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By TNH Staff February 6, 2020

Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, Regeneron President and Chief Scientific Officer, spoke at the St. Demetrios Graduation in Astoria. (Photo: TNH/Kostas Bej)

WASHINGTON, DC The United States has announced that it will work with the drug company Regeneron to develop an effective treatment for the new Chinese coronavirus, using drugs that have been tested to fight the Ebola virus.

Many different therapies are currently being tested for the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), three of which are at an advanced stage: a drug administered to HIV carriers (Kaletra), a combination of drugs used for the coronavirus MERS (antivirals and immunotherapy) and a U.S. company Gilead antivirus that had been previously tested for Ebola virus.

The partnership between the U.S. government and Regeneron concerns a treatment based on monoclonal antibodies. A public-private partnership, like the one we have with Regeneron since 2014, allows us to respond quickly to new global health threats, said Rick Bright, a U.S. health official.

Monoclonal antibodies are copies of one type of antibody prepared in the laboratory. They are a kind of immunotherapy. They attach to certain proteins of the virus and neutralize its ability to invade human cells.

Regeneron has created the cocktail REGN-EB3, which consists of three monoclonal antibodies and last year significantly improved the survival rate of patients infected with Ebola virus in the Congo. The company has also developed a treatment for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The convincing results of our experimental treatment for Ebola last year showed Regenerons ability to respond quickly to new outbreaks, explained Greek-American Dr. George Yancopoulos, Regenerons President and chief scientific officer.

The cure for the new coronavirus may eventually include many types of medication.

The coronavirus epidemic is likely to have an impact on U.S. supply chains, but the consequences are unlikely to be disastrous, White House financial adviser Larry Cadlow said in an interview with Fox Business, ANA-MPA reported.

Its not a disaster, Cadlow said, adding that weve had it in the past and I just think the impact is minimal, ANA-MPA reported.

The American-born Dr.Yancopoulos,one of the nations leading scientists and head of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, grew up inWoodside, Queens. He was the valedictorian of both theBronx High School of ScienceandColumbia University, and received his MD and PhD degrees in 1987 from Columbia Universitys College of Physicians & Surgeons.Yancopoulosworked in the field of molecular immunology at Columbia University with Dr. Fred Alt, and received the Lucille P. Markey Scholar Award for his efforts. In 1989, he left his academic career and became the founding scientist for Regeneron withLeonard Schleifer. Among his honors,Yancopouloswas awarded Columbia Universitys Stevens Triennial Prize for Research and its University Medal of Excellence for Distinguished Achievement. In 2004, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Dr. Yancopoulos and Regeneron Working on Coronavirus Treatment - The National Herald

Biochemistry

Early Career Award Advances Work on Computational Models of Proteins – University of Arkansas Newswire

February 6, 2020 medical

Photo by University Relations

Mahmoud Moradi, University of Arkansas.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Chemist Mahmoud Moradi has received a $650,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development award to advance his work modeling the function of proteins at the molecular level, which will deepen our understanding of disease and improve drug design.

Moradis research lies at the intersection of biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics and computer science. An assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, he develops biomolecular simulations and computational theories that explain how proteins function at the molecular level. The theories improve geometric models to describe how proteins change their shape and how these changes affect a protein's behavior.

Proteins are considered the workhorse molecules of cells. They are responsible for nearly all tasks in cellular life, including product manufacture, waste cleanup and routine maintenance. Some proteins transport materials and information between the cell and its environment, a vital task for the survival and normal function of the cell. Any disorder in protein function can result in disease. Therefore, the study of protein function is necessary for understanding the molecular basis of disease.

Recent advances in supercomputing technology has enabled us to simulate complex biomolecular systems that might contain millions of atoms, Moradi said.

By allowing us to visualize the behavior of the proteins and other biomolecules at the molecular level, these simulations are helpful not only in understanding their workings but also in designing therapeutics to manipulate their behavior when they dont function right.

Theoreticians have been trying to come up with shortcuts to accelerate the computer simulations of protein behavior without compromising reliability. These shortcuts, called enhanced sampling techniques, are based on Euclidean geometry, which is embedded in conventional statistical mechanics.

Moradis project improves enhanced sampling techniques by incorporating a more general and accurate geometry, known as Riemannian geometry. Riemannian geometry allows the intrinsic protein space to be curved, somewhat similarmathematicallyto Einstein's general relativity theory, where gravity curves, or warps, spacetime.

The Faculty Early Career Development Program, also called CAREER, is the NSFs most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to advance the mission of their department or organization. Research by early-career faculty build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership integrating education and research. Moradis award is part of the Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods program in the Division of Chemistry.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.

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Early Career Award Advances Work on Computational Models of Proteins - University of Arkansas Newswire

Biochemistry

Wisconsin Experiment Heading To Space Could Someday Benefit Your Gut Health – WUWM

February 6, 2020 medical

A Wisconsin experiment is heading to the International Space Station. The results could help keep a good balance in your gut. WUWM's Chuck Quirmbach reports.

