Myriad Genetics, Inc.MYGN introduced riskScore under its myRisk Hereditary Cancer testing portfolio. The launch is aimed at solidifying the company's footprint in the rapidly growing hereditary cancer testing market. Based in Salt Lake City, UT, this leading molecular diagnostics and personalized medicines providerintends to make riskScore a precision medical tool for patients who use myRisk to get their tests done.

Notably, riskScore helps determine a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by combining genetic markers throughout the genome with the patient's family and clinical history.

Per management, this highly advanced prediction tool will also aid 90% of the patients with negative results for heredity cancer genes to derive proper conclusions.

In June, the company had presented encouraging data from a 2,000-patient clinical study with myRisk Hereditary Cancer testsat the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The results highlighted the importance of the multi-gene panel testing for advancement of the hereditary cancer-risk evaluation platform. Per management, around 50% of the identified mutations were found in patients who did not comply with the testing guidelines. The study also found 34% of identified mutations in unexpected genes.

Myriad Genetics has been riding high on strength in the Heriditary Cancer testing space. In the last reported quarter, the company saw 6% year-over-year rise in Heriditary Cancer testing volumes, marking the third consecutive quarter of sequential growth.

Per a report by DPI Research on Medium, the breast cancer screening market in the United States is expected to reach a value of roughly $5.8 billion by 2022. Moreover, per an article by BrestCancer.Org, approximately 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women are likely to be diagnosed in the United States in 2017. They also project 63,410 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer this year as well.

We believe an ageing population, rising awareness and expenditure in healthcare will continue to drive growth in the breast cancer screening market. However, this market is dominated by many well established players, Quest Diagnostics DGX being the most prominent one. In this space, Quest Diagnostics' Quest Vantage services help in the discovery of genetic variants related to the hereditary risk of 15 types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, pancreatic and renal.

Moreover, Myriad Genetics has been gaining investor confidence on consistently positive results. Over the past three months, the company's share price has outperformed the broader industry . The stock has gained 41%, higher than the broader industry's 12.6%. The company has also outperformed the 0.7% gain of the S&P 500 market over the same time frame.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Myriad Genetics carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A couple of better-ranked medical stocks are Edwards Lifesciences Corporation EW and Lantheus Holdings, Inc. LNTH . Edwards Lifesciences sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Lantheus Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Edwards Lifesciences has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 15.2%. The stock has rallied roughly 23.6% over the last six months.

Lantheus Holdings has a long-term expected earnings growth rate of 12.5%. The stock has gained 30.2% over the last six months.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Myriad Genetics Boosts myRisk Hereditary Cancer Test Suite - Nasdaq

Newswise Again and again, its the rare among humans that help the rest of us. The exploration of human genetics is revealing new targets to combat heart disease among atypical variants. Mutations in genes that play a role in heart health are the inspiration for a cluster of new heart drugs. One of the best examples is the discovery of mutations in the PCSK9 gene. People with a variant of this enzyme have lower LDL levels (the bad cholesterol), which protects them against heart disease. The discovery led to the development of a new class of heart medications called PCSK9 inhibitors, which markedly reduce LDLs in people with out-of-control levels. At the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology this past spring, researchers announced that these inhibitors reduced the combined risk of having a heart attack or stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease in high-risk patients by 15 percent.

Other investigators are extending the hunt for how these mutations affect risk to tackle other aspects of heart disease. For instance, people whose LDL levels are under control but have elevated triglycerides are still at risk for continued plaque buildup in their arteries. Individuals with mutations in genes that play a role in breaking down excess triglycerides in the blood are pointing geneticists to other ways to protect at-risk people. In fact, a recent New York Times article describes a trio of papers about these rare mutations in people with extremely low triglyceride levels. These studies followed a previous discovery that mutations in the APOC3 gene naturally cause extra-low triglyceride levels. Normally, the APOC3 gene instructs cells to make a molecule that inhibits the breakdown of triglycerides.

Daniel Rader, MD, chair of Genetics, and other Penn Medicine researchers, were coauthors on these recent human-genetic studies, as well as others earlier this year. All of the APOC3 variants are associated with low triglycerides, independent of LDL cholesterol levels. The findings represent a potential new and separate line of attack for lowering risk of heart disease.

