Cell Biology

Infection Researchers Identify How Coronaviruses From Animals Need to Change to Spread to Humans – SciTechDaily

(A) Schematic representation of SARS-CoV-2, the viral spike protein and the cleavage sites for furin (green, S1/S2 position; the cleavage sequence is shown below the protein structure) and TMPRSS2 (orange, S2 position). (B) First, in already infected cells, the enzyme furin cuts the spike protein at the S1/S2 site. The spike protein then mediates viral attachment to a new host cell. In order to efficiently enter the cell, the spike protein still needs to be activated by the enzyme TMPRSS2. Activation by TMPRSS2 is only possible if the spike protein has previously been cleaved by furin. Credit: Markus Hoffmann

Infection researchers from the German Primate Center identify starting points for vaccine development and therapy.

The SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects lung cells and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The viral spike protein mediates entry of the virus into host cells and harbors an unusual activation sequence. The Infection Biology Unit of the German Primate Center (DPZ) Leibniz Institute for Primate Research has now shown that this sequence is cleaved by the cellular enzyme furin and that the cleavage is important for the infection of lung cells. These results define new starting points for therapy and vaccine research. In addition, they provide information on how coronaviruses from animals need to change in order to be able to spread in the human population (Molecular Cell).

Prof. Stefan Phlmann, Head of the Infection Biology Unit at the German Primate Center. Credit: Karin Tilch

The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has been transmitted from animals to humans and is spreading worldwide. It causes the new lung disease COVID-19, which has already killed over 200,000 people. The spike protein on the virus surface serves as a key for the virus to enter host cells. It facilitates viral attachment to cells and fuses the viral with a cellular membrane, thereby allowing the virus to deliver its genome into the cell, which is essential for viral replication. For this, activation sequences of the spike protein need to be cleaved by cellular enzymes, called proteases. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 carries an activation sequence at the so-called S1/S2 cleavage site, which is similar to those observed in highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, but which has so far not been found in viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2. The importance of this sequence for the virus was so far unknown.

In their current study, the infection biologists of the German Primate Center led by Markus Hoffmann and Stefan Phlmann were able to show that the S1/S2 activation sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is cleaved by the cellular protease furin and that this cleavage event is essential for the infection of lung cells. It is also important for the fusion of infected cells with non-infected cells, which might allow the virus to spread in the body without leaving the host cell.

Our results suggest that inhibition of furin should block the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the lung, says Stefan Phlmann, head of the Infection Biology Unit at DPZ. Furthermore, our present study and previous work demonstrate that the virus uses a two-step activation mechanism: In infected cells, the spike protein has to be cleaved by the protease furin so that newly formed viruses can then use the protease TMPRSS2 for further cleavage of the spike protein, which is important for the entry into lung cells.

Dr. Markus Hoffmann, scientist at the Infection Biology Unit of the German Primate Center. Credit: Karin Tilch

For a live attenuated vaccine to trigger a strong immune response, it has to be able to replicate in the body to a limited extent, for example locally at the site of injection. SARS-CoV-2 variants, in which the activation sequence for furin has been removed, could be used as a basis for the development of such live attenuated vaccines, since the lack of cleavage of the spike protein should greatly limit the spread of the virus in the body. A sufficiently attenuated virus would no longer be able to cause disease, but would still enable the immune system to react to the pathogen and, for example, produce neutralizing antibodies, says Markus Hoffmann, first author of the study.

In wildlife, especially bats, a large number of coronaviruses that are closely related to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 has been discovered over the past 20 years. However, so far an S1/S2 activation sequence that can be cleaved by furin has only been detected in SARS-CoV-2. Wildlife sampling and the targeted search for coronaviruses with a focus on the S1/S2 activation sequence is necessary to identify those viruses that have the potential to infect and efficiently spread in humans. In addition, in the case of potential future coronavirus outbreaks, we should specifically analyze the S1/S2 cleavage site as it might serve as a marker for human-to-human transmissibility, says Markus Hoffmann.

