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The modern world seems to be designed to increase stress, and I'm starting to wonder if worrying will soon be an Olympic sport.

You may have your own ways of coping with stress. Problem is, research says they probably don't work.

From The Willpower Instinct:

The APA's national survey on stress found that the most commonly used strategies were also rated as highly ineffective by the same people who reported using them. For example, only 16 percent of people who eat to reduce stress report that it actually helps them. Another study found that women are most likely to eat chocolate when they are feeling anxious or depressed, but the only reliable change in mood they experience from their drug of choice is an increase in guilt. [The Willpower Instinct]

So let's go after this stress thing where it lives: your brain. There are some great methods to train your mind to reduce stress.

But they take work. And right now you're too stressed out for any of that. (Or maybe you're just lazy and impatient. Hey, I don't judge.)

So we need some stuff that's diabolically easy and backed by neuroscience research but let's keep the emphasis on diabolical. If your brain won't play fair, neither will we. So what do we need here?

Old-fashioned treachery. Of the neuroscience variety. Time to do an end run around your brain's stress response and exploit physiology to trick it into calming down. Let's play neurological hardball.

1. Clench your facial muscles and relax them

Communication between your brain and your body is a two-way street. There's a feedback loop. So if you can't get your brain to make your body calm down, you can use your body to make your brain calm down.

Your grey matter gets stressed and your muscles tighten up. Then your tense muscles send a signal back to your brain, confirming you're stressed. We gotta break the loop.

Clench your facial muscles and then relax them. Now your body is sending a signal to your brain saying, "We're not stressed anymore. You shouldn't be either."

From The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time:

To remind your brain to relax your muscles, sometimes it's helpful to clench them first. Take a deep breath in and then flex a tight muscle for a few seconds. After holding for a few seconds, exhale with a sigh and relax. The most important muscles to relax are your facial muscles, since those have the largest effect on emotion, but relaxing your hands, butt, and stomach are also important. [The Upward Spiral]

If your partner is around and you don't feel like making a face that looks like you're constipated, have them give you a massage. That works too.

(To learn the four rituals neuroscience says will make you happier, click here.)

So funny faces can beat stress. Or maybe you're getting a massage instead. That's even better. You're less stressed and you're bonding with your partner.

But what if facial scrunching doesn't work? What other dirty physiological tricks do we have?

2. Take slow, deep breaths

The vagus nerve is one of the key emotional highways in your body. It sends signals down to your heart and up to your brain playing a critical role in regulating the fight-or-flight system.

Directly stimulating the vagus nerve can fix all your issues. Only problem is that would require a scalpel and a lot of medical school loans. So we'll stay focused on treachery.

How you breathe can hijack the way the vagus nerve works. In fact, it's one of the fastest ways to change your emotional state.

From The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time:

Breathing affects the brain through signals carried by the vagus nerve. Not only does the vagus nerve send signals down to the heart, as mentioned earlier, but it also carries signals up into the brain stem. Vagus nerve signaling is important in activating circuits for resting and relaxation, known as the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic system is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the fight-or-flight instinct. Slow breathing increases activity in the vagus nerve and pushes the brain toward parasympathetic activity. So slow, deep breathing calms you down. [The Upward Spiral]

So how do you do it right?

Breathe in slowly through your nose while counting slowly to six (or even eight). Pause for a couple seconds at the top of your inhalation and then exhale slowly through your nose for the same count. [The Upward Spiral]

And this is no small effect. After the U.S. military taught Navy SEAL recruits a few psychological tricks (including proper breathing) passing rates jumped from 25 percent to 33 percent.

An interesting side note: Do the opposite and you'll get the opposite effect. Need more energy? Breathe quickly.

By contrast, rapid breathing deactivates the parasympathetic nervous system and activates the sympathetic nervous system. When you are anxious, excited, or scared, you breathe quickly. But it's also true that if you breathe quickly, you're more likely to feel those feelings. Fast breathing can make you more nervous but also more excited. Sometimes that's a good thing. Maybe you need a bit more energy to make it to the gym (or to do anything at all). Try quick, shallow breaths for 20 to 30 seconds. [The Upward Spiral]

(For more from neuroscientist Alex Korb on how to make your brain happy, click here.)

What if this doesn't work? You're huffing and puffing and you're still worried your house is going to get blown down. Head to the sink, my friend...

