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Physiology

When Is Dead Really Dead? Results From the Largest International Study of Its Kind – SciTechDaily

A new international study, led by Dr. Sonny Dhanani of the CHEO Research Institute, and published in the January 28, 2021, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, documents the physiology of the dying process. Working closely with the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, the research team asked over 600 families to allow their loved ones in the ICU to have their vital signs monitored during the dying process. This is the largest international study of its kind.

For families to choose organ donation when a loved one has died, they must be able to trust that death has really happened and that it is irreversible. Trust allows people to decide to donate at a time of grief and allows the medical community to feel comfortable opening a dialogue about donation. For donation after circulatory-determined death to be medically possible, death must be declared within a window of time after life sustaining measures are withdrawn. Yet, stories persist about people coming back to life following a declaration of death, and there was little evidence to inform the medical understanding of dying.

To do this, we had to go into ICUs and monitor people as they were dying. This is a very personal experience. And here we were collecting data, sending it to a server, downloading it and having people review the vital signs how things stopped and if they restarted. People were worried. Some physicians didnt want to do it. Some researchers felt uncomfortable. But we knew we should keep going when we met Heather.

Dr. Sonny Dhanani, MDDePPaRT Study LeadInvestigator, CHEO Research InstituteChief Critical Care, Childrens Hospital of Eastern OntarioAssociate Professor, University of Ottawa

Dr. Dhanani and his team found that the classic flatline of death is not so straightforward. The study showed that cardiac activity often stops and re-starts several times during the dying process before it finally stops completely but no one regained sustained circulation or consciousness. The study provides evidence to support the current standard to wait for 5 minutes after the heart stops before determining death and proceeding to organ donation.

How do you ask a family whose loved one is dying in the ICU to participate in a research study on organ donation? DePPaRT was empowered by the support and perspectives of a family partner, Ms. Heather Talbot, a woman whose son became a donor after dying in a car accident. The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Programs Patient, Family and Donor Partnership Platform connected Heather with the DePPaRT team in 2015, and she took on the emotional challenges of joining as a consultant. Heather provided feedback from a familys perspective, contributing ideas on how to appropriately approach families of dying patients. Her ability to reflect on her experiences and apply them to the study was pivotal for the projects success. Her contributions helped achieve a family consent rate of 93% and dampened the teams fears of overstepping boundaries. Her sons gift of organ donation saved at least four lives and her involvement in DePPaRT is multiplying those gifts.

This is an outstanding example of the powerful impact that a national framework for collaborative team science can achieve. Through the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, we have brought together different research communities, patient, family and donor partners, stakeholder organizations, and health care professionals who take non-traditional paths to doing research. This has created new synergies and new knowledge that will help more Canadians become donors and more patients receive transplants.

Dr. Lori West, MD, DPhilCanada Research Chair in Cardiac Transplantation, University of AlbertaDirector, Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research ProgramOfficer of the Order of Canada (2020)

Families and health care teams can trust that when death is determined, it is safe to begin the organ donation process. DePPaRT study data can now be used to inform policy and guidelines for determining death for organ donation both nationally and internationally. Further work using the study data will allow donation and transplant teams to predict how long it will take patients to die after removing life-sustaining measures. Predicting a time of death would be immensely useful to coordinate a donation and improve how organs are allocated.

On behalf of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), I would like to congratulate CDTRP and the DePPaRT team on the publication of this important study. CIHR is very pleased to be supporting a national network like CDTRP that has been able to bring together multiple stakeholders in the transplant area. This study is an example of the impactful work collaborations such as this one can achieve that will lead to improved outcomes for Canadians waiting for transplants.