Reference: A Multibasic Cleavage Site in the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Is Essential for Infection of Human Lung Cells by Markus Hoffmann,Hannah Kleine-Weber and Stefan Phlmann, 1 May 2020, Molecular Cell.DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.04.022

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Infection Researchers Identify How Coronaviruses From Animals Need to Change to Spread to Humans - SciTechDaily

Cell Biology

Cell therapies trial planned for COVID-19 – Mirage News

More than 200,000 people have died from COVID-19 since January 2020. While Australia has been relatively spared from the onslaught of infections and deaths, our nations scientists need to be part of the global effort to address this pandemic.

Research Group Head, Amnion Cell Biology

There is no effective treatment to address the ongoing damage caused by for severe COVID-19 infections, said Associate Professor Rebecca Lim, Research Group Head of Amnion Cell Biology at Hudson Institute. Our team is investigating whether a cell therapy can be effective.

Amniotic epithelial cells (amnion cells) are from the amniotic sac which surrounds a baby during pregnancy. They have stem cell-like properties and can grow into many cell types. Most importantly, they have potent effects on inflammation and tissue damage.

A/Prof Lim and Professor Euan Wallace (Clinical Director, The Ritchie Centre) are developing a clinical trial to investigate whether these cells can help treat patients with COVID-19.

The team is working closely with intensivists at Monash Healths Intensive Care Unit to deliver a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for COVID-19 positive patients requiring hospitalisation.

The goal of the trial is to determine if allogeneic amniotic epithelial cells are an effective therapy for severe COVID-19 complications. Specifically, the trial will test whether the cells can significantly reduce the cytokine storm associated with COVID-19 infection, encourage lung tissue to repair, and reduce the incidence of blood clotting and subsequent multi-organ complications including strokes, liver and kidney failure.

We have already shown that the allogeneic amniotic epithelial cells are safe and well-tolerated in extremely premature neonates and acutely unwell adults. So far, we have observed improvements in adult patients with liver disease and severe stroke. This points to the likely benefits for patients with COVID-19. These cells may also reduce the incidence and severity of the disease damage caused by blood clotting in tissues, A/Prof Lim said.

This project involves a partnership between Hudson Institute, Monash Health and Monash University-a team that leads the way in Victoria in cell therapy clinical trials targeting inflammation and regenerative medicine.

Victoria is perfectly placed to deliver a cell therapy treatment for COVID-19, A/Prof Lim said.

However, the trial requires funding.

The other trials using our cell-based therapies are in

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Cell therapies trial planned for COVID-19 - Mirage News

Cell Biology

Number of Shares and Voting Rights of Innate Pharma as at May 1, 2020 – GlobeNewswire

Pursuant to the article L. 233-8 II of the French Code de Commerce and the article 223-16 of the French stock-market authorities (Autorit des Marchs Financiers, or AMF) charter, Innate Pharma SA (the Company - Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 IPH; Nasdaq: IPHA) releases its total number of shares outstanding as well as its voting rights as at May 1, 2020:

7,581 Preferred Shares 2017

Total number of exercisable voting rights (2):

79,698,670

(1) The total number of theoretical voting rights (or gross voting rights) is used as the basis for calculating the crossing of shareholding thresholds. In accordance with Article 223-11 of the AMF General Regulation, this number is calculated on the basis of all shares to which voting rights are attached, including shares whose voting rights have been suspended. The total number of theoretical voting rights includes (i) voting rights attached to AGAP 2016 (Preferred Shares 2016), i.e. 130 voting rights for the AGAP 2016-1 and 111 voting rights for the AGAP 2016-2 and (ii) voting rights attached to AGAP 2017, i.e. 1 voting right per AGAP 2017.