If we could harness the protective aspects of these APOC3 variants to develop therapies that act similarly and lower triglycerides and heart disease risk, these could theoretically work alongside existing LDL-lowering drugs, Rader said.

He adds that its hard to say how many people have normal LDL but high triglycerides, but its clearly in the millions, not a small number. There are currently no proven therapies to further reduce risk in these individuals.

Studies of large groups of people with one disabled APOC3 gene have led to its characterization as a highly validated therapeutic target for reducing the risk of heart disease. In other words, these studies have shown that diminished function of APOC3 is consistently associated with lower triglyceride levels and reduced risk of heart disease in large populations across the world.

One new therapy targeting APOC3 is showing promise: an antisense oligonucleotide, which is essentially a small stretch of DNA that binds to the APOC3 RNAs to block the protein from being made. This antisense drugs, which is administered subcutaneously, has shown substantial reductions in triglyceride levels in humans, further proving that disabling the APOC3 protein works the way the researchers had hoped.

Therapeutic antibodies engineered molecules that bind to specific proteins on cell surfaces are an established way to inhibit or inactivate circulating proteins to treat disease, and Rader notes that creating antibodies to the AP0C3 protein may be another useful strategy. The recently approved antibody to the PCSK9 protein is one example of this approach in action for lowering LDL and reducing heart disease.

In the newest human genetics study from the Rader lab, the team studied people with one disabled copy of the APOC3 gene (found by searching the over 50,000 participants in the Penn Medicine Biobank) and mice expressing the same human variant and showed that both had markedly reduced levels of APOC3 protein and triglycerides in their blood. From this, they showed that an antibody targeting the APOC3 protein could accelerate the breakdown of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in the mice, mimicking the effects of this natural mutation.

The APOC3 protein antibody was developed by the biotech firm Argenx in collaboration with Staten Biotechnology. Rader says this approach is currently being developed by Staten and could be in clinical trials within the next two years.

This new translational genetics study, Rader said, adds one more check in the win column for the value of studying rare human genetic variants to inform our understanding of common conditions.

SEE ORIGINAL STUDY

Excerpt from:
Human Genetics Studies Reveal New Targets to Reduce Heart Disease - Newswise (press release)

BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seattle Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN) announced today that management will present at the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 2:05 p.m. EDT. The presentation will be webcast live and available for replay from the Investors section of the Seattle Genetics website at http://www.seattlegenetics.com.

About Seattle Genetics

Seattle Genetics is an innovative biotechnology company that develops and commercializes novel antibody-based therapies for the treatment of cancer. The companys industry-leading antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology harnesses the targeting ability of antibodies to deliver cell-killing agents directly to cancer cells. ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin), the companys lead product, in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, is the first in a new class of ADCs and is commercially available globally in 67 countries for relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and relapsed systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL). Seattle Genetics is also advancing enfortumab vedotin, an ADC in a planned pivotal trial for metastatic urothelial cancer, in collaboration with Astellas and tisotumab vedotin, an ADC in a phase 1/2 trial for solid tumors, in collaboration with Genmab. Headquartered in Bothell, Washington and with European and international operations in Zug, Switzerland, Seattle Genetics has a robust pipeline of innovative therapies for blood-related cancers and solid tumors designed to address significant unmet medical needs and improve treatment outcomes for patients. The company has collaborations for its proprietary ADC technology with a number of companies including AbbVie, Astellas, Bayer, Celldex, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. More information can be found at http://www.seattlegenetics.com.

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Seattle Genetics to Present at Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference - Business Wire (press release)

The sequencing of the canine genome along with next generation sequencing technologies like whole exome sequencing have facilitated quicker, easier and more efficient identification of genes and mutations that can cause diseases in dogs. In a study published in Skeletal Muscle researchers have used these technologies to study a form of Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (muscle wasting and weakness in shoulder and hip muscles) in Boston terriers. Here to tell us about the research and what this means for the breed is lead author of the study Melissa L. Cox.

Melissa L. Cox 5 Sep 2017

Dogs live with humans, and have access to medical care nearly as sophisticated as ours. We are also close in other ways: sharing approximately 85% of our genome that is our complete sets of genes any naturally occurring gene mutation that may cause a disease in dogs is likely to cause a similar condition in humans, and vice versa. Dogs can serve as models of human disease; for example, treatments such as gene therapy can be tried in dogs before going into clinical trials in humans, which can benefit both species.

