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Neck Relax Reviews – Best Neck Massager around? – Product Review by Mike Vaughn

Dr. Faye Yin

Dr. Faye Yin

Melanoma is a serious and life-threatening form of cancer that begins in the skin but can spread rapidly if not treated early. We sat down with board-certified oncologist Dr. Faye Yin, an oncologist at Jersey City Medical Center, to learn more about this disease, its causes and risk factors, and why its important to protect yourself from excessive sun exposure even during the cold winter months.

What are the main risk factors for developing melanoma?

Ultraviolet, or UV, light exposure is the major risk factor. Melanoma is associated with both UVB rays, which are present in sunlight, and UVA rays, which are generated by tanning beds. Other risk factors include the presence of moles on the skin. Most are benign, but those with excessive moles should consult a dermatologist, especially if they observe any changes. Often, a mole will be removed as a precautionary measure. Age is also a risk factor; the older the person, the higher the risk. People with fair skin, freckles, and lighter hair are also more susceptible, which is why melanoma is more common in white and light-skinned people. Other risk factors include family history and the presence of a weakened immune system. Those with xeroderma pigmentosum, or XP, a rare genetic disorder, are particularly at risk because the condition affects the ability of skin cells to repair themselves after UV light exposure.

What should people do if they have any of these risk factors?

As with most risk factors impacting health, there are things you can change, and things you cannot. You cant change your skin color or family history, and you cant avoid getting older. But you can limit your exposure to UV rays. A popular catchphrase that I tell my patients, which has been promoted by the American Cancer Society, is Slip, Slop, Slap, and Wrap. Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap on some sunglasses. I also recommend that people avoid using tanning beds and sun lamps. Teaching children about sun safety is especially important, because they tend to spend more time outdoors and can burn more easily. It is also important for people with risk factors to pay closer attention to their skin. Keep an eye out for abnormal moles or other skin features that appear to be unusual or changing over time, and consult a dermatologist if necessary.

Can sunlight still be dangerous during winter?

Yes whether youre skiing or just going for a walk, it is great to enjoy the sun and being outdoors in the winter, but its just as important to protect yourself from excess sun exposure in winter as it is in summer. Harmful ultraviolet rays are present year-round. They can even filter through dark cloud coverage to reach your skin, increasing your risk of melanoma. Some people may experience a bad sunburn on a winter vacation, especially if they ski in high altitudes, because UV rays are usually more intense in higher regions with a thinner atmosphere. When youre outside, any uncovered areas of your body are exposed to UV rays. So, its important to wear sunscreen even in the winter months.

Is smoking a risk factor for developing melanoma, and if so, is it mostly if youre currently smoking (for instance, what if you smoked for years and stopped?)

As an oncologist, every day I tell my patients: dont smoke! Smoking is a contributing factor for many cancers, and I believe that it also affects overall skin health; I can often look at someones skin and tell whether they smoke. That having been said, we dont have evidence that smoking directly contributes to melanoma. But I always encourage patients not to smoke to stay healthy and minimize their cancer risk.

Why does having a weakened immune system count as a risk factor for melanoma?

Having a weakened immune system increases the risk of melanoma and other cancers. I have worked with many patients whose immune systems have been compromised, either by illness or in some cases due to medical treatment for other conditions. For example, immunosuppressive drugs are used after stem cell and organ transplants, to prevent the body from rejecting the transplant. Certain diseases also compromise the immune system, such as HIV. A weakened immune system increases cancer risk for two reasons. First, because the body has less ability to detect and destroy cancer cells. And secondly, because the body is more susceptible to infections that may lead to cancer.

Is gender a risk factor? If so, do we know why?

In the United States, men typically have a higher rate of melanoma than women, though this varies by age. Before age 50, the risk is higher for women, and after age 50, the risk is higher in men. We believe that this discrepancy relates to the fact that men are likely to spend more time in the sun over the course of their lifetimes. I also think that women are more likely to wear sunscreen than men, so this may play a role. In addition, men tend to have thicker skin with less fat beneath it and more collagen, and some research shows that this can make the skin more susceptible to sunlight damage. Also, some studies have shown that estrogen, which is more prevalent in women, can increase resistance to melanoma.