(2) The total number of exercisable voting rights (or net voting rights) is calculated without taking into account the shares held in treasury by the Company, with suspended voting rights. It is released so as to ensure that the market is adequately informed, in accordance with the recommendation made by the AMF on July 17, 2007.

About Innate Pharma:

Innate Pharma S.A. is a commercial stage oncology-focused biotech company dedicated to improving treatment and clinical outcomes for patients through therapeutic antibodies that harness the immune system to fight cancer.

Innate Pharmas commercial-stage product, Lumoxiti, in-licensed from AstraZeneca in the US, EU and Switzerland, was approved by the FDA in September 2018. Lumoxiti is a first-in class specialty oncology product for hairy cell leukemia. Innate Pharmas broad pipeline of antibodies includes several potentially first-in-class clinical and preclinical candidates in cancers with high unmet medical need.

Innate has been a pioneer in the understanding of natural killer cell biology and has expanded its expertise in the tumor microenvironment and tumor-antigens, as well as antibody engineering. This innovative approach has resulted in a diversified proprietary portfolio and major alliances with leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi, and a multi-products collaboration with AstraZeneca.

Based in Marseille, France, Innate Pharma is listed on Euronext Paris and Nasdaq in the US.

Learn more about Innate Pharma at http://www.innate-pharma.com

Information about Innate Pharma shares:

Disclaimer:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including those within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.The use of certain words, including believe, potential, expect and will and similar expressions, is intended to identify forward-looking statements.Although the company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including related to safety, progression of and results from its ongoing and planned clinical trials and preclinical studies, review and approvals by regulatory authorities of its product candidates, the Companys commercialization efforts, the Companys continued ability to raise capital to fund its development and the overall impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the global healthcare system as well as the Companys business, financial condition and results of operations.For an additional discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors (Facteurs de Risque) section of the Universal Registration Document filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF), which is available on the AMF website http://www.amf-france.org or on Innate Pharmas website, and public filings and reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019, and subsequent filings and reports filed with the AMF or SEC, or otherwise made public, by the Company.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to shares in Innate Pharma in any country.

For additional information, please contact:

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Number of Shares and Voting Rights of Innate Pharma as at May 1, 2020 - GlobeNewswire

Physiology

Guardhat Partners with FireHUD to Bring Advanced Exertion Monitoring to the Workforce – Iosco County News Herald

DETROIT, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Guardhat, a leader in the smart industrial safety industry, today announced that it has partnered with Atlanta-based startup FireHUD, Inc., a provider of biometric monitoring to prevent overexertion on the worksite.

"Guardhat's ultimate goal is to better protect the industrial workforce with advanced safety insight," said Rony RoyChoudhury, Executive Vice President of Growth at Guardhat. "FireHUD hit the ground running, and their technology brings real-time biometric monitoring to our KYRA platform. We want to align our mission and enter the market jointly, greatly expanding the number of ways in which we can monitor and protect individuals working the most demanding careers."

The FireHUD BioTrac Platform is a real-time monitoring system that tracks the physiology of individuals through an arm-worn device. The device measures biometrics such as heart rate, core body temperature, exertion, distance traveled and calories burned to provide a personalized profile for predicting exertion levels.

By integrating FireHUD monitoring with Guardhat's KYRA platform, users will now have a more holistic view of the worksite, including the ability to receive and send instant alerts in the event of a fall, exposure to toxic gases, lockout zones, proximity to moving equipment, and much more.

"We are incredibly excited to work with Guardhat," said Zack Braun, FireHUD's CEO. "Their KYRA platform allows us to easily integrate our real-time physiological monitoring solution into their system in on-premise or cloud scenarios. Ultimately, allowing our complementary solutions to usher in a new era of safety for workers in the most extreme environments."

Guardhat's agreement with FireHUD is the latest in a series of partnerships that demonstrate KYRA's ability to integrate with nearly any type wearable technology. It boasts a growing list of global solution providers including DuPont Sustainable Solutions, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Qualcomm Technologies.