The sequencing of the canine genome greatly increased the speed and efficiency with which genes that cause disease can be detected. It has also facilitated research into the origin of dogs and the search for genes that underlie specific traits in dogs, such as height and skull shape, and many hereditary diseases. Next generation sequencing (NGS), including whole exome sequencing (WES) technologies which allow geneticists to determine the precise order of nucleotides within DNA and RNA molecules much more quickly and cheaply than before and the establishment of publically available databases has also allowed for easier identification of genes and mutations that may cause disease.

LGMDs are a varied group of Mendelian disorders characterized by muscle wasting and weakness in the muscles of the shoulders and hips

Our group made use of these technologies to study a form of Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) in Boston terrier dogs. LGMDs are a varied group of Mendelian disorders diseases caused by single genes that are inherited according to Mendels laws characterized by muscle wasting and weakness in the muscles of the shoulders and hips. Four affected dogs from three unrelated families were identified by their primary veterinarians, and referred for specialized investigation.

Clinical examination and pathology results confirmed that all affected dogs were suffering from LGMD, and immunohistopathological assays, which use antibodies that bind to certain tissues to reveal their presence, suggested a sarcoglycanopathy that is a disease resulting from mutations in one of four genes that code for a certain type of protein, called a sarcoglycan. Sarcoglycanopathies are autosomal recessive, and have severe symptoms similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The group originally looked at four Boston terriers affected by LGMD from three unrelated families.

There are six sarcoglycan proteins, four of which (, , , ) are involved in structural and signal functions in muscle. The absence of the sarcoglycans from the muscle of affected dogs made the genes that code for these proteins our candidate genes, and whole exome sequencing allowed us to investigate them simultaneously.

DNA was available from two of the four dogs, and from several relatives of one of the dogs. Whole exome sequencing was performed on a total of 5 dogs, including the two dogs that had the disease and an obligate carrier a dog that didnt have the disease but which had to carry the gene mutation based on analysis of the family history. In one affected dog (Case 3), we found that two nucleotides the buildings blocks of DNA were deleted in one of the sarcoglycan genes. The dogs obligate carrier parent and one other relative each also had one copy of the deletion.

The other affected dog (Case 1) did not share this mutation, which was very surprising to us, given that they were the same breed. Breed structures limit genetic diversity, because dogs are only bred to other dogs of the same breed. This increases the chance that any two dogs will be related, and that they will carry a mutation that is identical by descent, that is, inherited from a shared ancestor. For this reason, most dogs in a breed with the same disease will share the same gene mutation.

This is also a good reminder to the animal breeding and veterinary community that even within one breed, a disease may be caused by more than one mutation

Further analysis showed that Case 1 had a different deletion in the same gene as Case 3. We hypothesize that the dogs have very similar phenotypes because the same portion of the protein coded by the gene is eliminated in the two different mutations.

We screened 200 more Boston terriers from North America and Europe, as well as a large variety of other breeds, and these mutations were not found outside of these two cases and family members. This is good news for the breed, as it appears that these are private mutations, found only in these two families. Although we have developed genetic tests for these two mutations, it will not be necessary for breeders of Boston terriers to add LGMD testing to their routine genetic screening at this time.

This is also a good reminder to the animal breeding and veterinary community that even within one breed, a disease may be caused by more than one mutation. For this reason, it is best practice for testing laboratories to indicate which specific mutation(s) have been tested when writing reports.

The two mutations were found in the sarcoglycan gene SGCD, which has been classified as Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2F (LGMD2F) (the number 2 denotes that it is an autosomal recessive gene, while F is the gene name). LGMD2F is the least common form of sarcoglycanopathy in humans, so our report of the first large animal model of sarcoglycanopathy may also be of interest to human medicine.

The work also demonstrates the utility of whole exome sequencing to identify mutations in an extremely small number of affected animals. This allows mutations to be identified more quickly than in the past, as it is not necessary to gather samples from large family groups. The early establishment of a genetic testing program to distinguish between normal and unaffected carrier animals can therefore prevent a disease from unintentionally spreading through a breed population.

Excerpt from:
Investigating the genetics behind muscular dystrophy in dogs - BMC Blogs Network (blog)

Commercial bull breeders are increasingly having to venture into the five figure range to fill their orders. Image: Angus Australia

Agents and vendors smile with relief when commercial cattle producers turn up at a sale looking for more than a couple of bulls.