A rocket scheduled to go to the International Space Station on Sunday will carry a Wisconsin experiment that could help in the fight against bacteria that resist antibiotics. The research may also assist future astronauts and other space travelers.

Scientists have known for about a century that viruses called phages can destroy harmful bacteria without large-scale killing of cells or beneficial bacteria in the human body. But soon after that discovery, the development ofpenicillin and other antibiotic drugs dampened the idea of making more use of phages. That's changed in recent years, as more bacteria have grown resistant to antibiotics.

On Sunday afternoon, the virus research moves off the Earth and into space. Weather permitting, a rocket will be launched from a NASA facility in Virginia. Its a re-supply mission to the space station. But the rocket will also carry material for several experiments. That includesfrozen tubes of bacteria and phages for research spearheaded by UW-Madison Biochemistry assistant professor Vatsan Raman.

On a recent NASA conference call, Raman said phages are the most abundant living entity.

"It's estimated that for every bacterium on Earth, there's approximately 10 or more phages. And when the phages find their bacterial host, they inject their DNA into the bacteria, make many, many copies and sometimes kill the host," Raman said.

In humans, this interaction of micro-organisms takes place in what scientists call the microbiome. Raman says probably the biggest reservoir of phages and bacteria is the gut, or the small and large intestines. He says when there isn't the right balance of the microbes you may feel ill.

It can often lead to pathogenesis, which means you can have an infective species kind of take over the population, which is obviously not good. Sometimes you can have digestive disorders because your microbiome plays an important role in processing your diet. So, maintaining a healthy microbiome, where you have diverse species present is absolutely essential for health," Raman said.

On the International Space Station, he says astronauts will conduct experiments looking at how the microgravity and radiation not found on Earth may affect the virus-bacteria interaction. Weaker gravity could change how often phages bump into bacteria. Raman says the radiation in space, sometimes high energy cosmic rays, could lead to mutation of DNA.

"Which means, the frequency phages and bacteria might mutate is perhaps higher in space than on Earth. Which leads to the question: what happens then? Do the phages acquire new functions? Do they lose existing functions? Does the bacteria acquire new functions? Does it lose existing function? Raman said.

With the U.S. planning to send more astronauts into space in the coming decades, and President Donald Trump even viewing the planned Space Force as a branch of the military, the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency is funding the phage experiment.

A Texas-based biotechnology corporation, Rhodium Scientific,is also interested in the results. Rhodium's Heath Mills is co-investigator on the project known as Phage Evolution. Mills says imagine being able to target a phage toward a pathogen, or disease-causing micro-organism.

"You're now looking at a highly-focused mechanism to alleviate a troublesome, pathogenic, harmful bacteria, while leaving the rest of that microbiome intact. The problem with current anti-microbials, antibiotics, is that they destroy a vast swath of that microbiome, of which now you need to have replacements, which you need to go back in and rebuild over time," Mills said.

Mills says better targeting could help astronauts and future space tourists,as well as most of us who will never leave the ground.

After the experiments on the International Space Station, samples will come back and be compared to results found on Earth.

Do you have a question about innovation in Wisconsin that you'd like WUWM's Chuck Quirmbach to explore? Submit it below.

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Wisconsin Experiment Heading To Space Could Someday Benefit Your Gut Health - WUWM

Biochemistry

Toxic Protein, Linked to Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases, Exposed in New Detail – P&T Community

February 6, 2020 medical

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The protein tau has long been implicated in Alzheimer's and a host of other debilitating brain diseases. But scientists have struggled to understand exactly how tau converts from its normal, functional form into a misfolded, harmful one. Now, researchers at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute and Mayo Clinic in Florida have used cutting-edge technologies to see tau in unprecedented detail. By analyzing brain tissue from patients, this research team has revealed that modifications to the tau protein may influence the different ways it can misfold in a person's brain cells. These differences are closely linked to the type of neurodegenerative disease that will develop and how quickly that disease will spread throughout the brain.

The study, published today in Cell, employed two complementary techniques to map the structure of tau and decipher the effects of additional molecules, called post-translational modifications (PTMs), on its surface. These new structural insights could accelerate the fight against neurodegenerative diseases, by helping researchers identify new biomarkers that detect these disorders before symptoms arise and design new drugs that target specific PTMs, preventing the onset of disease before it wreaks havoc on the brain.

"Tau has long been a protein of significant interest due to its prevalence in disease," said Anthony Fitzpatrick, PhD, a Principal Investigator at Columbia's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute who led the study. "In today's publication, we lay out compelling evidence that PTMs play an important structural role in tauopathies, the collection of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by toxic buildup of misfolded tau."

No two tauopathies are exactly alike. Each affects different parts of the brain even different cell types which can lead to different symptoms. Alzheimer's, for example, arises in the hippocampus, and so affects memory. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disorder most often seen in survivors of traumatic brain injury, can lead to problems with movement, memory or emotion, depending on which areas of the brain are affected.

