Anatomy

Ibn al Nafis: The discovery of human blood circulation in the 13th Century – TRT World

Ibn al Nafis figured out pulmonary microcirculation 300 years before William Harvey, who claimed to be the first scientist to do so, was born.

Ibn al Nafis (Ala ad-Din Abu al Hasan Ali Ibn Abi-Hazm al Qarsh) was a Muslim polymath known as the father of Circulatory Physiology. He is considered to be the first to describe the pulmonary circulation of the blood, although the Western educational institutes attribute that discovery to the 17th-century English scientist William Harvey.

Ibn al Nafis was a versatile thinker, making immense contributions to various fields such as politics, anatomical studies and jurisprudence. Despite his fame in ophthalmology, and performing several human dissections, his extensive work on pulmonary circulation stands out in the field of science.

The 13th-century thinker also gave an early insight into the coronary and capillary circulations.

The early studies on heart and anatomy of circulation first started in 500 BC with observations of Alcmaeon of Croton about the arteries and veins in animal dissections. His studies were confirmed by Herophilus of Chalcedon in 300 BC during cadaver studies. Then, Aristotle described the heart as a three-chambered organ in 350 BC.

Before Ibn al Nafis, Greek Physician Galen claimed that there was no passage in the septum and believed that the circulation system originated from the liver. He also though that although blood passed through invisible pores in the interventricular septum from right to left, venous and arterial systems were two separate closed systems, the theory which had existed since the 2nd Century AD.

Ibn al Nafis was the first to contradict Galen's theory by describing the flow of blood between heart and lungs correctly. He also described the interventricular septum as a non-porous wall that is impermeable to blood. Therefore, Ibn al Nafis adopted the concept of pulmonary circulation as the only way for blood to pass between the two sides of the heart.

As a devout Muslim and physician, he contributed visibly much to the body of knowledge in anatomy and medicine. Hence, today scholars are able to find the first description of coronary vessels and the correct definition of the blood supply of the heart likewise the correct description of the pulmonary circulation.

All his discoveries spread across the world and were translated into Latin by Andreas Alpagus and appeared in the works of various European scholars from Servetus to Harvey.

Ibn al Nafis wrote many books in medicine but Sharah al Tashreeh al Qanoon (Commentary on the anatomy of the Canon of Avicenna) has been the most famous amongst his works.

The book was forgotten until the time when Egyptian physicians discovered a manuscript with the title Commentary on the anatomy of the Canon of Avicenna in the Prussian state library in Berlin, Germany, in 1924.

Commentary on the anatomy of the Canon of Avicenna (Ibn Sina) contains the first description of the pulmonary circulation by explaining:

The OriginsAla ad-Din Abu al Hasan Ali Ibn Abi-Hazm al Qarshi, known as Ibn Nafis Damishqi, was born in a small town near Damascus called Qarsh in 1210.

In his early life, he studied theology, philosophy and literature. When he turned 16, he started studying medicine, which lasted 10 years at the hospital in Damascus, founded by the Turkish prince Nureddin Mahmud Zengi in the 12th Century.

In 1236, Ibn al Nafis and his colleagues moved to Egypt following the request of the Ayyubid sultan al Kamil. He first appeared as the chief physician at al Naseri hospital which was founded by Saladin the victor where he practised medicine for several years.

He mostly spent his life in Egypt and witnessed massive incidents like the fall of Baghdad and the rise of Mamluks. He became the personal physician of many leaders such as Sultan Baibars.

At the age of 74, Ibn al Nafis became the chief physician of the newly founded al Mansori hospital where he worked there until the end of his life. He died in Cairo following. Prior to his death, Ibn al Nafis donated his entire library and house to Qalawun Hospital.

Source: TRT World

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Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy boss responds to whether Justin Chambers or Katherine Heigl could return – digitalspy.com

Grey's Anatomy season 16 spoilers follow.

Grey's Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff has addressed whether or not Justin Chambers or Katherine Heigl could return to the series.

Chambers made his exit from the show during season 16, and in a twist, his character Alex Karev was later revealed to have reunited with Izzie Stevens, who was played by Heigl between 2005 and 2010.

Related: Grey's Anatomy boss confirms major character's fate after surprising diagnosis

Alex and Izzie are now living happily together and raising twins on a farm in Kansas.

In an interview with Deadline, Vernoff was asked about the possibility of Chambers or Heigl reprising their roles in the future, especially since neither of them were killed off. The showrunner replied by saying that a shock return for either character wouldn't be impossible.