"During development, we knew that we needed a platform that could easily enhance and integrate with newly developed wearable technology," Rony continued. "To see this come to life with companies like FireHUD has been extremely rewarding. We look forward to continuing the momentum and becoming the industrial and biotech platform of choice for all wearables."

Guardhat currently holds eight patents across the areas of Connect Worker, Real Time Location Systems and Wearable Solutions and was named the Frost & Sullivan 2019 North America Company of the Year for its Connected PPE Worker Safety Solutions.

The FireHUD platform has already been implemented in select Air Force bases and First Responder units across the US, allowing personnel to better monitor the real-time health of their team.

For more information visit: guardhat.com or firehud.co

About Guardhat

Detroit-based Guardhat is a leading industrial IoT technology company specialized in developing wearables, infrastructure and software platforms to provide a safer and more productive work environment for frontline industrial workers in heavy manufacturing industries. Founded in October 2014 by industry veterans and former steel & mining CEO Saikat Dey, Guardhat's mission is to modernize safety and enhance last mile connectivity in the industrial workplace. By combining a cutting-edge, wearable technology with advanced proprietary software, Guardhat is able to proactively monitor a user's location, health and work environment. The software platform collects and analyzes on-the-job data which is used to enhance industrial worker safety and productivity programs. Based out of its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, Guardhat operates globally with offices in Boulder, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Bangalore, India; and Paris, France. Guardhat holds 8 patents across areas of Connected Worker, Real Time Location Systems and Wearable Solutions. For more information, visit: http://www.guardhat.com.

About FireHUD

FireHUD is a technology company that provides easy-to-use, group physiological monitoring to first responders, the military, and industrial workers. FireHUD aims to make jobs safer with new technology and improved situational awareness. Through the collection of critical biometric markers such as heart rate and core body temperature, FireHUD uses machine learning to create personalized profiles that predict exertion levels for all group members and provides real-time alerts in order to prevent injuries and deaths. FireHUD has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the US Air Force to accelerate development of its IoT platform. For more information, visit: firehud.co

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Guardhat Partners with FireHUD to Bring Advanced Exertion Monitoring to the Workforce - Iosco County News Herald

Physiology

UO lab looking at aging arteries and Alzheimer’s disease – Mirage News

University of Oregon scientist Ashley Walker focuses on what happens as arteries stiffen with age, research that has led to possible connections to Alzheimers disease.

Walker, who joined the Department of Human Physiology in 2017, is expanding that line of thinking as part of her overall research program in the Aging and Vascular Physiology Laboratory, which she leads.

In the past, Alzheimers disease was considered to be just a disease of the neurons in the brain, Walker said. The scientific community is now realizing that other cells in the brain are likely contributors.

That idea took root in 2013 when scientists at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh reported in the journal Neurology that Alzheimers patients with increased arterial stiffness were up to four times more likely have the diseases tell-tale signs of visible plaque on their brain scans.

In humans, she said, large arteries begin stiffening around age 50, while late-onset Alzheimers disease is usually diagnosed at age 75. That means, she said, that small blood vessels in the brain are exposed to these damaging effects for a long period of time, eventually leading to less blood flow to the brain and leaky blood vessels.

Arteries and capillaries are instrumental to brain function as they deliver oxygen and nutrients, Walker said. Without a proper control of blood flow, neurons are not able to function and this could lead to the problems with memory that are seen in patients with the disease.

In her previous research, Walker has identified cellular changes that have affected how arteries function in old age, resulting in high blood pressure or atherosclerosis.

Last September Walker received a one-year, $424,000 grant from the Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health to dig deeper at the role of arterial stiffness on cognitive impairment and other brain diseases. She was also previously awarded a NIH career development award to explore mechanisms for cerebral artery dysfunction with aging.