Are older people at higher risk for melanoma?

The risk of melanoma increases as you age. The average age for a melanoma diagnosis is age 65. But melanoma is not uncommon even among those younger than age 30. In fact, it is one of the most common cancers in young adults, especially young women. Melanoma is also more common in younger people whose families have a history of melanoma.

How does having a family history of having melanoma impact someone?

Family history is definitely a melanoma risk factor; the risk is higher among those who have one or more first-degree relatives who have had melanoma. About 10 percent of people diagnosed with melanoma have a family history. Families tend to have shared lifestyle habits, such as more frequent sun exposure, and in addition they typically have similar skin types and share certain genetic characteristics. You cant change your skin color or your genes, but you can change some factors. If you know that you are higher risk, and have a family history, pay close attention to your skin. Avoid excessive sunlight and tanning beds, and consult a dermatologist if you have concerns.

Why is UV light exposure a risk factor?

Numerous studies have shown that sun and UV light exposure is a major melanoma risk factor, especially for children and teens. Research shows that early sun exposure can damage the DNA in skin cells. Melanocytes are the cells that produce melanin, which gives skin its pigmentation, and damaging these cells can start the path to melanoma. Melanoma commonly occurs on the thighs of women, and on the trunks of men, as well as on arms and faces, which are the areas that most often receive chronic sun exposure in young people. In addition to limiting UV light exposure, people should also examine their own skin at least monthly, especially if there are high risk factors. If you see something unusual, such as a large mole or a spot youre not sure about, I will often encourage patients to take a photograph of it. You might not notice small changes over time because you get accustomed to them. But if you take a picture of a spot on your skin and compare it a month or a few months later, and you see a change, you should see a dermatologist.

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The facts about the danger of melanoma - The Hudson Reporter

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Most treatment for heart failure can only slow it down or ease your symptoms. Soon, it may be possible to fix what causes it. Doctors are testing whether stem cells can repair or replace damaged heart cells.

Stem cells can grow into many different kinds of cells. You have them in organs and tissues all over your body. They divide to replace worn-out or damaged cells, and to become new stem cells.

In the lab, scientists have turned stem cells into ones that make up blood vessel walls and linings, and into actual beating heart cells. Now theyre trying to translate that into a treatment.

Scientists have zeroed in on a few specific kinds of cells that may be helpful:

Bone marrow mononuclear cells: A mixture of cells that comes from your own bone marrow.

Cardiac-derived stem cells: Ones found in heart tissue.

Mesenchymal stromal cells: They're usually taken from bone marrow, fat, or umbilical cord blood.

Proangiogenic progenitor cells: These are in blood and bone marrow.

It's not approved to treat heart failure, yet. You can get it through a clinical trial. Thats when the research moves from the lab to the hospital to see if a treatment is safe and if it works.

If you want to try stem cell therapy, ask your doctors if there are studies that may be a good fit for you. The National Library of Medicine has a website that helps you search for all kinds of clinical trials.

Not all experimental treatments are part of a clinical trial, so make sure you understand what youre signing up for. If its a legitimate study, you shouldnt have to pay for treatment or follow-ups.

Most people testing stem cell therapy for heart failure get one treatment. Then theyre checked every few months for a year or more.

Not everyone in a trial actually gets stem cells. Researchers need to compare the results of the new treatment against what happens with a group of people who dont get it.

Doctors are testing several different methods of giving people stem cells:

Intramyocardial injection: Cells go right into the heart muscle, usually during another procedure like open-heart surgery, bypass surgery, or implanting a pacemaker.

Intracoronary infusion: A catheter puts cells into your coronary artery. It goes into a large blood vessel in your groin and threaded through your heart.

Intravenously: Cells go right into the bloodstream through a needle placed in a vein.

With any of these methods, most stem cells leave the body quickly. Researchers are looking for better ways to make them stick. One possibility is growing them into a patch that goes directly to the damaged part of the heart.