"When I left the show in season 7, people asked me if there was any chance of me ever coming back, and I was smart enough to say, 'Never say never'," she said. "Here I am, so who knows?"

During the same interview, Vernoff admitted that she wasn't surprised by the divisive reaction to how Alex was written out.

"I believe that there would've been at least as big an outcry if we had killed that character off-camera, and those were our choices," she said, before adding that she "felt satisfaction" and was "really happy" with Alex's fate.

The 16th season ended four episodes early, resulting in several planned storylines including for Teddy Altman and Andrew DeLuca being cut.

There have also been reports that a major character death was supposed to happen in the original season finale.

Grey's Anatomy airs on Thursdays on ABC in the US. It airs on Sky Witness in the UK with selected episodes also available on NOW TV.

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Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy Showrunner Reveals Whether Alex and Izzie Could Return – TV Fanatic

Grey's Anatomy may have reunited Alex (Justin Chambers) and Izzie (Katherine Heigl) off-screen, but could they actually stage a return to the series down the line?

The showrunner of the series was asked that question in a recent interview with Deadline following the impromptu sixteenth season finale.

In a wild twist of fate, Alex left Jo behind in Seattle and reunited with his former love Izzie, and they are living on a farm in Kansas, where they are raising their children.

Given that Heigl was not on the best of terms with Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes when she exited the series, many fans thought a return would be out of the question.

But for current showrunner, Krista Vernoff, she thinks it would not be impossible.

"When I left the show in season 7, people asked me if there was any chance of me ever coming back, and I was smart enough to say, 'Never say never'," she told Deadline. "Here I am, so who knows?"

While it seems unlikely to ever happen, at least fans can take solace in the fact that Alex and Izzie got a happy ending.

It wasn't enough for some fans, but it was a way to say goodbye to the characters amid Justin Chambers' exit from the series.

Grey's Anatomy has a track record of killing off beloved characters, so at least Alex and Izzie are still living.

That means the possibility is always there for them to return in some capacity, but given that all signs are pointing towads Grey's Anatomy Season 17 being the last-ever season, it seems unlikely for now.

Grey's Anatomy recently wrapped its 16th season with four episodes unproduced, but the impromptu finale worked well in bringing the show to a close ... for now.

ABC has already ordered up Grey's Anatomy Season 17, but one star has said he is "confident" it will be the show's last hurrah.

Whether that will be the case, we don't know.

What do you think of the potential returns of Alex and Izzie?

Hit the comments below.

Remember you can watch Grey's Anatomy online right here via TV Fanatic.

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy: 10 People Callie Should Have Ended Up With (Other Than Arizona) – Screen Rant

If there was one character onGrey's Anatomy who had the worst luck with love, it was Callie Torres. Two of her marriages ended up in divorce after both her spouses cheated on her, and the father of her child died as the result of the injuries he sustained in a plane crash.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: Why Richard & Bailey Aren't Real Friends

To top it all off, Callie found out that her ex-girlfriend also contributed to the death of her friend. While the writers hinted at a possible reunion between Callie and Arizona in the season 14 finale, some fans believe the reunion won't work because there is too much history between them. So who should Callie have ended up with? From Hahn to Owen, here are 10 people Callie should have ended up with instead.

Heather (otherwise known as Heather steak knives) was the first person Callie dated after her split with Arizona. Although the date was cut short, the two seemed to have had a good time, with the pair sharing a kiss after Callie was returned to the hospital.

However, this romance was cut short when Arizona scared Callie off after revealing Heather was one of her crazy exes. While it looks like Arizona was being nice by warning Callie, some have also wondered if she was sabotaging the romance. It would have been interesting to see Heather's side of the story.

In the aftermath of her divorce, Callie also went on a date with was Dan Pruitt. Fans will have to cast their minds back to season 11 if they want to remember Dan. He was a police officer who was admitted to the hospital after he and some colleagues were shot in a bank robbery gone wrong.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Reasons Why Cristina & Callie Aren't Friends

He and Callie seemed to hit it off, with the policeman bold and compassionate attitude gaining her interest. However, after one date, she later admitted that he was "boring." It seemed like it was another wasted opportunity, especially since he seemed like a genuine guy.

Sadie Harris was another potential love interest of Callie's that the writers didn't fully develop. Introduced in season 5, Callie expressed an interest in the surgical intern after the two flirted whenever they met. However, this relationship was cut short when Sadie decided to quit so she could travel the world.