Dr. Charu Kaushic, MSc, PhDScientific Director, CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity

Reference: Resumption of Cardiac Activity after Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Measures by Sonny Dhanani, M.D., Laura Hornby, M.Sc., Amanda van Beinum, M.Sc., Nathan B. Scales, Ph.D., Melanie Hogue, M.Sc., Andrew Baker, M.D., Stephen Beed, M.D., J. Gordon Boyd, M.D., Ph.D., Jennifer A. Chandler, L.L.B., L.L.M., Michal Chass, M.D., Ph.D., Frederick DAragon, M.D., Ph.D., Cameron Dezfulian, M.D., Christopher J. Doig, M.D., Frantisek Duska, M.D., Ph.D., Jan O. Friedrich, M.D., D.Phil., Dale Gardiner, M.D., Teneille Gofton, M.D., Dan Harvey, M.D., Christophe Herry, Ph.D., George Isac, M.D., Andreas H. Kramer, M.D., Demetrios J. Kutsogiannis, M.D., David M. Maslove, M.D., Maureen Meade, M.D., Sangeeta Mehta, M.D., Laveena Munshi, M.D., Loretta Norton, Ph.D., Giuseppe Pagliarello, M.D., Tim Ramsay, Ph.D., Katerina Rusinova, M.D., Ph.D., Damon Scales, M.D., Ph.D., Matous Schmidt, M.D., Andrew Seely, M.D., Ph.D., Jason Shahin, M.D., C.M., Marat Slessarev, M.D., Derek So, M.D., Heather Talbot, B.Ed., Walther N.K.A. van Mook, M.D., Ph.D., Petr Waldauf, M.D., Matthew Weiss, M.D., Jentina T. Wind, R.N., Ph.D. and Sam D. Shemie, M.D. for the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group and the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, 27 January 2021, New England Journal of Medicine.DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2022713

This research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as part of the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, the CHEO Research Institute, and Karel Pavlk Foundation.

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When Is Dead Really Dead? Results From the Largest International Study of Its Kind - SciTechDaily

Physiology

Impact of Obesity and Its Associated Comorbid Conditions on COVID-19 P | DMSO – Dove Medical Press

Osama Mehanna,1,2 Ahmad El Askary,3,4 Ebtesam Ali,5 Basem El Esawy,3,6 Tamer FathAlla,7 Amal F Gharib3,8

1Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, New Damietta, Egypt; 3Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, New Damietta, Egypt; 5Directorate of Health Affairs, Gharbia Governorate, Ministry of Health and Population, Cairo, Egypt; 6Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Al Mansurah, Egypt; 7Department of Anaesthesia and ICU, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, New Damietta, Egypt; 8Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

Correspondence: Osama Mehanna Email dr587@yahoo.com

Background: There is great variability in clinical presentation of COVID-19 worldwide. The current study evaluated the impact of obesity and its related complications on the course of COVID-19 in Egyptian patients.Methods: We included 230 COVID-19 Egyptian patients from Tanta City. According to their body-mass index (BMI), patient were divided into three groups: normal weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI > 25< 30 kg/m2), and obese (BMI 30 kg/m2). Patients glycemic status, lipid profile, and serum levels of acute-phase reactants were assessed. The number of patients receiving intensive care and the number of deaths in each group were counted.Results: Mean values of random blood sugar, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, serum ferritin, erythrocyte-sedimentation rate, LDH, CRP, D-dimer levels, and blood pressure were significantly higher in obese patients (165.6, 129.5, 105, 1,873, 26, 403, 56.45, 977.16 and 142/87, respectively) than in normal-weight (97.2, 103.5, 70.4, 479, 17.4, 252, 23.2, 612.4, and 118.6/76.8, respectively) and overweight patients (111.4, 106.3, 78.13, 491.3, 19.8, 269.27, 25.42, 618.4, and 120.3/79.3, respectively). Lymphopenia was also significantly predominant in the obese group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low densitylipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, ferritin, CRP, and low relative lymphocyte count were significant risk factors in obese COVID-19 patients.Conclusion: Obesity and its related complications increase the risk of presenting a more severe form of COVID-19 in Egyptian patients.

Keywords: obesity, COVID-19, Egyptian

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Impact of Obesity and Its Associated Comorbid Conditions on COVID-19 P | DMSO - Dove Medical Press

Physiology

Insecticide on flowers can stop bees and flies from getting sleep – THE WEEK

Pesticides used on plant can make flies, like bees, mad without sleep, say researchers who studed the impact of common pesticides on the insect brain.

Just like us, many insects need a decent night's sleep to function properly, but this might not be possible if they have been exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides, the most common form of insecticide used worldwide, suggests research by academics at the University of Bristol.