This spring, the NIH awarded her a $2.1 million grant over five years to launch a project that will look at large artery stiffness in mice that are predisposed to producing amyloid plaques, a key feature of Alzheimers disease. The project, she said, will explore what for now is only a correlation between large artery stiffness and dementia.

Two of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimers disease are old age and cardiovascular disease, but we do not understand why these are risk factors, Walker said. As we get older, our arteries become stiffer. This increase in stiffness occurs mostly in the large arteries, such as the aorta and carotid arteries.

Her work also has caught the attention of the Alzheimers Association, which recently awarded her a three-year $150,000 grant. Although laboratory research is delayed because of the coronavirus crisis, preparation is underway.

Shes also involved in a collaboration with Dr. Nabil Alkayed at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, a project designed to explore the relationship between estrogen deficiency, vascular dysfunction and dementia. While women are two times more likely to develop Alzheimers disease, she said, the project aims to identify potential new interventions for both men and women.

This project has been boosted by a grant from the John L. Luvaas Family Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. In addition to supporting the research, it also will assist lab members at every stage of their training and careers, and introduce UO students to mentorship and equipment through their access to opportunities at OHSU.

Walker began her UO research program with a career development award from the NIH and with funds donated by taxpayers through the Oregon Tax Checkoff for Alzheimers Research Fund, which is administered by OHSUs Layton Aging and Alzheimers Disease Center.

If we identify the mechanisms of these age-related changes, we may be able to develop new therapies to treat or prevent Alzheimers disease, Walker said.

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UO lab looking at aging arteries and Alzheimer's disease - Mirage News

Physiology

Coronavirus romance: Is it healthy for isolating couples to have so much together time? – Genetic Literacy Project

In the wake of COVID-19social distancingandstay-at-home orders, young couples may find themselves spending more time with each other than ever before.

As a developmental psychologistwho conducts research on adolescent and young adult relationships, Im interested in understanding how young peoples everyday social interactions contribute to their health. Past research shows that people who havehigher-quality friendshipsandromantic relationshipsduring their teens and 20s typically have lower risk for illness and disease during adulthood, whereas individuals with early relationships characterized byconflict or violenceexperience heightened risk for negative health outcomes. Why might this be the case?

Can matters of the heart affect your heart?

My colleagues and I wondered whether young peoples everyday, seemingly mundane, interactions with their dating partners might have acute effects on their physiological functioning. These direct connections between social functioning and physiology could accumulate over time in ways thatultimately affect long-term health.

We conducteda studyto examine whether young dating couples everyday romantic experiences were related to their physiology. We specifically investigated if couples feelings towards one another during the day predicted changes in their heart rate while they slept.

We focused on overnight heart rate because other research shows that having chronically elevated heart rate canhamper the essential restorative effects of sleepandincrease risk for later cardiovascular disease, theleading cause of deathfor men and women in the United States.

To test our question, we used participants froma larger, ongoing studyin our lab at theUniversity of Southern Californiato capture a day in the life of young dating couples. The couples, most of whom were in their early 20s and had been dating for 1-2 years, were recruited from the Los Angeles area.

24 hours together

They were asked to choose a day they were planning to spend most of their time together and, on that chosen day, couples came into our lab first thing in the morning. They were equipped with a wireless chest-strap heart monitor and lent a mobile phone that sent surveys every hour until they went to bed. When participants left the lab, they were told to go about their day as they normally would.

Our study focused on 63 heterosexual couples who had valid 24-hour heart rate data (some participants took the monitors off when they slept or reattached them incorrectly after showering).

Every hour during the day, participants rated two things: how annoyed and irritated they felt with their dating partner, and how close and connected they felt to their dating partner. Participants also reported on their hourly behaviors to make sure we knew about anything else that could affect their overnight heart rate like whether they drank alcohol, exercised or took medication. For 24 hours, the heart rate monitor tracked couples heartbeats per minute, an indicator of physiological activity.

From feelings to physiology

Even after taking into account both partners daytime heart rate, stress levels, drug or alcohol use and physical activity, we found that mens overnight heart rate changed depending on how women felt toward their partner throughout the day.