It's a shame considering the writers had an easy way of leading into it with Mark and Lexie's romance. Callie and Sadie could have teamed up to ensure their friends' relationship remained a secret. Sadie could have even come back in season 12 and replaced Penny's character.

If fans were wondering who else Callie could have ended up with, what about Grey-Sloan's very own McDreamy? Some might think it is random, but, in reality, it's not. The pair have quite a lot in common.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: Why Alex & Arizona Aren't Real Friends

For instance, they both have strained relationships with their families. They both had Mark Sloan as a best friend, meaning there had to be some interests they shared. Not to mention how extremely loyal they were to their colleagues, even the ones they didn't like. It could have worked...

Although many fans weren't fond of the cardiothoracic surgeon, they can't say that Hahn didn't make Callie happy. In season 4, Callie and Hahn dated for a brief time while the orthopedic surgeon was coming to terms with her sexuality. However, their relationship ended once Hahn found out about the 'Denny Duquette' situation.

While Hahn hasn't been seen since her resignation, it would have been nice for Callie to get closure on the relationship. Instead of moving to New York, maybe Callie could have gotten a job offer from wherever Hahn ended up.

In season 6, fans were completely shocked to find out that Callie and Alex had hooked-up sometime after he assisted on 'Heart in an elevator.' However, this has led fans to wonder what would have happened if Alex and Callie had decided to make things official.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Other Ways Alex Karev Could Have Left The Show

If Alex and Callie became an official couple, it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world. They were both family-orientated, and they both dreamed of having families of their own. He also proved he could be someone she could rely on, which is something that can't be said for other characters.

Although Callie and Carina have never met, it doesn't stop people from imagining what a power couple they could have been. If Callie had moved to New York with Carina instead of Penny, fans wouldn't have minded. Why? Because fans have gotten to know Carina and seen what a rockstar she is.

Like Callie, she is very outgoing and passionate. Carina is also family-orientated and would go to the ends of the earth to make them happy. If they would have met before Callie went to New York, they would have hit it off.

One of the most underrated friendships on the show had to be Callie and Owen's. In the aftermath of their failed marriages, Owen and Callie grew closer as they attempted to move on. Their relationship continued to grow when they worked on a clinical trial, and Owen testified on behalf of her in Sofia's custody trial.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Facts About Owen Hunt Many Fans Don't Know

Since Owen and Callie had been burnt by love, it would have only been natural for the two to gravitate towards one another. It wouldn't have been surprising either if their relationship took a romantic turn. After all, they do share the same family values.

Another person that could have been a potential love interest for Callie was Addison. As fans know, Callie and Addison were very close friends. Callie was one of the few people who truly knew what happened in her relationship with Mark. Addison was also one of the few people who helped Callie to figure out her sexuality.

Fans wouldn't have minded if the writers decided to put Callie and Addison together since they had such good chemistry. It would have been successful too, since they were both very reliable and loyal people.

Out of all the characters on the show, the best person for Callie was Mark.If there was one person in the entire world who never let Callie down, it was Mark. His unwavering loyalty and support was the one constant thing in her life.

Mark was there for her when she was coming to terms with her sexuality, when George died, and when Arizona left to go to Africa. Mark was also an important factor in her recovery after the car crash. If he hadn't have died, he could have moved to New York with Callie and Sofia and reopened his practice.

NEXT:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Continuity Errors In Grey's Anatomy

NextJames Bond: 5 007 Kills That Went Too Far (& 5 That Were Justified)

A writer, reader and tv fanatic, Kayleigh enjoys reading movie news and your film reviews. She has attained an Undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and is also the creator of the film and television blog 'The Critics' Corner'.

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Immunology

sup> Virtual Summit on Cancer and Immunology Research 2020 on SelectScience – SelectScience

Reserve your place today for the inaugural SelectScience Virtual Summit on Cancer and Immunology Research 2020, which runs from May 11-13, 2020.

As an entirely digital event, this new Summit is designed to ensure that knowledge share, effective communication and collaboration in this critical field is not only continued but flourishes at this challenging time.

Register to attend presentations by world-leading scientists and technology innovators, workshops, video interviews, virtual resource hubs, the latest product and application news, as well as networking and live-chat opportunities.

Why attend?

Headline topics include CAR T-cell therapy, immunotherapy, genetics and CRISPR, the microbiome and cancer, liquid biopsies, drug delivery mechanisms and much more.