Some buyers roll up every year looking for lines while others are not so regular with their buying patterns dictated by seasons, the number females that need to be joined and the ages in the bull paddock.

Confident commercial bull buyers, cashed up by the good cattle prices, appear to be setting their sights higher and forcing seedstock producers to bid higher for the top end genetics.

It wasnt so long ago commercial buyers could fill their orders in the $5000 to $7000 range but these days many need to venture into the five figure range to fill their orders.

If thats what we have to pay we have to pay it, one commercial bull buyer told Beef Central.

With some big catalogues of bulls coming forward in the next few weeks, especially in the north, Beef Central has looked for examples of commercial producers buying bulls in todays market.

Last weeks Rennylea Angus sale at Culcairn NSW needed more than a couple of multi-bull buyers to clear 148 bulls for an average $9682.

While studs dominated Rennyleas top end (Hugh Munro from Booroomooka took the top two bulls at $38,000 and $36,000 following Booroomookas $2.19 million sale two weeks earlier) commercial producers competed vigorously.

One commercial buyer was David McKillop who manages Yamalla at Greenthorpe in the New South Wales central west for Malcolm Sinclair. This long time Rennylea client took five bulls out of the catalogue at an average $9600 with a top of $11,000.

These bulls arrived at their new home after the district received 50 to 70mm of welcome August rain after a dry June-July. However, a couple of screaming late winter frosts have dented pasture progress.

Yamalla has been buying Rennylea bulls for seven years and are happy with what theyve done in the straight bred Angus herd of 530 cows that will calve down this year.

We look for low birth weight, high growth, eye muscle area and fat depth and weve found that fertility follows, Mr McKillop said. Last year 87pc of the heifers and 98pc of the mature females scanned pregnant.

We dont buy heifer bulls as such, we want good genetic gain in our replacement heifers.

Their pattern has been to sell surplus females to restockers through AuctionsPlus but last year increased demand from beef grinders to supply the Angus brand burger market pushed many of the older cows went that way.

Steers are taken through to a 450kg liveweight average and sold direct to feedlots.

We see the price we have to pay these days for our bulls (close to $10,000) as an indication of where the market is. said Mr McKillop.

Initially, it was pretty easy to improve the herds genetics (from a low base) but these days it is harder and harder to get that important genetic gain he said.

Yamalla also runs a flock of 3000 Merino and first cross ewes joined to Dorset rams for prime lamb production.

Don McCrae of Goondiwindi Qld and Walcha NSW took home seven bulls from Rennylea paying a top $16,500 and an average $13,143. This will bring to 54 the number of bulls introduced to his Bullseye Angus herd over the past five years, most from Rennylea and a few from Te Mania.

Over the past few years Bullseye has registered over 1000 Angus Commercial Register (ACR) non seedstock females to keep an eye on the high performers. McCrae stresses he is not a seedstock producer but purely a commercial producer aiming to generate a superior product.

At the ANC Charolais sale at Gulugaba Qld on August 25, 125 bulls averaged $6148. Demand came from northern breeders looking for a Charolais infusion into their Brahman based northern herds.

While the top priced ANC bull at $37,000 went to a stud (Bauhinia Park) commercial producers then took over.

The Slack-Smith family paid to $17,000 and an average $10,500 for six bulls for their Richmond and Julia Creek based Brahman herds while the Scotts Rosetta Station near Collinsville Qld paid an average of $6136 for 22 bulls to join bull battery servicing 15,000 Brahman influenced cows.

As the bull sales move north the range of bos Indicus genetics increases, vendors and agents will be looking for bulk buyers to put a floor on the market. And the going price could be close to the $10,000 mark or even more for the better bulls.

Read the rest here:
Weekly genetics review: What are commercial producers paying for bulls? - Beef Central

What happened

Shares of Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ:MYGN), a leading developer of molecular diagnostic tests, surged by 26% during the month of August, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Why the sudden surge? The bulk of the gains look traceable to the company's fourth-quarter and full-year earnings release on Aug. 8, as well as positive insurance coverage decisions made on a key diagnostic product mid-month.