Two studies by scientists at Bristol's Schools of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Biological Sciences have shown these insecticides affect the amount of sleep taken by both bumblebees and fruit flies, which may help us understand why insect pollinators are vanishing from the wild.

Dr Kiah Tasman, Teaching Associate in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience and lead author of the studies, said: "The neonicotinoids we tested had a big effect on the amount of sleep taken by both flies and bees. If an insect was exposed to a similar amount as it might experience on a farm where the pesticide had been applied, it slept less, and its daily behavioural rhythms were knocked out of synch with the normal 24-hour cycle of day and night."

The fruit fly study has been published in Scientific Reports.

As well as finding that typical agricultural concentrations of neonicotinoids ruined the flies' ability to remember, the researchers also saw changes in the clock in the fly brain which controls its 24-hour cycle of day and night.

"Being able to tell time is important for knowing when to be awake and forage, and it looked like these drugged insects were unable to sleep. We know quality sleep is important for insects, just as it is for humans, for their health and forming lasting memories," said Dr James Hodge, Associate Professor in Neuroscience in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience and senior author for the study.

"Bees and flies have similar structures in their brains, and this suggests one reason why these drugs are so bad for bees is they stop the bees from sleeping properly and then being able to learn where food is in their environment, explained Dr Sean Rands, Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences and co-author.

"Neonicotinoids are currently banned in the EU, and we hope that this continues in the UK as we leave EU legislation."

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Insecticide on flowers can stop bees and flies from getting sleep - THE WEEK

Cell Biology

Researchers uncover the physics behind formation of branching microtubules during cell division – News-Medical.net

As any cook knows, some liquids mix well with each other, but others do not. For example, when a tablespoon of vinegar is poured into water, a brief stir suffices to thoroughly combine the two liquids.

However, a tablespoon of oil poured into water will coalesce into droplets that no amount of stirring can dissolve. The physics that govern the mixing of liquids are not limited to mixing bowls; it also affects the behavior of things inside cells.

It's been known for several years that some proteins behave like liquids and that some liquid-like proteins don't mix together. However, very little is known about how these liquid-like proteins behave on cellular surfaces.

"The separation between two liquids that won't mix, like oil and water, is known as 'liquid-liquid phase separation', and it's central to the function of many proteins," said Sagar Setru, a 2021 Ph.D. graduate who worked with both Sabine Petry, a professor of molecular biology, and Joshua Shaevitz, a professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics.

Such proteins do not dissolve inside the cell. Instead, they condense with themselves or with a limited number of other proteins, allowing cells to compartmentalize certain biochemical activities without having to wrap them inside membrane-bound spaces.

"In molecular biology, the study of proteins that form condensed phases with liquid-like properties is a rapidly growing field," said Bernardo Gouveia, a graduate student chemical and biological engineering, working with Howard Stone, the Donald R. Dixon '69 and Elizabeth W. Dixon Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and chair of the department. Setru and Gouveia collaborated as co-first authors on an effort to better understand one such protein.

"We were curious about the behavior of the liquid-like protein TPX2. What makes this protein special is that it does not form liquid droplets in the cytoplasm as had been observed before, but instead seems to undergo phase separation on biological polymers called microtubules," said Setru.

"TPX2 is necessary for making branched networks of microtubules, which is crucial for cell division. TPX2 is also overexpressed in some cancers, so understanding its behavior may have medical relevance."

Individual microtubules are linear filaments that are rod-like in shape. During cell division, new microtubules form on the sides of existing ones to create a branched network. The sites where new microtubules will grow are marked by globules of condensed TPX2. These TPX2 globules recruit other proteins that are necessary to generate microtubule growth.

The researchers were curious about how TPX2 globules form on a microtubule. To find out, they decided to try observing the process in action. First, they modified the microtubules and TPX2 so that each would glow with a different fluorescent color.

Next, they placed the microtubules on a microscope slide, added TPX2, and then watched to see what would happen. They also made observations at very high spatial resolution using a powerful imaging approach called atomic force microscopy.

"We found that TPX2 first coats the entire microtubule and then breaks up into droplets that are evenly spaced apart, similar to how morning dew coats a spider web and breaks up into droplets," said Gouveia.