Scientists have used traditional imaging techniques to find clues to how tangles of tau, comprised of individual fibers, or filaments, are implicated in these diseases. But painting a complete picture has proven difficult.

"The brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases are easy to identify: entire sections have been eaten away, replaced by large clumps and tangles of misfolded proteins like tau," said Tamta Arakhamia, an undergraduate at Columbia's School of General Studies, a research assistant in the Fitzpatrick lab and the paper's co-first author. "However, tau filaments are 10,000 times thinner than the width of a human hair, making them extraordinarily difficult to study in detail."

To address this challenge, Dr. Fitzpatrick recently pioneered the use of cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM, to visualize individual tau filaments from diseased human brain tissue. Cryo-EM is a Nobel Prize-winning technology developed, in part, by researchers at Columbia University. Cryo-EM images samples using a beam of electrons and has proven indispensable for investigations into extremely small biological structures. Using cryo-EM, Dr. Fitzpatrick's team has reconstructed the structures of tau filaments, providing new insights into how they form, grow, and spread throughout the brain.

For all its ability to provide highly detailed snapshots of proteins, cryo-EM has limits. To overcome these limits, Dr. Fitzpatrick and his team to paired it with a second technology: mass spectrometry.

"Cryo-EM does not provide a complete picture because it cannot fully recognize the microscopic PTMs on tau's surface," said Christina Lee, an undergraduate student at Columbia College, a research assistant in the Fitzpatrick lab and the paper's co-first author. "But mass spectrometry can pinpoint the chemical composition of PTMs on the surface of tau."

Working with co-corresponding author Leonard Petrucelli, PhD, Ralph B. and Ruth K. Abrams Professor of Neuroscience at Mayo Clinic in Florida, and Nicholas Seyfried, PhD, professor of biochemistry at Emory University School of Medicine, the researchers used cryo-EM and mass spectrometry to analyze the brain tissue from patients diagnosed with two tauopathies: Alzheimer's disease and corticobasal degeneration, or CBD. CBD is a rare but extremely aggressive tauopathy, affecting only one in every 10,000 people. Unlike Alzheimer's, which is thought to arise due to a number of factors including tau, CBD is primarily associated with misbehaving tau proteins.

"Studying a primary tauopathy like CBD helps us to figure out how tau becomes toxic to brain cells," said Dr. Petrucelli. "We hope to extrapolate that knowledge to secondary tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease."

The scientists' analysis of brain tissue samples revealed several key insights. Most notably, the researchers found that cross-talk between PTMs on the surface of tau influences the structure of the tau filaments, contributing to differences in tau filaments observed across the various tauopathies and even variations from patient to patient.

"Collectively, these results suggest that PTMs may not only be serving as markers on the proteins' surface, but are actually influencing the behavior of tau," said Dr. Fitzpatrick, who is also an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Moving forward, Dr. Fitzpatrick and his team plan to expand this work to other tauopathies. Today's findings on Alzheimer's and CBD hold immense promise for the field, particularly in the development of new disease models such as lab-grown organoids, or mini-brains that may serve to accurately recapitulate what is actually happening in the brains of patients.

"Our findings will inspire new approaches for developing diagnostic tools and designing drugs, such as targeting PTM vulnerabilities to slow disease progression," said Dr. Fitzpatrick, who is also a member of Columbia's Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain. "Neurodegenerative diseases are among the most complex and distressing class of illnesses, but through our work and that of our colleagues and collaborators, we are building a roadmap toward successful diagnostics and therapeutics."

This paper is titled "Posttranslational modifications mediate the structural diversity of tauopathy strains." Additional contributors include Yari Carlomagno, PhD, Duc Duong, Sean Kundinger, Kevin Wang, Dewight Williams, PhD, Michael DeTure, PhD, Dennis Dickson, MD, and Casey Cook, PhD.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Institute on Aging (U01NS110438, RF1AG056151, R35NS097273, U01NS110438-02, P01NS084974, P01NS099114, R01NS088689, RF1AG062077-01, RF1 AG062171-01, U54NS100693, R01AG053960, R01AG061800, U01AG046161, U01AG061357, S10RR23057, S10OD018111, U24GM116792), NYSTAR and the NIH (GM103310), the National Science Foundation (MRI Grant 1531991, DBI-1338135, DMR-1548924), the Simons Foundation (349247), the Mayo Clinic Foundation, the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, the Dana Foundation and the Cure Alzheimer's Fund.

The authors report no financial or other conflicts of interest.

Columbia University'sMortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institutebrings together a group of world-class scientists and scholars to pursue the most urgent and exciting challenge of our time: understanding the brain and mind. A deeper understanding of the brain promises to transform human health and society. From effective treatments for disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression and autism to advances in fields as fundamental as computer science, economics, law, the arts and social policy, the potential for humanity is staggering. To learn more, visit:zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu.