The rally really began for Myriad Genetics following the release of its fourth-quarter report. During Q4, Myriad wound up generating $200.5 million in sales, an 8% year-over-year improvement, largely helped by growth in its GeneSight test.Despite the jump in sales, its adjusted profit fell by 17% to $0.30 per share. Nevertheless, Myriad wound up topping Wall Street's sales and profit projections for the fourth quarter. This beat, coupled with growth from newer diagnostic products, which have helped offset competitive weaknesses in its hereditary cancer testing franchise (e.g., BRCA gene tests), clearly have investors upbeat about Myriad's prospects.

Image source: Getty Images.

The other catalyst driving big gains in August was favorable insurer coverage decisions for EndoPredict, a next-generation prognostic test that helps physicians determine a best course of care for patients with breast cancer. Myriad wound up announcing that Palmetto GBA, the Medicare contractor that oversees the MoIDx (Molecular Diagnostics) program, and Anthem, the second-largest insurer nationally, have decided to cover EndoPredict.Following the implementation of these decisions, Myriad will be able to cover more than 90% of breast cancer patients, which is pretty impressive considering EndoPredict was launched less than six months ago.

In a world of personalized medicine, Myriad Genetics continues to lead the charge. Unfortunately, this is also an increasingly crowded space that tends to rely on healthy reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid. With the Trump administration looking to cut long-term payouts to both programs, it leaves Myriad's future somewhat cloudy.

By a similar token, the company has also seen price erosion from competition in its hereditary cancer segment, from which it derives about three-quarters of its sales. However, growth from new products, compounded with volume growth in hereditary cancer testing, even at a lower margin, could still fuel substantial sales and profit improvements in the coming years.

So, what's an investor to do? I'd suggest that modest optimism seems fair at these levels. It's probably going to take a few more years before sales in Myriad's core operating segment level off, but at the same time it should be able to continue to grow its newly launched diagnostic products. Once the company has a more balanced revenue stream, it should be able to throttle back a bit on its operating expenses and allow its operating margin to soar. Patient investors with at least a five-year time horizon should do just fine.

Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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The 2 Major Catalysts Behind Myriad Genetics, Inc.'s 26% Gain in August - Motley Fool

NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ:NLNK) plunged -4.06% with the closing price of $7.79. The overall volume in the last trading session was 1.15 million shares.

Company Growth Evolution:

ROI deals with the invested cash in the company and the return the investor realize on that money based on the net profit of the business. Investors who are keeping close eye on the stock of NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ:NLNK) established that the company was able to keep return on investment at in the trailing twelve month while Reuters data showed that industrys average stands at 4.85 and sectors optimum level is 15.02.

NewLink Genetics Corporation (NLNK) have shown a high EPS growth of 0.30% in the last 5 years and has earnings decline of -108.00% yoy. Analysts have a mean recommendation of 2.20 on this stock (A rating of less than 2 means buy, hold within the 3 range, sell within the 4 range, and strong sell within the 5 range). The stock appeared $25.17 above its 52-week highs and is up 16.97% for the last five trades. MA ended last trade at $7.79 a share and the price is up more than -24.22% so far this year. The company maintains price to book ratio of 0.00 vs. an industry average at 0.59. Its sales stood at 80.40% a year on average in the period of last five years. A P/B ratio of less than 1.0 can indicate that a stock is undervalued, while a ratio of greater than 1.0 may indicate that a stock is overvalued.

Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE:OAS)ended its day at $7.39 with the rising stream of 1.23% and its total traded volume was 6.39 million shares less than the average volume.

Returns and Valuations for Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE:OAS)

Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE:OAS), maintained return on investment for the last twelve months at -, higher than what Reuters data shows regarding industrys average. The average of this ratio is 4.85 for the industry and sectors best figure appears 15.02. Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE:OAS), at its latest closing price of $7.39, it has a price-to-book ratio of 0.00, compared to an industry average at 0.59. A lower P/B ratio could mean that the stock is undervalued. This ratio also gives some idea of whether youre paying too much for what would be left if the company went bankrupt immediately.

Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE:OAS), stock is trading $17.08 above the 52-week high and has displayed a high EPS growth of -28.70% in last 5 years. The 1 year EPS growth rate is -328.10% . Its share price has decline -24.28% in three months and is up 2.07% for the last five trades. The average analysts gave this company a mean recommendation of 2.10.