Setru, Gouveia and colleagues found that this occurs because of something physicists call the Rayleigh-Plateau instability. Though non-physicists may not recognize the name, they will already be familiar with the phenomenon, which explains why a stream of water falling from a faucet breaks up into droplets, and why a uniform coating of water on a strand of spider web coalesces into separate beads.

"It is surprising to find such everyday physics in the nanoscale world of molecular biology," said Gouveia.

Extending their study, the researchers found that the spacing and size of TPX2 globules on a microtubule is determined by the thickness of the initial TPX2 coating -- that is, how much TPX2 is present. This may explain why microtubule branching is altered in cancer cells that overexpress TPX2.

We used simulations to show that these droplets are a more efficient way to make branches than just having a uniform coating or binding of the protein all along the microtubule."

Sagar Setru, 2021 PhD Graduate, Princeton University

"That the physics of droplet formation, so vividly visible to the naked eye, has a role to play down at the micrometer scales, helps establish the growing interface (no pun intended) between soft matter physics and biology," said Rohit Pappu, the Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, who was not involved in the study.

"The underlying theory is likely to be applicable to an assortment of interfaces between liquid-like condensates and cellular surfaces," adds Pappu. "I suspect we will be coming back to this work over and over again."

Source:

Journal reference:

Setru, S. U., et al. (2021) A hydrodynamic instability drives protein droplet formation on microtubules to nucleate branches. Nature Physics. doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-01141-8.

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Researchers uncover the physics behind formation of branching microtubules during cell division - News-Medical.net

Cell Biology

How Covid-19 mutations are changing the pandemic – BBC News

Early in its existence, Covid-19 gained an ability that would prove decisive in its relationship with human beings. The virus picked up a seemingly small change in its genetic code. It was likely an unfortunate accident a fragment of genetic information from another virus got muddled up with that of the coronavirus while they were both infecting a bat.

Included within this tiny piece of genome, however, were the instructions that altered a key part of the virus its spike protein. This important protein studs the outside of the coronavirus and is the part that attaches to the outside of cells, helping the rest of the virus to sneak inside where it can replicate.

This change to Covid-19's spike protein meant it could hijack an enzyme found in the human body called furin. This enzyme acts like a pair of molecular scissors, normally cutting open hormones and growth factors to activate them. But when furin snips part of the Covid-19 spike protein, which is normally folded in a series of loops on the outside of the virus, it opens like a hinge.

"This exposes a new sequence in the spike protein," says Yohei Yamauchi, a reader in viral cell biology at the University of Bristol, UK, who has been studying how this change may have led Covid-19 to become more infective in humans. "It is one of the changes that make this virus really different from previous coronaviruses that caused Sars and Mers."

This new mutation meant Covid-19 could suddenly latch onto an important molecule found scattered around the outside of human respiratory cells called Neuropilin 1. This molecule helps to transport material inside cells and deeper into tissues the mutation was like handing Covid-19 the keys to a new door into our cells and meant the virus could replicate in greater numbers in the human airways.

Although this mutation was just one in Covid-19's short existence, it proved to be important. Some researchers believe it may be one of the key mutations that allowed the coronavirus to jump species and begin causing a rapidly spreading disease in humans. But almost as soon as it did this, it began picking up other mutations.

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How Covid-19 mutations are changing the pandemic - BBC News

Cell Biology

People in the News: New Appointments at Adaptive Biotechnologies, BD, Seven Bridges, More – GenomeWeb

Adaptive Biotechnologies: Mark Adams, Nancy Hill

Adaptive Biotechnologies has appointed Mark Adams as chief operating officer effective Jan. 25, 2021.Adams, 53, joined Adaptive in April 2020 as chief technical officer.

Adams holds a PhD in cell biology from Baylor College of Medicine and completed his postdoc in computational biology at Boston University.

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People in the News: New Appointments at Adaptive Biotechnologies, BD, Seven Bridges, More - GenomeWeb

Cell Biology

Cell Expansion Market: Ethical concerns regarding research in cell biology investigated in the latest research – WhaTech

The Global Cell Expansion Market size is estimated to be USD 14.9 billion in 2020 and projected to reach USD 30.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 15.1%.

The Cell Expansion Market size is estimated to be USD 14.9 billion in 2020 and projected to reach USD 30.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 15.1%.