Contact:Anne Holden, anne.holden@columbia.edu,212.853.0171

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Toxic Protein, Linked to Alzheimer's and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases, Exposed in New Detail - P&T Community

Biochemistry

Dyne Therapeutics Expands Leadership Team with Key Hires – Business Wire

February 6, 2020 medical

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dyne Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering targeted therapies for patients with serious muscle diseases, today announced the addition of three key members to its leadership team: Oxana Beskrovnaya, Ph.D., senior vice president and head of research; Chris Mix, M.D., senior vice president, clinical development; and John Najim, vice president, chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC).

Dyne is establishing a leadership position in muscle disease therapeutics by combining transformative science with an organizational passion for changing the lives of patients, said Joshua Brumm, president and chief executive officer of Dyne. We are thrilled to welcome Oxana, Chris and John to our growing team. Leveraging their collective experience in the discovery and development of novel medicines, we are poised to rapidly advance our programs toward the clinic and are fully focused on execution.

Dr. Beskrovnaya is an accomplished R&D leader with a strong track record of discovering and developing first-in-class therapeutics for rare genetic diseases. Prior to joining Dyne, she served as head of musculoskeletal and renal research in Sanofis rare disease and neurological unit, where she advanced a pipeline of drug candidates using multiple therapeutic modalities, including nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules. Dr. Beskrovnaya is the author of numerous patents, invited reviews, editorials, book chapters and original research articles in major scientific journals. She received her Ph.D. in genetics from Moscow Genetics Institute, followed by postdoctoral fellowship training in neuromuscular diseases at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Iowa.

Dr. Mix brings extensive clinical development experience to Dyne, most recently serving as vice president of rare genetic disease clinical development at Agios Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw development across several hemolytic anemia indications. In his previous role as vice president of clinical development at Sarepta Therapeutics, he focused on advancing candidate therapies for rare neuromuscular disease. Dr. Mix received his B.A. in chemistry from Haverford College and his M.D. from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Tufts Medical Center, a fellowship in nephrology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and an M.S. in clinical care research at the Tufts School of Biomedical Sciences.

Mr. Najim brings a wealth of CMC biopharmaceutical development and cGMP manufacturing experience across multiple biologic expression systems and small molecules. Mr. Najim previously held roles of increasing responsibility at Proteon Therapeutics, including most recently as vice president of manufacturing and process development, and also served as associate director of manufacturing at Dyax Corporation. He received his B.S. in biochemistry from Merrimack College and his MBA from Bentley University.

About Dyne TherapeuticsDyne Therapeutics is pioneering life-transforming therapies for patients with serious muscle diseases. The companys FORCE platform delivers oligonucleotides and other molecules to skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle with unprecedented precision to restore muscle health. Dyne is advancing treatments for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Dyne was founded by Atlas Venture and is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.dyne-tx.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Dyne Therapeutics Expands Leadership Team with Key Hires - Business Wire

Biochemistry

The Different Types of Immunostaining – News-Medical.net

February 6, 2020 medical

Immunostaining encompasses numerous techniques that are suited to a variety of different applications.

Image Credit: Jarun Ontakrai/Shutterstock.com

However, they are all methods that rely on the use of antibodies to detect and identify proteins within biological samples. They can be used to asses and identify the topographical distribution of abnormal cells, blasts infiltrates, and megakaryocytes.

The term was coined back in 1941 when it was first used to describe immunohistochemical staining. These days, immunohistochemical staining is just one of several established immunostaining techniques, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, immuno-electron microscopy, and Western blotting.

The techniques are commonplace in biology and molecular biology labs, and are used for a variety of applications in a wide range of fields of study, from oncology to hydrobiology.

Here, we describe the five types of immunostaining techniques.

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, also known as ELISA, is commonly used in biochemistry. Developed in 1971 by Engvall and Perlmann, the method quantifies peptides, proteins, antibodies, and hormones present in a sample by immobilizing an antigen on a solid surface before it is complexed with an antibody that is associated with an enzyme.

Identification is then possible when the conjugated enzyme activity is assessed through incubation with a substrate, resulting in a measurable product.

When the physical and chemical characteristics of cells or particles are sought to be determined, flow cytometry is often the most suitable method. The technique was established in the 1950s, and over the decade's many advancements have been achieved in its methodology and equipment. Currently, measurements are made from cells in solution while they travel through the instruments laser at speeds of 10,000 cells per second. Flow cytometry offers benefits to the technicians who choose to use it, including high sample throughput speed, making it an attractive option as an immunostaining assay.

Immuno-electron microscopy, also referred to as EM immunolabelling and immuno-EM, is a technique that tags antibody molecules with electron-dense substances, usually, and most effectively, being small gold particles, which are seen during the analysis as easy to spot dark dots. The assay allows for the simultaneous detection of more than one type of molecule because particles of different sizes can be used to tag different antibodies.

The technique was first developed as a diagnostic aid that assisted in the detection and identification of viruses, such as gastroenteritis and rotavirus. Today it is still used to diagnosis a variety of viral infections. It is considered to be one of the most sensitive and rapid methods for this application.