Theres no way to fix heart damage that leads to heart failure. Stem cell therapy could change that. Still, its too early to call any treatment a success. The studies done so far have been too small. They've also used very different methods.

But it does look like stem cells could help repair heart tissue. In most studies, people who got them were less likely to die or go to the hospital during the study. Their hearts worked better and their quality of life was better than for people who didnt get them.

It isnt clear how stem cells help. Doctors hope clinical trials and research will help them discover that. They're also hoping to answer many other questions, including:

If you are interested in joining a trial, talk to your doctor.

SOURCES:

International Society for Stem Cell Research: Heart Disease, Types of Stem Cells, About Clinical Trials, Stem Cell Research: What to Ask.

National Institutes of Health: Mending a Broken Heart: Stem Cells and Cardiac Repair, Can Stem Cells Repair a Damaged Heart? Stem Cell Basics, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You.

Current Cardiology Reviews: Cellular Therapy for Heart Failure.

U.S. National Library of Medicine: ClinicalTrials.gov.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Consumer Information on Stem Cells.

Circulation Research: Cell Therapy for Heart Failure, Safety and Efficacy of the Intravenous Infusion of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Heart Failure: A Phase 1/2 Randomized Controlled Trial (RIMECARD Trial).

The Lancet: Ixmyelocel-T for patients with ischaemic heart failure: a prospective randomised double-blind trial.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Failure Treatment

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spero Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRO), a multi-asset clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing treatments in high unmet need areas involving multi-drug resistant bacterial infections and rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Satyavrat “Sath” Shukla, CFA, as Chief Financial Officer, effective as of January 4, 2021.

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Spero Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Sath Shukla as Chief Financial Officer

LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CalciMedica Inc. (“CalciMedica” or the “Company), a clinical-stage biotechnology company targeting calcium release-activated calcium (“CRAC”) channels for the treatment of severe acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, today announced that the trial evaluating Auxora™ in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia has received a recommendation to continue, following a pre-scheduled safety review by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC). The IDMC recommendation that the trial continue is based on an unblinded analysis of safety data from over 50 patients. The company expects to have more than 100 patients enrolled by the end of December.

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CalciMedica Announces IDMC Recommendation to Continue with Trial Evaluating Auxora™ in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia

- Proceeds Received from Registered Direct Offering, Warrant Exercises and Upfront Fee from China Out-licensing -

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SELLAS Strengthens Year-End Balance Sheet with Addition of Approximately $30.5 Million

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire — Cybin Inc. (NEO: CYBN) today announces its placement in an editorial published by NetworkNewsWire ("NNW"), one of 50+ trusted brands within the InvestorBrandNetwork (“IBN”), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company for private and public entities.

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Cybin Inc. (NEO: CYBN) Acquisition, Three-Pillar Approach Reason for Optimistic MDD Outlook

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Acer Therapeutics Announces Publication of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (vEDS) Patient Registry Data from Sweden

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCardia (Nasdaq: BCDA), a leader in the development of comprehensive solutions for cardiovascular regenerative therapies, today announced that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) has completed its prespecified data review for the Phase III pivotal CardiAMP™ Heart Failure Trial. The DSMB based its review on all available data for the 86 patients enrolled in the trial, including 60 randomized patients who have reached their one-year follow-up. The DSMB performed a risk-benefit assessment, indicated no safety concerns, and recommended that the study continue as designed.

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BioCardia Announces Positive DSMB Review and Recommendation to Continue Phase III Pivotal CardiAMP Heart Failure Study as Designed

TEL-AVIV, Israel, Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tarsier Pharma (doing business as Tarsius Pharma Ltd.), a late clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat patients with blinding ocular diseases, today announced that it has successfully completed an End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and received important feedback on its trial design and program for its TRS01 Phase 3 program in uveitis, including feedback on its nonclinical and CMC plans supporting submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) in the U.S.  TRS01, the Company’s first clinical development candidate, is a novel immunomodulator drug for treating Active Anterior Non-Infectious Uveitis.