When women felt closer and more connected to their partners during the day, men had lower overnight heart rates. When women felt more annoyed and irritated with their partners during the day, men had higher overnight heart rates. On average, mens overnight heart rates were about 2 to 4 beats per minute slower in couples where women expressed more closeness. On the other hand, mens heart rates were about 1.5 to 3 beats per minute faster if women expressed greater annoyance.

Interestingly, we found that womens annoyance did not predict increases in mens heart rate, if women also felt close to their partners throughout the day. In other words, the negative effects of annoyance got diluted if some closeness was also in the mix.

There were actually no effects of mens annoyance or closeness on womens overnight heart rates mens cardiovascular responses appeared to be uniquely sensitive to womens daytime relationship feelings.Other researchhas found similar gender differences. One possibility is that women are more likely to express their feelings of closeness or annoyance, whereas men mayfeel less comfortableengaging in such communication.

Of course, every relationship has its natural ups and downs, and our study only captures a snapshot of young dating couples lives together. However, the findings suggest the way romantic partners feel about one another, even within a single day, can have acute effects on their biological functioning during sleep.

These seemingly trivial, everyday experiences could build up over time and help explain why relationships wind up affecting peoples health for better or for worse.

Hannah Schacter is and assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University. Follow her on Twitter @hannah_schacter

This article originally appeared at the Conversation and has been republished here with permission. Follow the site on Twitter @ConversationUS

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Coronavirus romance: Is it healthy for isolating couples to have so much together time? - Genetic Literacy Project

Physiology

May: Colin Pennycuick obituary | News and features – University of Bristol

Royal Society Fellow and Bristol Honorary Professor Colin Pennycuick passed away in December 2019. Professor Gareth Jones offers this remembrance.

Colin Pennycuick worked in the Department of Zoology from 1964 to 1968 and from 1973 to 1983. More recently he was an Honorary Professor and Research Collaborator in the School of Biological Sciences.

Colin was an international expert on animal flight, and combined his drive for understanding how animals work with a passion for flight. He developed novel models to understand flight mechanics, for example to predict the optimal animal flight speeds. He would then test his model predictions by developing innovative methods to measure flight speeds and following birds in his light aircraft.

Colin was born in Windsor, Berkshire in 1933. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Merton College, Oxford where he joined the Oxford University Air Squadron. He completed his PhD at Peterhouse, Cambridge working on muscle physiology. After completing a research fellowship at Cambridge, Colin joined the Department of Zoology at Bristol as a lecturer in 1964.

At Bristol, Colin would perform innovative experimental work in sometimes remarkable situations. He used the Universitys first computer to design a wind tunnel which became a feature in the stairwell of the Fry Building. Colins experiments flying pigeons in the tunnel allowed him to apply fixed-wing aerodynamic theory to predict flight performance in birds. He made novel insights into understanding gliding flight and produced a classic momentum jet model for animal flight mechanics. He also modelled limits to upper body size for flying birds and trade-offs between fat storage and migration range.

Colin moved to Africa in 1968 and used his Piper Cruiser aircraft to study bird flight in the Serengeti. He flew fruit bats in wind tunnels and went gliding with pelicans and storks to understand how birds used thermals for soaring. He flew the Piper Cruiser to Bristol, stopping off at Addis Ababa, Cairo and Crete, in the way that a migratory bird would. During his second spell at Bristol, Colin developed an ornithodolite attached to a computer to measure the range, azimuth and elevation of flying birds.

He also studied the flight of cranes in Sweden, soaring seabirds in the Antarctic and performed aerial surveys of geese in Scotland and Ireland. At Bristol, Colin supervised PhD students performing pioneering flow visualisations of the air movements produced by flying birds and the links between wing shape and flight performance in bats.

Colin took up the position of Maytag Chair of Ornithology at Miami University after leaving Bristol in 1983.