The most common application of immunostaining is immunohistochemistry, which is used to assist in the diagnosis of various diseases, including different types of cancer. It has also shown its use in neuropathology, and hematopathology, helping in the classification of diseases in these groups and evolving criteria for their diagnosis. Another area in which it has made a significant impact is that of genetic study, where it has been used to determine the role of specific gene products, elucidating their function in vital biological processes. The technique has become invaluable to both medical research and clinical diagnostics.

The method involves selectively identifying antigens in a sample of cells within a tissue section through the principle that certain antibodies will bind to specific antigens present in the tissue. It was established back in the 1930s before it was first reported in 1941.

The initial principle outlined that antibodies labeled with a fluorescent dye could detect pneumococcal antigens in infected tissues. Since then, the technique has been developed, and new enzyme labels have been introduced, including peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, and colloidal gold. The use of radioactive elements has also been developed for use with autoradiography.

The final immunostaining method is the Western blot method, a widely used technique that has firmly ingrained itself in the fields of cell and molecular biology. Western blot allows researchers to determine and quantify the proteins existent within a cell, identifying specific proteins out of the mixture of proteins that are present in cell samples.

There are three parts to the Western blot method, the first is separation by size, the second being transfer to a solid support, and finally, a target protein is marked using a suitable primary and secondary antibody to visualize it.

Immunostaining methods have become essential to numerous branches of scientific study, they have also become well established in various clinical applications, mostly in assisting in diagnosis as well as determining characteristics that facilitate more accurate diagnostic criteria.

Since the immunohistochemistry technique was first reported on in 1941, four further types of immunostaining techniques have emerged: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, immuno-electron microscopy, and Western blotting. These methods are being expanded and developed on all the time, growing their use in different applications, and improving on their accuracy and reliability.

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The Different Types of Immunostaining - News-Medical.net

Anatomy

Ukrainian plane crash: the anatomy of a cover-up – The Jerusalem Post

February 6, 2020 medical

It happened less than 10 minutes after Ukrainian Airlines flight 752 left Tehrans airport heading for Kiev on January 8, 2020. Two missiles 30 seconds apart hit the commercial jetliner destroying the aircraft and killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board.This was initially believed to be a crash due to mechanical failure. However, in light of the tense, war-like atmosphere following Irans attack on an Iraqi military base housing US forces, there was speculation from the outset that the aircraft was downed by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missiles. Theories on the IRGCs complicity was not only advanced by Western intelligence agencies, but also by the general public; particularly members of the Iranian diaspora.Many videos taken on mobile phones began to surface on social media within hours of the incident. Some of them clearly showed objects believed to be missiles colliding with the aircraft. One of the very first pieces of evidence supporting the destruction of the jetliner by missiles was provided by an Iranian-American social activist in Northern California, Ashkan Monfared.Monfared posted on Twitter the image of an object that astoundingly resembled missile wreckage and added the following caption in Persian: This piece was found in the area of the Ukrainian Airlines plane crash that had fallen in front of a house. Does an airplane have anything like this? Is it not the tip of a missile? The image quickly went viral on social media.Almost immediately after posting his tweet, Monfared was attacked by what appeared to be a wave of pro-regime Iranian bloggers on Twitter. They accused Monfared of spreading disinformation aiming to tarnish the image of the Islamic Republic. They also dismissed the image as a hoax.Many of the accounts that attacked Monfared were based in the US or Canada and followed the approach of the National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based organization highly suspected to lobby for the Iranian regime. A seemingly coordinated effort was then made to completely silence Monfared on Twitter. Subsequently, less than 24 hours after his initial post, Monfareds Twitter account was suspended.Displaying an image of Monfareds tweet, a known Iranian regime supporter based in Canada, Hossein Derakhshan, tweeted in Persian on January 9, Almost concurrent with suspension of Ashkan Monfareds account, which of course was due to dissemination of fake news, numerous [other] Iranian accounts linked to Saudi Arabia and Israel [were also suspended].DERAKHSHAN INSINUATED that Twitter accounts suggesting the regimes complicity or showing evidence of it were Saudi or Israeli agents promulgating disinformation. His tweet raised the probability that a large, coordinated group of pro-regime individuals were reporting Monfareds account to trigger Twitters suspension algorithm.The campaign to silence Iranian dissidents seemed to have originated from within the highest echelons of power in Tehran. On January 9, Hesameddin Ashena, a senior advisor to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, wrote a tweet effectively threatening Western-based journalists of Iranian descent to stay quiet about the tragedy. He wrote, Warning! Persian-language media outlet personnel of Iranian origin are warned to refrain from participating in the psychological warfare over the Ukrainian aircraft and working with the enemies of Iran.Ashenas warning seems to have resonated with pro-regime journalists. In spite of the growing evidence of foul play by the IRGC, pro-regime Persian and English-language media outlets remined silent, limiting their coverage to merely a plane crash due to technical malfunction.Meanwhile, many more Twitter accounts that raised the possibility of the regimes involvement were mysteriously shut down. The Twitter account of London-based British-Iranian attorney Daniel Rasteen was suspended after he wrote several tweets accusing the IRGC of shooting down the jetliner.For three days, the regime kept the details of the crash concealed. Inspectors from Ukraine as well as other countries arrived in Tehran to begin investigating the incident. Among the wreckage, they found debris similar to the object displayed by Monfared. The regime eventually and perhaps reluctantly admitted that the plane was unintentionally shot down by IRGC air defense.By this time, Monfareds Twitter account had been reinstated. As soon as it became evident that the crash was not accidental, the same individuals who had attacked Monfared began blaming the Trump administration for the mishap. To this day, some regime apologists still claim that the initial campaign accusing the IRGC, before the militant group admitted to their role in the tragedy, was merely anti-Iran propaganda.A recent New York Times article claimed the regime found itself compelled to tell the truth about the incident after President Rouhani threatened resignation. There is no evidence to substantiate this other than the authors claim that she received that information from her sources inside Iran.What did, however, force the regime to admit guilt was pressure from the international community, which was partly triggered by outpouring of visual evidence provided by Iranians inside the country and disseminated by people like Monfared. In an era where social media connects people from around the world, it is becoming increasingly difficult for totalitarian regimes and their henchmen to conceal their atrocities.Kaveh Taheri is an Iranian free-lance journalist and sociopolitical activist based in Turkey. Dr. Kamran Ayazi is an Iranian dentist, musician and sociopolitical activist based in Turkey.