Register today to keep up with advances in cancer and immunology research and technologies further details to follow soon

Start communicating: #CancerImmunologySummit

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Immunology

Sallie Permar: Who Are Your Trusted Sources on COVID-19? – Duke Today

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the question of where to turn for solid information has never been more important.

Many Duke experts are being approached now for their expertise and insight. But where do they turn for guidance and the latest information? In this ongoing series, Duke Today asks Duke experts to share their preferred sources.

Dr. Sallie Permar is a physician scientist who focuses on prevention and treatment of neonatal viral infections. A professor of immunology, pathology, pediatrics, molecular genetics and microbiology and associate dean for physician-scientist development, she recently wrote about the effect of the pandemic on medical research.

To stay abreast of how the infectious diseases field is responding to the novel coronavirus, she consults a mix of websites, podcasts and social media.

This Week in Virology, hosted by Vincent Racaniello and fellow virologists, has featured recent guest hosts who are stars of COVID-19 research, such as Drs. Daniel Griffin, Ralph Baric, Mark Denison, Stanley Perlman and Christian Drosten.

Immune, hosted by immunologists Cindy Leifer, Stephanie Langel, Vincent Racaniello, carried a recent two-part series on COVID-19 immunology with Dr. Brianne Barker that was especially compelling.

I also listen to COVID-19: Commonsense Conversations on the Coronavirus Pandemic, with host Dr. Ted OConnell, a family physician and writer.

For the latest on numbers by region, I check Johns Hopkins Universitys COVID-19 map.

COVID-19 guidelines can be found on the Centers for Disease Control website.

For the latest on viral sequence dynamics, I check gisaid.org.

For recent COVID-19 research reports, I consult bioxiv.org and medrxiv.org. The Twitter sources below provide real-time critical reviews of the newly posted manuscripts.

For the latest on epidemiology and case series reports, I consult: - the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and - World Health Organization situation reports.

And for compilations of the latest research I check: - Duke Pharmacist Elizabeth Dodds-Ashleys Daily Digest. - The American Association of Medical Colleges Novel Coronavirus Update by chief scientific officer and former Duke faculty member Dr. Ross McKinney. - Publons compilation of latest research manuscripts, which includes some crowd-sourced reviews.

Finally, great sources to follow on Twitter include:@NIAIDNews; @CEPIvaccines;NIH Vaccine Research Center scientist Kizzmekia Corbett (@KizzyPhD);The laboratory of UNC-Chapel Hills Dr. Ralph Baric (@Baric_Lab);The laboratory of Vanderbilt Universitys Dr. Mark Denison (@Denisonlab);Florian Krammer, an immunologist who is developing antibody assays (@florian_krammer); Virologists Dr. Benhur Lee (@VirusWhisperer) and Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen);COVID-19 drug developer Timothy Sheahan (@timothysheahan);David Martinez, a former Ph.D. student who is now testing vaccine and therapeutic antibodies in the lab of Ralph Baric (@David_RMartinez).

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Immunology

COVID-19 kills more men than women. The immune system may be why – Science News

With more men than women developingsevere illness and dying from COVID-19, sex differences that influence theimmune system may offer answers.

The bias in COVID-19 deaths appearedin the first reports out of China and has also been revealed in countries thatbreak down their mortality data by sex. Of Italys 21,551 deaths recorded as ofApril 20, 64 percent were men. In Spain, 59 percent of the 12,634 deaths as of April 21 occurred in men. Germany had recorded 4,598deaths by April 21, with 58 percent in men.

The United States does notseparate out national COVID-19 mortality by sex, but some states do. New York hasthe highest number COVID-19 deaths in the country, and as of April 21, 60 percent of 15,302 deaths were in men.

Some of that discrepancycould be because men are more likely than women to have other health problems,such as hypertension and diabetes. These are among the underlying conditionsthat raise the risk for severe COVID-19 disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionreported April 3.

Another possible culprit isthe immune system itself. The many proteins that work together to defend thebody against viruses do not operate exactly the same way in males and females. Thosebiological differences, driven by sex hormones and genes, may be guarding somewomen from the deadliest complications of COVID-19.

Scientists and journalists share a core belief in questioning, observing and verifying to reach the truth. Science News reports on crucial research and discovery across science disciplines. We need your financial support to make it happen every contribution makes a difference.