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Tarsier Pharma's Positive End-of-Phase 2 Meeting with the U.S. FDA Sets Stage for TRS01 Phase III Program in Uveitis

Additional agreement that expands Intrivo’s family of authorized distributors will ensure broad access to rapid testing solutions across US Additional agreement that expands Intrivo’s family of authorized distributors will ensure broad access to rapid testing solutions across US

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Intrivo Diagnostics Secures National Distribution Agreement with McKesson Medical-Surgical for Access Bio CareStart™ COVID-19 Tests

CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biosenta’s stock closed at 0.75 CAD +0.37 (97.37%). This marked the third day of Alberta’s Province wide Covid-19 lockdown. This is in step with Biosenta’s strategic business plan grow the company and to capture the growing trend for safe, consumer, commercial and industrial disinfectant with anti-microbial compounds. This comes on the eve of Biosenta receiving the patent for Canada.

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Biosenta growth milestone

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SCYNEXIS, Inc. (Nasdaq:SCYX) today announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering of common stock, pre-funded warrants and warrants. The shares and warrants are being sold at a public offering price of $6.25 per share and accompanying warrants, and the pre-funded warrants are being sold at a public offering price of $6.249 per pre-funded warrant and accompanying warrants. The gross offering proceeds to SCYNEXIS from this offering are expected to be approximately $85.0 million, before deducting the underwriting discount and other estimated offering expenses, and excluding the exercise of any pre-funded warrants or warrants. All of the shares of common stock, pre-funded warrants and warrants are being offered by SCYNEXIS.

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SCYNEXIS Announces Pricing of $85 Million Public Offering of Common Stock, Pre-Funded Warrants and Warrants

LONDON and NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tiziana Life Sciences plc (Nasdaq: TLSA / AIM: TILS) ("Tiziana" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company focused on innovative therapeutics for oncology, inflammation and infectious diseases, today announces it has applied to list its ordinary shares ("Ordinary Shares") on the standard listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) (the "Official List") and admission to trading on the London Stock Exchange plc's (the "London Stock Exchange") main market ("Main Market") for listed securities (together, "Admission"). The Board has taken this decision as it believes that a standard listing will afford Tiziana greater flexibility in pursuing its strategy as an international company.

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Tiziana Life Sciences PLC (“Tiziana” or “the Company”) - Notification of proposed admission to the Main Market and cancellation of trading...

New intellectual property facilitates the precise control and modulation of cannabinoid production New intellectual property facilitates the precise control and modulation of cannabinoid production

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22nd Century Group Achieves Breakthrough Hemp/Cannabis GMO Technology; Granted New Patent for Controlling Genes Responsible for Production of CBD,...

– Randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, global Phase 3 trial will investigate the safety and efficacy of VIR-7831 in hospitalized adults with COVID-19 –

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Vir Biotechnology and GSK Announce Start of NIH-Sponsored ACTIV-3 Trial Evaluating VIR-7831 in Hospitalized Adults with COVID-19

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTGN), a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing a new generation of medicines with potential to go beyond the current standard of care for anxiety, depression and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced that it commenced an underwritten public offering of units consisting of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), and its Series D convertible preferred stock (the “Series D Preferred Stock”). All securities to be sold in the offering are to be sold by VistaGen. The offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

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VistaGen Therapeutics Announces Proposed Underwritten Public Offering

PRA’s remote patient monitoring (RPM) solution now offers a suite of COVID-19 tools – diagnostic testing, clinical monitoring, and symptom reporting and management functionality PRA’s remote patient monitoring (RPM) solution now offers a suite of COVID-19 tools – diagnostic testing, clinical monitoring, and symptom reporting and management functionality

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PRA Health Sciences collaborates with PWNHealth and Fulgent Genetics to provide at-home COVID-19 test capabilities

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ: EDIT), a leading genome editing company, today announced that it has appointed Meeta Chatterjee, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors.

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Editas Medicine Names Meeta Chatterjee, Ph.D., to Board of Directors

Clinical-stage monoclonal antibody in development for rare genetic bone disease that builds on Ultragenyx’s existing bone franchise

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Mereo BioPharma and Ultragenyx Announce Collaboration and License Agreement for Setrusumab in Osteogenesis Imperfecta