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Ukrainian plane crash: the anatomy of a cover-up - The Jerusalem Post

Anatomy

Anatomy of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl comeback: Patrick Mahomes’ big throw, the momentum and the victory – Sporting News

February 6, 2020 medical

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. Kendall Fuller could not help but smile as he stared at his phone, sitting by himself at his locker and scrolling through themessages he had received. Roughly an hour had passed since the 24-year-old Chiefs cornerback sealed Kansas City's 31-20 win over San Francisco in Super Bowl 54 with an interception.

Fuller's pick, though, arrivedwith a little more than a minute to play and with the 49ers in desperation mode after giving up 21 unanswered points in the game's final 6 1/2 minutes. He told Sporting News the moment felt "amazing," but he felt the game was won well before he beat Ninersreceiver Deebo Samuel to Jimmy Garoppolo'sdeep pass down the middle of the field.

"They hit that deep ball to 10," Fuller said when asked whether a specific play led the Chiefs to believe they could erase a 20-10 deficit in the fourth quarter, referring to quarterbackPatrick Mahomes' 44-yard strike to Tyreek Hill at the 7:13 mark. "When they hit that, that was it."

MORE:How Patrick Mahomes turned worst nightmare intoChiefs' Super Bowl dream

This is why Mahomes was named Super Bowl 54 MVP despite his throwing a pair of costly interceptions and posting a passer rating of 78.1, his second-lowest of the season. For the same reason Kansas City players believed they could stage comebacks in their two playoff games, they kept faith when down a couple scores late in the Super Bowl. That reason is thepasser Kansas City drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2017.

"He was encouraging us, telling us to believe," Hill said of Mahomes after the game. "He (saw)it in some guys' eyes, they were getting down, including myself. I was like, Man, how are we going to pull this off? And he was like, '10, youve got to believe, brother. Like the same faith youve had all of your career, youve got to believe right now.'

"He brought the guys together, and you saw what happened, man."

What happened was the play that catalyzed an effort that madethe Chiefsthe first team in NFL history to win three games after trailing by 10 or more points in a single postseason; a sequencethat madeMahomes, 24, the youngest QB ever to win Super Bowl MVP.

Said Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemyin a conversation with SN after the game: "That's all we needed was just a spark."

The play design, simply called "Wasp," was nothing new. In fact, Mahomes said it was the same play the Chiefs ran in the second quarter of their loss to thePatriots in last season's AFC championship game.

"They were playing this kind of robber coverage all game long, where the safety was coming down and kind of robbing all our deep cross routes," Mahomes explained. "We had a good play call on it where we had (Travis) Kelce do a little deep studded cross. We had Tyreek getting one-on-one with that safety."

"That safety" was Jimmie Ward, and the sixth-year pro had no chance to defend Hill's angle route. To be fair to Ward, though, not many QBs can launch the ball from one 22-yard line to the opposite 22-yard line the way Mahomesdid.

Aside from Mahomes' ridiculous arm, the third-and-15play was successful for two reasons. One was the kind of protection from the offensive line that drew praise from just about every Chiefs and 49ers player who was asked about the turning point in Super Bowl 54.

"The biggest thing was we needed really good protection," Mahomes said.

MORE:Is Kyle Shanahan to blame for another Super Bowl collapse? It's not so simple

Added 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan: "He was allowed to hold onto the ball for a while." And San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner: "He had enough time to air it out, and we didnt have enough guys there to defend the play."