Growth in this market is primarily driven by the increasing incidence of chronic diseases, government investments for cell-based research, growing focus on personalized medicine, increasing focus on R&D for cell-based therapies, and increasing GMP certifications for cell therapy production facilities.

The media segment accounted for the largest share of the consumables segment in the cell expansion market

Based on product type, consumables are segmented into media, reagents, sera, and disposables. The media segment accounted for the largest share of the consumables segment in the cell expansion market.

The large share of this segment can be attributed to its high requirement during the production of pharmaceutical products and rising R&D investments on cell-based therapies.

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Biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies accounted for the fastest-growing end user segment of the cell expansion market

Based on end-users, the cell expansion industry market has been segmented into research institutes, biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies, cell banks, and other end users (includes hospitals, diagnostic centers, and laboratories). In 2019, biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies were the largest end-users in the cell expansion market, and the trend is the same throughout the forecast period.

North America accounted for the largest share of the cell expansion market

North America accounted for the largest share of the cell expansion industry market.

The large share of this segment can primarily be attributed to the rising incidence of cancer, increasing government funding, rising research activates on stem cell therapies, growing awareness regarding advanced treatment methods, increasing geriatric population, and the strong presence of industry players in the region.

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Leading Companies

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Danaher (US), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Lonza (Switzerland), Corning, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Sartorius Stedim Biotech (France), Getinge AB (Sweden) Terumo Corporation (Japan), and Miltenyi Biotec (Germany)

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Cell Expansion Market: Ethical concerns regarding research in cell biology investigated in the latest research - WhaTech

Cell Biology

Protein identified that may help treat Parkinsons disease – Medical News Today

Scientists have identified a protein that can slow or stop some signs of Parkinsons disease in mice.

The team found that the bone morphogenetic proteins 5 and 7 (BMP5/7) can have these effects in a mouse model of the disease.

This research, which appears in the journal Brain, may be the first step toward developing a new treatment for Parkinsons disease.

This type of brain disorder typically affects people over the age of 60, and the symptoms worsen with time.

Common symptoms include stiffness, difficulty walking, tremors, and trouble with balance and coordination.

The disease can also affect the ability to speak and lead to mood changes, tiredness, and memory loss.

Parkinsons Foundation report that about 1 million people in the United States had the disease in 2020, with about 10 million affected globally.

Despite this prevalence, scientists are still unsure why Parkinsons disease affects some people and not others, and there is currently no cure.

The National Institute on Aging note that some cases of Parkinsons disease seem to be hereditary. In other words, the disease can emerge in different generations of a family but for many people with the disease, there appears to be no family history.

Researchers believe that multiple factors may affect a persons risk, including genetics, exposure to environmental toxins, and age.

Since there is currently no cure for Parkinsons disease, treatments typically focus on alleviating its symptoms.

Existing treatments can help alleviate of Parkinsons disease, such as stiffness. However, they may work less well, or not work, for others, such as tremors or a loss of coordination.

Though researchers are still unsure why some develop the disease and others do not, they understand what occurs in the brain of a person with Parkinsons.

The disease causes the neurons in the part of the brain that controls movement to stop working or die. The brain region, therefore, produces less of the chemical dopamine, which helps a person maintain smooth, purposeful movement, as the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke observe.

Also, Lewy bodies occur in the brains of some people with Parkinsons disease. These bodies are clumps primarily made up of misfolded forms of the protein alpha-synuclein.

In their recent study paper, the scientists refer to research suggesting that neurotrophic factors molecules that help neurons survive and thrive could, in theory, restore the function of neurons that produce dopamine. However, the clinical benefit of these factors had yet to be proven.

The team focused on bone morphogenetic proteins 5 and 7 (BMP5/7). They had previously shown that BMP5/7 has an important role in dopamine-producing neurons in mice.

In the latest study, the scientists wanted to see whether BMP5/7 could protect the neurons of mice against the damaging effects of misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins.

To do this, they injected one group of mice with a viral vector that caused misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins to form in their brains. They used other mice as a control group. The scientists then injected the mice with the BMP5/7 protein.

The researchers found that the BMP5/7 protein had a significant protective effect against the misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins.