In general, females mount astronger immune response than males, studies have found. This makes womenoverall less susceptible to viral infections than men, although how each individualfares is another matter. A stronger immune response also means females are morelikely to develop autoimmune diseases, when the immune system attacks ones owntissue; conversely, a toned down immune response makes males more prone tohaving a host of malignant cancers.

The sources of the stronger femaleimmune response can be found in both the innate and adaptive immune systems,says Sabra Klein, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Schoolof Public Health. The innate system provides the first response against a virus,while the adaptive systems contribution is slightly delayed by the time neededto ramp up antibody production against a new intruder.

One component of the innateimmune system is called toll-like receptor 7. This protein can recognizemolecules found on viruses, thereby outing the pathogens as foreign. The genefor toll-like receptor 7 resides on the X chromosome. Because females have twocopies of the X, the body silences one (SN: 4/8/03),allowing for the right dose of X chromosome genes. But some genes escape the shutdown, and there is evidence that this is true for the gene for toll-likereceptor 7, researchers reported in Science Immunology in 2018. That canlead to more of the protein being made, giving females more guards looking outfor intruders.

Having more toll-likereceptor 7 can help jump start and enhance the next steps of the innate immune system.You want fast recognition, you want fast responses, Klein says. This is howyou start to activate the army of immune responses that are going to be neededto clear an infection. One of those steps is the release of interferons,proteins that direct major factions of the bodys immune response. In studiesthat measure levels of interferons in blood or in cells grown in a dish, researchersoverall see greater production of these interferons in females as comparedwith males, says Klein.

As the adaptive immunesystem gears up, women can get a boost over men again. The amount of antibodyproduced, as well as the quality of those antibodies, or the strength withwhich they bind to the virus, tends to be greater in females compared withmales, Klein says. Female mice produced more neutralizing antibodies the type which stop an infection by preventing thevirus from entering cells and more total antibodies against influenza A virus after infection comparedwith males, Klein and colleagues reported in Vaccine in 2011.

The female hormone estrogenalso influences the innate and adaptive immune systems. The hormone can regulatea variety of different genes for immune system proteins. For example, estrogen canstimulate the production of interferons, says Klein. And some of the genes thatare associated with directing the response of B cells, which make antibodies,are regulated by estrogen.

All of these findings comefrom research with other viruses, and havent yet been studied in the contextof COVID-19, Klein says, but they provide us with some clues. At this point,some of the best clues as to why there are discrepancies in how men and womenfare with COVID-19 may come from a study of the disease SARS in mice. The virus that causes SARS shares similarities with the culprit behind COVID-19,SARS-CoV-2 (SN: 2/3/20). And there isevidence that during the SARS epidemic of 2002-2003, which had close to 800deaths, men had a higher case fatality rate than women.

Its helpful to study sexdifferences in mice because it takes behavioral influences out of the equation,says Stanley Perlman, a virologist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Forexample, as reports from China indicated that more men than women were havingsevere cases of COVID-19, some also noted this could be due to the fact thatmore Chinese men than women smoke. China was also among the five countries thatSARS cases were concentrated in.

Perlmans team compared how male and female mice did when infected with a mouse-adapted version of SARS-CoV,the virus that causes SARS, and reported the results in the Journal of Immunology in 2017. Among middle-agedmice, those 8 to 9 months old, all of the males died within eight days of beinginfected, but only 10 percent of the females did by day 12. Males had higheramounts of the virus in their lungs than females did, suggesting the maleswerent clearing the virus effectively. The males also had a prolonged,unhelpful inflammatory response.

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When the research teamremoved the ovaries from 12 female mice to prevent estrogen from being made, about85 percent of the mice died after infection, compared with close to 20 percentof 12 females with their ovaries. Without estrogen, the female mice were nowas sensitive to the infection as male mice, Perlman says. While I wouldntclaim its the whole story, estrogen is a big part of the story.

Klein and Perlman both haveplans to study differences in the male and female response to COVID-19. In caseswhen the bodys own immune response contributes to a viral disease, it might beexpected women would fare worse, Klein says, because a strong immune responsecan lead to too much damaging inflammation. And with COVID-19, theres a lot ofconcern about the detrimental effect of increased inflammation in the lungs.

But what happens during COVID-19might be different. This aberrant inflammation might be higher in males thanfemales, Klein says.