The other factor was Mahomes' awareness. When asked about the arm strength required to pull off such a throw,Bieniemyinstead credited a less tangible quality from which Mahomesbenefits.

"One thing Pat has done a tremendous job of since hes been here is he always keeps his eyes downfield," the 50-year-old coordinator said. "He's always looking to see exactly where guys are located, and also anticipate, when we do our scramble drill, where guys are going to be. Thats just huge. Thats just who he is."

The Chiefs cashed in on the big Mahomes-Hill connection with a touchdown four plays later, a 1-yard Mahomes pass to tight end Travis Kelce. Harrison Butker's PAT cut the 49ers' lead to three with 6:17 to play.

The signs of life would have disappeared, though, had Kansas City's defense not turned the spark into a flame.

Patrick Mahomes https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/50/6b/patrick-mahomes-020320-getty-ftr_1xd2cewnalb5w1dedpdypalm15.jpg?t=167277408&w=500&quality=80

In sports, momentum is just a fancy word for mentality, which is whyBieniemy'sconfident words did not fall on deaf ears when the Chiefs set out to defend the 49ers on the possession after Hill's big catch and Kelce's touchdown.

"EB, before we went out there, he said, Get us the ball and we're going to take care of the rest,'" linebackerDamien Wilson said.

A 5-yard Raheem Mostert run and a pair of Garoppolo incomplete passes later, San Francisco's Mitch Wishnowskywas in for his second punt in two drives.

"Sure enough," Wilson added, "it was as simple as that just putting the ball in the offense's hand."

The 44-yard catch by Hill was the Chiefs' longest from scrimmage Sunday, but Sammy Watkins' 38-yard catch on their next series was just as explosive, especially considering Watkins beat Pro Bowl corner Richard Sherman to make it happen.

According to Next Gen Stats, Mahomes' strike to Watkins marked the second "deep completion" Sherman had given up in two games after allowing zero in the regular season.

This would become the "tape don't lie" moment of the game.

MORE: 10 incredible stats from Chiefs' comeback, 49ers' collapse

"I just knew it was one-on-one from watching film," Watkins explained when asked about the play, referring to the NFC title game a couple weeks ago, when the 49ers beat the Packers. "I just thank (Green Bay receiver)Davante Adams, because I saw him kill (Sherman) on the inside release. Those are just things we worked on, and me and Pat connected and it was one of the biggest plays in the game."

Added a visibly frustrated Sherman, simply: "He made a play."

Three plays later, the Chiefs found the end zone again. Damien Williams took Mahomes' pass five yards for a score, which stood upon replay review.

Butker's PAT gave Kansas City a four-point lead with 2:50 to play. San Francisco had plenty of time and all three timeouts, but the momentum the Chiefs had built was too strong. The 49ers managed to reach their opponent's 49-yard line before Garoppolo was sacked by Frank Clark on fourth-and-10.

The Chiefs got the ball back, and two plays later, Williams was back in the end zone with a 38-yard run.31-20, Chiefs.

The spark Mahomes and Hill created had turned into an inferno that consumed the NFC champions.

Mahomes was surprised to see Fuller clinch the second Super Bowl title in Chiefs history, especially since the fourth-year corner had nearly picked off Garoppolo on the 49ers' previous possession but dropped the ball.

"I always joke with him that he never catches the interception, but he's always there," Mahomes said. "He went up and got that thing. He made a great play."

In a way, it was fitting that Fuller outjumped Samuel, of all players, to win the game considering the 49ers wide receiver had steadily produced though the first three quarters. Samuel even set arecord with 53 rushing yards, the most by a receiver in Super Bowl history. It was a microcosm of Kansas City tendingto start slowly before reminding its opponent of its superiority.

"That team, thats kind of how they've been all year," Shanahan said. "They get a little bit hot and cold. They can score very fast. That team doesnt do it every single drive, but it was a matter of time."

MORE:Jimmy Garoppolo has plenty of time, talent to correct a lazy Super Bowl narrative

Shanahan, of course, was the offensive coordinator with the Falcons when Atlanta blew a 28-3 lead and lost to New England in Super Bowl 51. The social media world was quick to reference that defeat as his 49ers collapsed Sunday. This one, though, was not a matter of second-half clock management or play-calling.

After the Chiefs scored to make it20-17, Garoppolo completed just two passesand the 49ers managed just 37 yards of offense. They simply got overpowered by what suddenly became an unstoppable force.

"The last thing you're thinking about when you're up three points and there is that much time left, the clock is not an issue at that time, especially with the timeouts," Shanahan said. "The issue was moving the chains. If you move the chains, then you will wind the clock."

Added Garoppolo: "It wasn't anything crazy. We just didn't make the plays when we had opportunities to."

With all due respect to Garoppolo, he's wrong.

