6, 2023 Category: Virology Authors: Gertrud U. Rey Tags: Basic virology Gertrud Rey Albert Sabin asymptomatic infection childhood vaccination eradication fecal-oral route gut immunity inactivated poliovirus vaccine IPV jonas salk local immunity nOPV2 oral poliovirus vaccine paralysis Source Type: blogs

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Although the U.S. acted with extraordinary speed to develop and distribute vaccines and therapeutic treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic, it must do more to prepare for future public health emergencies.        (Source: The Commonwealth Fund: Blog)
Source: The Commonwealth Fund: Blog - July 6, 2023 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Meagan C. Fitzpatrick, Rachel Nuzum, Alison P. Galvani Source Type: blogs

Age-Associated B Cells Correlate with Impaired Immune Response
Age-associated B cells are one of a number of dysfunctional or maladaptive immune cell subpopulations that appear in increasing numbers in later late, and which likely impair the many functions of the immune system by their presence. Clearing all B cells rather than trying to selectively clear age-associated B cells is a viable proposition, as the B cell population regenerates quite rapidly following clearance, and the new cells lack the age-associated B cell phenotype. This has been demonstrated in animal models, but has yet to make it to the clinic as a treatment to improve the aged immune system. Age-associated...
Source: Fight Aging! - July 4, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

COVID-19 vaccine neglect: a tale of regret and debilitating symptoms
As an allergist-immunologist who trained at Mayo Clinic, one might assume that I’m up to date on my COVID-19 booster vaccinations. However, I realized months ago that I was overdue for a booster; it’s been over a year since my third vaccination. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I didn’t stop at the pharmacy or Read more… COVID-19 vaccine neglect: a tale of regret and debilitating symptoms originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 29, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions COVID Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs

Building a Digital Immune System
Credit: Courtesy of Dr. Tomas Helikar. The power of computer code has been a longtime fascination for Tomas Helikar, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). In college, when he learned he could use that power to help researchers better understand biology and improve human health, Dr. Helikar knew he’d found his ideal career. Since then, he’s built a successful team of scientists studying the ways we can use mathematical models in biomedical research, such as creating a digital replica of the immune system that could predict how a patient will react to infectious microorganisms ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - June 28, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Cells Tools and Techniques Bioinformatics Computational Biology Cool Tools/Techniques Modeling Profiles Source Type: blogs

Featured Health IT Job: Procurement Coordinator
We like to regularly feature a healthcare IT job that might be of interest to readers. Today, we’re featuring the Procurement Coordinator position that was recently posted on Healthcare IT Central. This position was posted by New York eHealth Collaborative and is a hybrid position requiring one day a week in the Albany, New York office. Here’s a description of the position: New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health to improve healthcare by collaboratively leading, connecting, and integrating health information exc...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 28, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Health IT Jobs Tags: Career and Jobs Healthcare IT Health IT Jobs Health IT Procurement Healthcare IT Jobs Job Seekers New York eHealth Collaborative New York Health IT Jobs NYeC Procurement Coordinator Source Type: blogs

Not the Last of Them
BY KIM BELLARD I’m seeing two conflicting yet connected visions about the future. One is when journalist David Wallace-Wells says we might be in for “golden age for medicine,” with CRISPR and mRNA revolutionizing drug development. The second is the dystopian HBO hit “The Last of Us,” in which a fungal infection has turned much of the world’s population into zombie-like creatures.  The conflict is clear but the connection not so much. Mr. Wallace-Wells never mentions fungi in his article, but if we’re going to have a golden age of medicine, or if we want to avoid a global fungal outbreak, we better be p...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 27, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Medical Practice Fungal Infections Kim Bellard Medical School Source Type: blogs

Not The Last of Them
By KIM BELLARD I’m seeing two conflicting yet connected visions about the future. One is when journalist David Wallace-Wells says we might be in for “golden age for medicine,” with CRISPR and mRNA revolutionizing drug development. The second is the dystopian HBO hit “The Last of Us,” in which a fungal infection has turned much of the world’s population into zombie-like creatures. The conflict is clear but the connection not so much. Mr. Wallace-Wells never mentions fungi in his article, but if we’re going to have a golden age of medicine, or if we want to avoid a global fungal outbreak, we better be pay...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 27, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Health Policy Fungi Golden Age of Medicine Kim Bellard Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, June 26th 2023
This study explored the association between different cooking fuel types and the risk of cancer and all-cause mortality among seniors constructing Cox regression models. Data were obtained by linking waves of 6, 7, and 8 of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, which included a total of 7,269 participants who were 65 years old and over. Cooking fuels were categorized as either biomass, fossil, or clean fuels. And the effects of switching cooking fuels on death risk were also investigated using Cox regression models. The results indicate that, compared with the users of clean fuels, individuals using bio...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 25, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

3 Ways Consumers are Putting the Pressure on Health Plans
The following is a guest article by Mike Pattwell, Principal Business Advisor, Value Based Care at Edifecs Consumers are at the heart of healthcare — their fears are forcing healthcare innovators to shift priorities to deliver consumer-centric digital health offerings. This is true today, tomorrow, and far into the future. With inflation brings financial concerns that lead to cost-cutting efforts often resulting in poorer health outcomes from millions of Americans. Consumers are looking for smarter ways to save on healthcare, forcing insurance providers to make marked changes to the way they conduct outreach and how they...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - June 21, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Guest Author Tags: Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring APIs Application Programming Interfaces Consumers Edifecs EHR FHIR Health Plans Healthcare Consumers Healthcare Insurance Compa Source Type: blogs