According to senior study author Dr. Claude Brodski, of the Israel-based Ben-Gurion University of the Negevs Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, We found that BMP5/7 treatment can, in a Parkinsons disease mouse model, efficiently prevent movement impairments caused by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein and reverse the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. He continues:

These findings are very promising, since they suggest that BMP5/7 could slow or stop Parkinsons disease progression. Currently, we are focusing all our efforts on bringing our discovery closer to clinical application.

The universitys technology transfer company, BGN Technologies, is currently looking to bring the development to the market.

Dr. Galit Mazooz-Perlmuter, the companys senior vice president of bio-pharma business development, notes that There is a vast need for new therapies to treat Parkinsons disease, especially in advanced stages of the disease.

Dr. Brodskis findings, although still in their early stages, offer a disease-modified drug target that will address this devastating condition. We are now seeking an industry partner for further development of this patent-pending invention.

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Protein identified that may help treat Parkinsons disease - Medical News Today

Cell Biology

Unboxing: the Best Beauty Items We Tried in January – Prestige Online

Were starting the new year fresh with new skincare routines that help beat the harsh and dry winter, and beauty products to keep our glow on.Drunk ElephantThe Drunk Elephant Trunk 3.0 isnt exactly a new product. It came out in 2019, but the fully functional mini-fridge, which can chill (even warm!) your essential skincare products is still a favourite in our office. The trunk set comes with 10 best-selling, full-sized Drunk Elephant products, including the Sweet Biome Fermented Sake Spray.La MerLa Mers eye treatment combo is a lifesaver during the harsh winter days. The Eye Concentrate is a more advanced treatment that can help reduce dark circles and fine wrinkles even before visible damage begins. A pro tip: you could keep the eye treatment applicators in the fridge for a couple of minutes before you use them to massage the eye area for a quick microcirculation boost.DiorThe Dior Capture Totale Super Potent Rich Creme targets skin dryness with its heavily-researched science in mother cells and floral expertise. The rich creme combines bio-cellular technology with French peony oil extract.BenefitOur eyes and eyebrows are what most people tend to see these days, so its extremely pertinent that we keep our brows beautifully shaped and well-groomed. Benefits Brow Microfilling Pen mimics natural brow hair, comes in four versatile shades and is all-around the most essential beauty product you need these days.NarsNars is celebrating Chinese New Year with a new limited-edition collection that is beautifully packaged in a rich red floral design. To bring in good fortune for the Year of the Ox, the eyeshadow palette comes in soft neutral hues with a slight shimmer. There are two new shades of lipstick: Wen Wo (a brownish neutral shade) and China Rose (with a more rosy tint).TatchaTatchas Dewy Sin Creme is formulated with Hadasei-3, the brands proprietary complex of double-fermented Uji green tea, Akita rice and Mozuku algae. The result is super rich, smoothing cream that allows your make-up to glide on without a glitch.Laura MercierAlso perfect for Chinese New Year is Laura Merciers limited-edition beauty set, wrapped up in glorious shades of red and gold. The set comes with the Flawless Lumire Radiance-Perfecting Cushion, the Rouge Essentiel Silky Crme Lipstick, and the Translucent Loose Setting Powder that comes with a puff.YSL BeautyGlass skin was a term that came from K beauty to mean skin that appears poreless, luminous, clear as glass. YSL Beautys Soft Polish Double Essence is extremely gentle but comes with an effective peeling effect. Used alongside the Night Reboot serum and the Perfect Plumper Cream, glass skin is at your fingertips.AesopCold winter weather is not always the culprit sometimes, its the unpredictability of it, colder days and milder days, that disrupt our skin. Aesops latest winter skincare essentials are here to help. The selected products are gentle and nourishing on the skin, while keeping a balance, and comes in a range to suit different skin types.OribeOur focus is so often on skincare and make-up, but we shouldnt forget to care for our hair too. Available at Joyce Beauty, Oribes Signature Shampoo and Conditional set is a rich daily cleanser that is formulated to silken, detangle and protect.Este LauderThe Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Eye Serum is part of Este Lauders premium line, and comes infused with Black Diamond Truffle Extract that lifts tired eyes instantly.Augustinus BaderFounded by Professor Augustinus Bader, globally recognized as one of the leaders in stem cell biology, theres no doubting the potency of the brands products. Its creams and oils are backed by 30 years of proprietary research, which resulted in its TFC8 complex, said to kickstart the skins natural abilities to rejuvenate itself. Available at Joyce Beauty.