Colin published Bird Flight Performance: a Practical Calculation Manual in 1989 and introduced researchers worldwide to his Flight programme for calculating optimal flight speeds of vertebrates. The programme is still used widely today. While at Miami University, Colin was involved in some of the first studies using satellite tags to document the movement ecology of birds. He flew back to Bristol in 1992 in his Cessna 182. He collaborated extensively with scientists at Lund University in Sweden, where King Carl XVI inaugurated a wind tunnel that he helped develop.

Colin was always generous with his time and advised most of the leading students and researchers working on animal flight mechanics today. He was remarkable in his ability to draw on his love of flying to discover what it is like to be a flying bird. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1990, and was made an Honorary Companion of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1994.

Colin died on 9 December 2019 aged 86. He is survived by his wife Sandy, with whom he authored Birds Never Get Lost(published in 2016), and his son Adam, now a respiratory physician working at University College London.

Further tributes can be found in the Guardian and in the journal of the British Ornithologists Union, Ibis.

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May: Colin Pennycuick obituary | News and features - University of Bristol

Physiology

Leah Akins Named Top College of Nursing and Health Sciences Graduate at VSU – Valdosta State University News

May 4, 202020-40

Jessica PopeCommunications and Media Relations Coordinator

VALDOSTA Leah Suzanne Akins of Nashville, Georgia, is the recipient of the Spring 2020 Presidents Award for Academic Excellence for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Valdosta State University.

The Presidents Award for Academic Excellence is presented to the graduating student with the highest grade point average in each of VSUs six colleges Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, College of the Arts, James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and College of Science and Mathematics.

Akins will be recognized during VSUs virtual 229th Commencement at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, at valdosta.edu/commencement. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology.

It is truly an honor to be named the top graduate of my college, and in doing so, I am proud to represent VSUs Exercise Physiology Program, she said.

As a student at VSU, Akins was a member of the Exercise Physiology Club and a student intern at the campus-based Center for Exercise Medicine and Rehabilitation. She volunteered at the universitys annual Benefits and Wellness Fair and with Special Olympics, where she helped provide health services and education to athletes with intellectual and/or physical disabilities.

Akinss commitment to academic and service excellence resulted in her earning repeated spots on the Deans List, as well as the 2019 Blazer Creed Award of Civility and a free exam voucher to pursue American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist credentials. She was also a Zell Miller Scholar.

Akins plans to continue her education in May at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, where she will pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Her dream is to establish a practice near her hometown and help rural Georgia citizens optimize their quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education. She is the daughter of Brion and Susan Akins.

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Leah Akins Named Top College of Nursing and Health Sciences Graduate at VSU - Valdosta State University News

Physiology

Physicians’ Education Resource Will Host 1st Annual Live Medical Crossfire: IBS and IBD – Business Wire

CRANBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Physicians Education Resource (PER), a leading resource for continuing medical education (CME), will host the 1st Annual Live Medical Crossfire: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) symposium Saturday, June 27, as a full-day live CME-certified webcast.

We are excited to announce the launch of our new CME IBS and IBD program this summer, said Phil Talamo, president of PER. Gastrointestinal symptoms have such a huge effect on patients quality of life and social function, and our fast-paced symposium will provide gastroenterologists and primary care physicians vital insight and strategies on how to handle the types of cases that they often encounter in their own practices.

The educational symposium will be co-chaired by renowned experts William D. Chey, M.D., professor of internal medicine, gastroenterology and nutrition sciences and director of the gastrointestinal physiology laboratory and the digestive disorders nutrition and lifestyle program at Michigan Medicine, and Bruce E. Sands, M.D., M.S., professor of medicine and gastroenterology and chief of the division of gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Beth Israel.