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Earnings Clues on NewLink Genetics Corporation (NLNK), Oasis Petroleum Inc. (OAS) Analyst's Predictions - StockNewsJournal

RURAL REPORTER

Last updated12:12, September 4 2017

LIC

A good looker, and the best performing bull at LIC is Sierra, a kiwicross bull. The 7-year-old bull might have 100,000 daughters in the next few years.

Father's Day was on Sunday, and many families got together,but there wasone super dad who foundit a struggle meeting all his offspring.

Sierra, one of LIC's top bulls, has fathered 1700 daughters (milking dairy cows).

"We expect that he will have 12,000 more daughters entering the national herd this year, and predict a further 100,000 over the next few years," said Simon Worth, LIC's livestock selection manager.

Farmers needed top quality genetics to get their cows producing top quality heifers in New Zealand and internationally.He said LIC owned24 of the top 30 artificial breeding (AB) bulls in the country, including Sierra - its top kiwicross bull.

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"Bulls like Sierra are shaping the future of dairying in New Zealand. Our bulls provide three out of every four cows in the country, contributing $300 million towards the economy each year," said Dave Hale, LIC's national artificial breeding manager.

During the peak dairy cow mating season in spring LIC collectedsemen from its 73 elite bulls seven days a week, at itsNewstead farm near Hamilton.

Up to five million semen straws will be processed between now and Christmas, with the co-op's exclusive long last liquid semen diluent (LIC proprietary technology) enabling one bull ejaculate to average 7000 fresh semen straws for insemination.

Straws are sentfresh to a team of 775 AB technicians all over the country, for insemination into cows as early as that same afternoon. Top AB technicians inseminate up to 10,000 cows a year, or200-300 a day.

On the peak day in spring 120,000 semen straws are dispatched nationally, internationally the co-op exports one million frozen straws worldwide year-round.

"While only seven years old, Sierra is definitely one of our super dad bulls. Without them Kiwis probably wouldn't have their morning lattes," said Hale.

-Stuff

Read more:
Artificial breeding bulls in demand as farmers improve genetics - Stuff.co.nz

September 4, 2017

People with a specific variation in the CLOCK gene have more migraines under financial stress. This work, the first time that the genetics of circadian rhythms has been shown to have an effect on migraine, is presented at the ECNP conference in Paris.

Migraine is a serious and debilitating neurological disease affecting 1 billion people worldwide. Migraine has been estimated to cause a financial cost of around 27 billion every year in the European Union, and $17 billion every year in the USA. In the UK, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 12 men are migraine sufferers.

The background of migraine is highly complex involving a large number of genes and their interaction with environmental effects, and acting via multiple pathways in the central nervous system. Variations of circadian genes (which affect how the body controls and responds to environmental changes -- such as changes in light) have previously been shown to affect mood disorders, so it was thought it would be interesting to see if they were associated with migraine.

The group of researchers from Hungary and the UK checked 999 patients from Budapest and 1350 from Manchester, for two variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) of the CLOCK gene, and how these are associated with migraine. The CLOCK gene has an important role in regulating many rhythmic patterns of the body, including body temperature or level of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. They found that there was no significant direct connection between the gene and migraine, but when they factored in stress (financial stress, measured by a financial questionnaire), they showed that the investigated gene variants increased the odds of having migraine type headaches in those subjects who suffered from financial hardship by around 20%. (odds ratio -- see abstract for details).

The researchers looked at functional single nucleotide polymorphisms within the CLOCK gene that are able to influence how much protein is transcribed from the gene. Because this protein controls the body clock machinery these variants may impair processes that can prevent migraine in the face of stress.

Researcher Daniel Baksa (Semmelweis University, Budapest) said:

"This work does not show what causes migraine -- there is no single cause -- but it does show that both stress and genetics have an effect. In the work presented here, we were able to show that stress -- represented by financial hardship -- led to an increase in migraine in those who have a particular gene variant. What we need to do now is to see if other circadian gene variants in association with different stress factors cause the same effect.

The strength of our study is that we saw the same effect in two independent study groups, in Budapest and Manchester, so we think it is a real effect. The investigated gene variants are present in around 1/3 of the population, so they are common variants with small effect size. Our results shed light on one specific mechanism that may contribute to migraine. What it does mean is that for many people, the stress caused by financial worries can physically affect you. Migraine involves a huge health and financial burden each year, so any steps we can take to help patients understand their condition will be really welcome."