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Unboxing: the Best Beauty Items We Tried in January - Prestige Online

Cell Biology

$25 Million Anonymous Gift Made to Brown for Brain Science Initiatives – GoLocalProv

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

GoLocalProv News Team

The university says the donation is intended to allow Brown to attract and retain world-class teachers and scholars, and it will endow an innovation awards program at the Universitys Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science to provide seed funding for new high-impact research in computation and other areas of brain science.

This transformational gift recognizes the momentum that continues to build at Brown University, where our talented faculty are leading scientific discovery including in the rapidly emerging specialty of computational brain science, said Diane Lipscombe, director of the Carney Institute and a professor of neuroscience. This gift will allow us to sustain a culture of innovation, which has led to an impressive number of discoveries and returned countless new grants to Brown that forge new areas of research.

With more than 180 affiliated faculty members in 20 units and eight affiliated graduate programs, theCarney Instituteis pursuing research that has real-life, human applications, Lipscombe said. Core areas of research include work on innovative advances in computational brain science to investigate cognition, behavior and mood disorders; novel technologies to interface with the brain to understand brain circuits and restore lost functions; and research into the mechanisms of cell death to identify therapies for neurodegeneration, such as in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinsons and Alzheimers diseases.

This new $25 million gift is part of the Universitys $3-billionBrownTogethercampaign, which has raised $2.74 billion to date. It also builds upon significant philanthropic investment in Browns cutting-edge work in brain science of the total contributed by donors to date, more than $187 million has been raised to support research and education in brain science, including a$100 million giftthat named the institutein 2018. The gifts support a core research priority in BrownsBuilding on Distinctionstrategic plan: understanding the human brain.

In 2014, the Carney Institute launched aninnovation awards program to support early-stage research projects that are too new to attract external funding but have great potential to advance science and benefit society. The new gift will endow a similar innovation awards program, ensuring that the Carney Institute will be able to sustainably invest in innovation for years to come.

Ashley Webb, an assistant professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry at Brown, received an innovation award in 2019 to establish a new system to study how neurons age. She is developing a cell reprogramming platform, called direct reprogramming, to study aging in the hypothalamus brain region. The hypothalamus controls critical processes, such as sleep, temperature regulation, eating and metabolism, which can become dysregulated with aging. With direct reprogramming, Webb is able to convert a skin cell, for example, into a brain cell that maintains the hallmarks of aging.

Aging is the greatest risk factor for a number of diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, Webb said. If we understand whats going wrong during aging, this will give us important insight into the mechanisms of disease. But right now, we dont have very good systems for studying these diseases in the context of aging. This is the problem we are working to solve.

Promoting computational brain science at Brown

According to Brown, the anonymous gift will allow Caarney to continue to lead in the emerging field of computational neuroscience. Last summer, Brownestablishedthe Center for Computational Brain Science at the institute to harness the Universitys expertise in computation, cognition and systems neuroscience. A portion of the new gift will support research in the center.

Computational neuroscience is a multidisciplinary field that seeks to understand the functions of the brain at all levels from cells to cognition using principles from physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science, biology, cognitive science and psychology. The center creates collaborations between basic brain science researchers and engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists, and brings computational neuroscience innovations to clinical applications and commercialization.

According to Michael Frank director of the Center for Computational Brain Science andthe recent recipientof the National Academy of Sciences Troland Award for early-career researchers the gift is a statement of support, confidence and appreciation for the contributions of computational neuroscientists at Brown. The $25 million gift will fuel the growing momentum to establish the newly minted computational brain science center as a world leader, he said.

It will expand the scope with which brain scientists can leverage powerful computational methods to understand neural mechanisms of complex behavior; to learn from, and reciprocally inspire, development in artificial intelligence; and to facilitate translation to improve brain health, Frank said.

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$25 Million Anonymous Gift Made to Brown for Brain Science Initiatives - GoLocalProv