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Immunology

Johnson Earns Alumni Association Teaching Award – UMM News, Sports & Events

University of Minnesota Morris Assistant Professor of Biology Rachel Johnson has earned the 2020 UMN Morris Alumni Association Teaching Award. Johnson stands out among peers for her commitment to undergraduate teaching and learning. An immunologist, Johnson is a particularly appropriate choice this year.

"Given our current state of affairs, it is hard to overestimate the impact Dr. Johnson's course development on vaccines, epidemics and now pandemics has had," nominators write. "The particularly wonderful aspect of these courses is that they are for all our liberal arts studentsnot just science students. The need could not be greater, given Dr. Johnson's emphasis on critical thinking and communication skills development."

"Rachel has made extraordinary contributions to her students and the campus, providing an exemplary model of liberal arts learning both within and well beyond the study of biology," adds Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean Janet Schrunk Ericksen.

Johnson is an assistant professor of biology and a member of the Masonic Cancer Center. She holds a PhD in immunology from the Mayo Graduate School and a BA in biochemistry and molecular biology from Boston University. Her areas of expertise include immunology, cancer biology, and molecular biology.

The University of Minnesota Morris Alumni Association established the UMMAA Teaching Award in 1997 to honor individual faculty members for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. Learn more at alumni.morris.umn.edu

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Immunology

Verastem Oncology Appoints John H. Johnson to its Board of Directors – Business Wire

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verastem, Inc. (Nasdaq:VSTM) (also known as Verastem Oncology), a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing new medicines for patients battling cancer, today announced that it has appointed John H. Johnson to its Board of Directors. Mr. Johnsons career covers multiple executive management roles at leading global corporations where he was responsible for overseeing oncology and immunology drug development initiatives and commercialization. Mr. Johnson will serve on the Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees.

We are pleased to welcome John to the Verastem Oncology Board. His deep background in oncology and immunology at Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly will be helpful as the Company advances its new strategic approach to prioritize the clinical development of VS-6766, its RAF/MEK inhibitor, in combination with defactinib, its FAK inhibitor, for the treatment of KRAS mutant solid tumors, said Michael Kauffman, M.D., Ph.D., Lead Director of the Verastem Oncology Board. His seasoned experience as a senior biotechnology executive and breadth of knowledge in the oncology space will provide key insights to further unlock the value of the Companys clinical pipeline.

I am very excited to support Verastem Oncology on their mission to develop targeted therapeutics to treat areas of unmet need in cancer, said Mr. Johnson. I feel that my experience will be beneficial in advancing the Companys pipeline through this next stage of growth and late-stage development. I look forward to collaborating with the Board of Directors and management team on these initiatives.

Mr. Johnson is a recognized leader in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry with more than three decades of experience. He served as the Company Group Chairman of Biopharmaceuticals within Johnson & Johnson, responsible for the Biotechnology, Immunology and Oncology commercial businesses. Previously, Mr. Johnson served as president of Eli Lilly & Company's Worldwide Oncology Unit, following the company's 2008 acquisition of ImClone Systems, Inc., where he served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of ImClones Board of Directors. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and as a member of the Health Section Governing Board of Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Mr. Johnson also served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dendreon Corporation and has held other executive roles within the biotech industry. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Strongbridge Biopharma plc (SBBP), BioAgilytix (private) and Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc (PTLA).

About Verastem Oncology

Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq: VSTM) is a commercial biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new medicines to improve the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer. Our pipeline is focused on novel small molecule drugs that inhibit critical signaling pathways in cancer that promote cancer cell survival and tumor growth, including phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and RAF/MEK inhibition.

Our first FDA approved product is available for the treatment of patients with certain types of indolent non-Hodgkins lymphoma (iNHL).

For more information, please visit http://www.verastem.com.

Forward looking statements notice

This press release includes forward-looking statements about Verastem Oncologys strategy, future plans and prospects, including statements related to the opportunity to rapidly advance the development of clinical programs through Verastem Oncologys expanded development pipeline and strengthened balance sheet, the timing of top-line results for clinical trials, anticipated reductions in operating expenses from Verastem Oncologys strategic realignment, the timing of commencing a registration-directed trial for CH5126766 (VS-6766) and financial guidance estimates. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "target," "potential," "will," "would," "could," "should," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Each forward-looking statement is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statement.