The Medical Crossfire on IBS and IBD is a one-day interactive, scientific webcast that will help physicians assess the wealth of emerging data in treating IBS and IBD, choose appropriate treatment based on patient characteristics and apply novel management strategies to improve patient care. Led by distinguished experts in the field, the symposium will focus on key clinical topics in the management of IBS, IBD and chronic idiopathic constipation, as well as provide a unique opportunity for clinicians to learn from and interact with leading expert faculty to increase clinical knowledge; apply new data to practice; and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.

Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, this live webinar will provide participants the opportunity to earn up to 7.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and 7.0 nursing contact hours.

For more information and to register, click here.

About Physicians Education Resource (PER)

Since 1995, PER has been dedicated to advancing cancer care through professional education and now advances patient care and treatment strategies on a wide variety of chronic illnesses and diseases. In 2016, PER initiated continuing medical education (CME) programming in the cardiovascular and endocrinology areas. While expanding into topics outside of oncology, PER stands as the leading provider of live, online and print CME activities related to oncology and hematology. The high-quality, evidence-based activities feature leading distinguished experts who focus on the application of practice-changing advances. PER is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the California Board of Registered Nursing. PER is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

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Physicians' Education Resource Will Host 1st Annual Live Medical Crossfire: IBS and IBD - Business Wire

Genetics

Genetics in focus after coronavirus deaths of siblings and twins – The Guardian

Amid the steady stream of stories on the lives lost to coronavirus are cases that stand out as remarkable. In the past month, at least two pairs of twins have died in Britain and two pairs of brothers, all within hours or days of each other. But do the deaths point to genetic factors that make some more likely than others to succumb to the disease?

Most scientists believe that genes play a role in how people respond to infections. A persons genetic makeup may influence the receptors that the coronavirus uses to invade human cells. How resilient the person is to the infection, their general health, and how the immune system reacts will also have some genetic component.

A team led by Prof Tim Spector, head of twin research and genetic epidemiology at Kings College London, has reported that Covid-19 symptoms appear to be 50% genetic. But Spector said more work is needed to understand which genes are involved and what difference they make to the course of the disease. We dont know if there are genes linked to the receptors or genes linked to how the infection presents, he said.

Identical twins Katy and Emma Davis, aged 37, died at Southampton general hospital last month. The sisters, who lived together, had underlying health problems and had been ill for some time before they contracted the virus. Another pair of twins, Eleanor Andrews and her sister Eileen, aged 66, died earlier this month. They too lived together and had underlying health conditions.

Two brothers from Newport, Ghulam Abbas, 59, and Raza Abbas, 54, died within hours of each other at Royal Gwent hospital. Another pair of brothers from Luton, Olume Ivowi, 46, and Isi Ivowi, 38, died within days of each other.

These deaths alert people to the fact that this could be genetic, but when people live together they share an environment as well, Spector said. The upshot is that twins who live together are more likely to have similar lifestyles and behaviours, from diet and exercise habits to how quickly they seek medical care. Twins are not generally less healthy than the wider population.

Twin deaths made headlines long before the coronavirus struck. When Julian and Adrian Riester died on the same day in Florida in 2011, a cousin of the twin Franciscan monks said it was confirmation that God favoured them. But Spector sees the hand of cold statistics at work. When you look formally at this, you see that twins rarely die at the same time, he said. There are billions of people on the planet. One in 70 is a twin and one in 200 is an identical twin.

Marcus Munafo, professor of biological psychiatry at Bristol University, said reports of twin deaths must be interpreted with caution. Twin deaths are unusual, which makes them newsworthy, but coverage can distort our perceptions. Salience bias refers to the fact that we tend to focus on information that stands out more, even if its not particularly relevant. So we need to be careful not to read too much into events that might stand out for reasons that are not actually related to the issue were interested in, he said.

When twins or siblings tragically die with Covid-19 that captures our attention, but that doesnt mean theres any particular reason to think twins or siblings are at greater risk.

Original post:
Genetics in focus after coronavirus deaths of siblings and twins - The Guardian