The Chiefs scoring 21 unanswered points in a little more than six minutes to win the Super Bowl and to do it after fighting through a state of dejection, believing in a QB who was playing the worst game of his career was pretty damn crazy.

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Anatomy of the Chiefs' Super Bowl comeback: Patrick Mahomes' big throw, the momentum and the victory - Sporting News

Anatomy

Focus on the FaceHands-On Learning of Surface Anatomy; One-day Workshop Wednesday, April 1 – The Know

February 6, 2020 medical

Aestheticians, cosmetologists, dental surgeons, portrait artists, and anyone who wants to learn more about the anatomy of the human face are invited to attend a special day-long workshop on Wednesday, April 1.

Focus on the FaceHands-on Learning of Surface Anatomy will be held at the non-profit Anatomy in Clay Centers in Denver, 2201 S. Delaware St., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The class will be taught by Anatomy in Clay Learning System founder, anatomist/artist Jon Zahourek, who has taught human and animal anatomy for more than 40 years.

In this engaging workshop, the focus will be on the surface anatomy of the face the soft tissues and facial glands. The class will cover all the major muscles that allow for human expression as well as the muscles that allow for movement of the jaw and the all-important function of chewing.

Students will apply clay to a scale model ofthe human skull. Working from the inside out, students will also lay in andtrack the paths of the major arteries, glands, and cranial nerves.

The cost of Focus on the Face is $295. Registerby February 14 to receive a $30 early-bird discount. The fee includes lunch anda special guest presentation by Dr. Wendy Hartsock from Allergan MedicalAffairs.

To register, contact Mary Bahus-Meyer at800-950-5025 or MaryB@anatomyinclaycenters.org.

About Jon Zahourek

Jon Zahourek has taught human anatomy for more than 40 years. He created the Anatomy in Clay Learning System during his tenure at Parsons School of Design in New York, teaching students anatomy by building it with clay on the scale model skeletons he developed. He has taught workshops in comparative primate anatomy at the Smithsonian Institution, and in comparative mammalian anatomy at the Darwin Centre/Natural History Museum in London. Zahourek trained the Smithsonian Institutions forensic facial reconstruction specialist, Betty Pat Gatiliff, who taught Zahoureks approach for decades across the United States.

About the Anatomy in Clay Centers

Thenon-profit Anatomy in Clay Centers seeks to make anatomy accessible to all, through providing educationalclasses to the public at large, including schools and organizations, using akinesthetic approach to human anatomy and zoology.

The Anatomy in Clay Centers is located one block south of the Evans Light Rail Station at 2201 S. Delaware St.

More: http://www.anatomyinclaycenters.org/

Call 720-570-7820 or email info.aicc@anatomyinclaycenters.org.

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Focus on the FaceHands-On Learning of Surface Anatomy; One-day Workshop Wednesday, April 1 - The Know

Anatomy

‘The Rhythm Section’ | Anatomy of a Scene – The New York Times

February 6, 2020 medical

new video loaded: The Rhythm Section | Anatomy of a Scene

transcript

Hi, Im Reed Morano, and Im the director of The Rhythm Section. In this sequence, our main character, Stephanie Patrick whos played by Blake Lively, is out on her first job. And it sort of goes completely awry. And she ends up inadvertently in a car chase she didnt plan for. The reason why I wanted to do the movie overall is the same reason why I wanted to shoot the car chase this way. And that was because its sort of like a POV driven story. The scariest place for me after watching dozens and dozens of cinemas best car chases was from within the car. And any time Ive watched one and we cut out of the car, I feel like the tension dropped for me. Something about being in the car and having this limited visibility and having the camera bring us to what we need to see at the front or the back or at the character makes you kind of feel like youre in the seat next to her, which is the last place I think anyone in the audience would want to be. Because shes not a superhero. Shes not an action hero. Shes not a real assassin. Shes just this regular woman. In order to see the necessary things, in order to make the audience feel what shes feeling, we were going to have to coordinate really particularly between what Blake was doing in the car as Stephanie and what was happening outside in the front versus what was happening in the back or the side of the car. And Sean Bobbitt, my DP, was super excited about this as well. So what happened was was we had this old Merc, this old Mercedes. And this was the tiniest car ever. And Sean Bobbitt is a really big guy. But they took out all the seats on the passenger side and built like a slider, like a rail system, with a little seat that he would sit on. But he could slide back and forth. But he was also secured in other ways. But he had mobility to kind of be up front by the window. He could pan towards Stephanie. And he could also pan towards the back window. But he could also slide really far back when he needed to get another view. Part of the reason why the chase is so successful is not only because of all the coordinated efforts of all the stunt people were happening at the right time. It was also Blake carries the scene, and her energy is changing, you know, up and down and throughout like an emotional roller coaster. And shes really making it fun and scary to be in a car with her.

Recent episodes in Anatomy of a Scene

Film directors walk viewers through one scene of their movies, showing the magic, motives and the mistakes from behind the camera.

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'The Rhythm Section' | Anatomy of a Scene - The New York Times