Commenting, Professor Andreas Reif (University Hospital, Frankfurt) said:

"This is a really interesting study on the interaction of genetics with stress in migraine. The studied gene is involved in the circadian system, which has previously been shown to be implicated in mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, which intriguingly is comorbid with migraine. Thus, this study might provide a clue how these diseases might be linked on the genetic level which is interesting as such. But even beyond this, the study demonstrates how an environmental risk factor exerts its effect only in the presence of a given genetic risk factor. This has not been done to a great extent in migraine, making this study an exciting new lead."

Read more here:
Genetics of circadian rhythms found to have effect on migraine - News-Medical.net

Its a beautiful, sunny, fall-esque day here on Long Island, and I have something personal to share with you. After a nuclear stress test taken earlier in the week, my dads cardiologist recommended he check himself into the hospital on Thursday to have an angiogram. My dads had a couple of heart attacks in the past, and while his doctor didnt think it was anything too too serious, he wanted to make sure.

The angiogram showed a 99% blockage in one of his arteries. Because of this, three stents were put in to open it up. An additional stent is being put in as we speak, and if all goes well, he should be out by tomorrow. My dad is in good spirits and looks pretty good, so Im very optimistic that this will be the last we hear of this for a while.

That being said, something I heard his doctor tell him disturbed me quite a bit. Somehow, the topic of genetics came up in the conversation. My father was essentially told that this was all genetic, there was nothing he could do to improve his condition, and that once he gets out and he rests for about a week, he can resume all regular life activities.

The cardiac wing of the hospital was also feeding him garbage for his heart, like bread (derived from grains, which are inflammatory) and margarine (a trans fat, which is bad for the heart) but we wont even get into that today

While I know genetics can play a role in the acquisition of several diseases, theres a new study called EPIGENETICS. The premise behind this field of study is that based upon your chosen environment and your personal lifestyle habits, you can manipulate your genetic code, and either keep a negative genetic trait like heart disease dormant, or you can completely REVERSE that genes expression, and thus, never develop a hereditary disease in the first place!

Ive heard plenty of would-be clients over the years use genetics as an excuse for their being overweight. My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all fat, so this is just something I have to deal with!

Often, when somebody is overweight, its due to poor diet. Plain and simple. Theres a small percentage of the population that has hormonal imbalances, and thus, theres a bit more to it than that. That being said, most hormone issues can be regulated (and even corrected!) by certain dietary strategies that will get those levels back to normal, and then enable them to both function and lose weight normally.

When the folks who blame genetics review their nutrition with me, Ill tell you one thing: It aint just geneticsIf its even genetics, at all! Their diets tend to be comprised of excessive amounts of sugar, grains and processed foods, which, when ingested in large quantities as they were in these instances, are ALL linked to an increased risk of obesity, Type-2 Diabetes, heart disease, various forms of cancer, and even neurological diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers!!

Whether youre dealing with weight issues, whether youre diabetic, or whether youre even suffering from a heart condition like my dad is, youre rarely too far gone!!! There are healthy dietary changes you can make that will not only help you in regulating these conditions, but also help in the REVERSAL of many of these conditions.

Moral of the Story: I was highly DISTURBED to hear this explanation given to my dad. Its never too late to change and improve the quality of your life. The question is: Whatre you going to do to change your circumstances?

pete@weightlossbypete.com

P.S. If you feel you need more help on the nutritional side, then youre definitely going to want to invest in my Food Guide and Healthy Recipe Book!

The Food Guide lays out the three phases of nutrition I use with my Permanent Weight Loss clients. Phase 1 gets you in the habit of making healthier choices, while Phase 2 really cleans up the frequency with which you eat healthier. Phase 3 is a strict macronutrient breakdown that will help expedite the process of weight loss, all while improving your health and making your body a well-oiled machine!

My Healthy Recipe Book includes 72 recipes spanning breakfast,lunch, dinner, snacks, appetizers and desserts. Im constantly adding to it, but these recipes are easy to make, simple and enable you to have your cake and eat it, too!

Normally, I sell each of these books for $10 a piece, but because Im feeling generous today, you can get BOTH for just $13.99!:-)

Excerpt from:
Weight Loss Tip: It Ain't Just About Genetics! - HuffPost