Each forward-looking statement is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statement. Applicable risks and uncertainties include the risks and uncertainties, among other things, regarding: the success in the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates, including defactinib in combination with CH5126766 (VS-6766); the occurrence of adverse safety events and/or unexpected concerns that may arise from additional data or analysis or result in unmanageable safety profiles as compared to their levels of efficacy; our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property protection for our product candidates; the scope, timing, and outcome of any legal proceedings; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of our product candidates; whether preclinical testing of our product candidates and preliminary or interim data from clinical trials will be predictive of the results or success of ongoing or later clinical trials; that the timing, scope and rate of reimbursement for our product candidates is uncertain; that third-party payors (including government agencies) may not reimburse; that there may be competitive developments affecting our product candidates; that data may not be available when expected; that enrollment of clinical trials may take longer than expected; that our product candidates will experience manufacturing or supply interruptions or failures; that we will be unable to successfully initiate or complete the clinical development and eventual commercialization of our product candidates; that the development and commercialization of our product candidates will take longer or cost more than planned; that we or Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. will fail to fully perform under the CH5126766 (VS-6766) license agreement; that we may not have sufficient cash to fund our contemplated operations; that we may be unable to make additional draws under our debt facility or obtain adequate financing in the future through product licensing, co-promotional arrangements, public or private equity, debt financing or otherwise; that we will be unable to execute on our partnering strategies for defactinib in combination with CH5126766 (VS-6766); that we will not pursue or submit regulatory filings for our product candidates, and that our product candidates will not receive regulatory approval, become commercially successful products, or result in new treatment options being offered to patients.

Other risks and uncertainties include those identified under the heading Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 11, 2020 and in any subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Verastem Oncologys views as of the date hereof, and the Company does not assume and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Verastem Oncology Appoints John H. Johnson to its Board of Directors - Business Wire

Immunology

How To Check Your Fever Without A Thermometer, According To Doctors – Women’s Health

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Whether youre dealing with a sudden wave of chills and aches and pains, or you just feel *a little* hotter than usual, the desire to know if you have a fever ASAP is understandable. After all, a fever tends to serve as an indicator that your body is fending something off (like a virus or a bacterial infection) and trying to return to its normal, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But if you dont have a thermometer laying around, or the only one you could find was buried deep in some bathroom drawer and youre not sure just how long its been in there, you might be wondering: Is there any legit (or at least somewhat legit) way to gauge whether your temperature is above normal without a thermometer?

Read on to learn what to do if youre feeling feverish, no matter your thermometer situation, with insight from immunology docs.

The only way to know for sure that you have a fever (meaning a temp above 99 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius) is by taking your temperature with a thermometer, confirms David Erstein, MD, an allergist and immunologist based in New York.

Unfortunately, your chances of accurately guessing whether or not you have a fever without a thermometer are fair at best, he says. Case in point: Patients who self-reported feeling feverish at a rural teaching hospital in India had a 58 percent chance of *actually* having a fever, according to a study in Tropical Medicine and International Health.

If youve managed to dig up an old thermometer, digital and old-school glass thermometers alike should do the trick (as long as theyre not damaged or out of juice), says Robert Eitches, MD, an allergist-immunologist and fellow of the American Board of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. But if theres any indication that your old-school thermometer is cracked or broken, wrap it up in a Ziploc bag and throw it away. Mercury (a silvery white liquid still present in some household thermometers) could leak out, and its toxic.

Of course, before you pop a thermometer under your tongue, youll want to clean it. Here's how to clean a thermometer properly: Lather up some soap and water in your hands, scrub down the part of the thermometer you put in your mouth for 20 seconds, and rinse it off. After that, if you have rubbing alcohol on hand, wipe down the thermometer applicator with a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to sanitize it, then rinse it off again to remove the alcohol, advises Dr. Erstein. If you dont have any rubbing alcohol at home, no worrieswashing it off with soap and water is absolutely fine (as soap alone can break down and remove bacteria and viruses, including the novel coronavirus), he says.

If you dont have immediate access to a thermometer but youre feeling, well, warm and icky, there are a few ways you can make an educated guess as to whether or not you actually have a fever.

Both digital and old-school glass thermometers are fine to use to measure fever.

Again, though, the only way to be totally sure your temperatures off the charts is to use a thermometer.

If you feel ill and youve got a moderately high fever (think: above 102 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.9 degrees Celsius), thats your cue to call a doctor to figure out next steps, says Dr. Eitches. Otherwise? In general, if youre experiencing fever associated with other symptoms such as shortness of breath, a rash, or confusion, its probably best to seek medical attention, he says.

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How To Check Your Fever Without A Thermometer, According To Doctors - Women's Health