3. Splash your face with cold water

Cold water on your face will jolt your vagus nerve and slow your heart rate. Your brain feels your heart rate dropping and says, "We must not be stressed anymore." (Ha! Stupid brain)

From The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time:

Sudden cold water on your face slows down your heart rate by indirectly stimulating the vagus nerve. If you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious, find a sink, fill your hands with cold water, and splash it on your face. [The Upward Spiral]

(To learn the methods bomb disposal experts use to stay calm under pressure, click here.)

Alright, maybe you've made funny faces, you're breathing like Darth Vader and your face is soaking wet but you're still stressed. Do not worry. (Or I should say, "Do not worry even more.") Neuroscience has another sneaky trick. And this one is fun.

4. Play music and do a little dance

Music affects how you feel, right? Fight the bad feelings with good feelings by listening to the music you love.

Sound overly simple? Nope. Your favorite song will passively help straighten out key limbic system regions like your hippocampus, your anterior cingulate, and your nucleus accumbens. Making music has an even more powerful effect.

And, no, you don't have to do a little dance. But you get bonus points if you do.

From The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time:

Whether playing an instrument or listening to the radio, music increases heart-rate variability, though making music has a stronger effect. Music engages most of the limbic system, including the hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and nucleus accumbens, which is why it can be motivating and enjoyable and can help regulate your emotions. It can also be soothing, lowering blood pressure and reducing stress. So sing along with the radio or just make a playlist of your favorite songs. Better yet, go dancing. Dancing combines music, exercise, and being social, so you get a triple boost to an upward spiral. [The Upward Spiral]

(To learn what ancient wisdom says will make you happy, click here.)

Alright, you've fooled your brain into a state of calm that would make Zen masters envious. Let's round up what we learned and do something fun together that will relieve stress and make you smile instantly

Sum up

Here's how neuroscience and treachery can make you stress-free:

So how can you kill stress and be happier with almost no effort whatsoever?

Research shows that owning a dog reduces stress. In fact, the effect is so powerful that just watching a video of a cute animal reduces heart rate and blood pressure in under a minute.

From 59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute:

In an innovative study, Deborah Wells examined whether merely looking at a video of an animal can have the same type of calming and restorative effects as those created by being in its company Compared to the two control conditions, all three animal videos made the participants feel much more relaxed. To help reduce your heart rate and blood pressure in less than a minute, go online and watch a video of a cute animal. [59 Seconds]

You want easy stress relief? All you have to do is click

(Awwwww, that's so sweet I think I'm getting cavities.)

Join 250K+ readers. Get a free weekly update via email here.

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Neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you stress-free - The Week Magazine

Neuroscience

Dr. Computer is transforming neuroscience research – McGill Reporter

March 24, 2017 medical

Browse > Home / Blog / Dr. Computer is transforming neuroscience research

Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2017

Using thousands of images from brain scans such as MRI, computers can learn to detect signs of neurological disease, opening up new possibilities in research and diagnosis.

By Shawn Hayward

In an article published in Nature on Feb. 15, researchers, including principal investigators from the Montreal Neurological Institutes McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict the development of autism in babies.

It was not a neurologist or medical doctor doing the predicting, however, but a computer trained to distinguish the brains of children at risk of autism. This was an application of deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence that will increasingly put computers in the drivers seat of medical diagnosis and neuroscience research.

Developed from the concept of artificial neural networks in the 1960s, in the footsteps of the pioneering work of Donald Hebb, a former McGill psychology professor, deep learning has experienced a kind of renaissance in recent years, thanks to the increasing availability of powerful computational resources and access to vast amounts of digital data.

Deep learning involves training computers to make complex calculations after analyzing enough data to learn or detect certain patterns of interest. They do this via relatively simple algorithms that mimic the brains basic mechanisms for processing information.

If you are on Facebook, you probably have already experienced AI in action. Facebook can detect where faces are in images and will ask you if you want to tag that person. The program that makes this possible is called DeepFace, a deep learning application Facebook developed by training computers to recognize faces using four million photos manually tagged and uploaded by users.

Deep learning techniques are being used in many aspects of biomedical research. One objective is to develop computer-assisted techniques to improve diagnosis and prevention, by analyzing data of various kinds to see problems before they occur. Deep learning is particularly important to neuroscience, where data types are extremely diverse. Artificial intelligence is a promising tool to help neuroscientists discover new basic principles within the vast amount of data available.

The Nature article is just an example of how deep learning and other AI techniques are rapidly becoming important to medicine and medical research, among other fields affecting our daily lives.

Several labs at the Montreal Neurological Institute are already using deep learning and related AI techniques to conduct research, and the BIC is training the next generation of neuroscientists and brain imagers to use these new methods. In January of 2017, the BIC sponsored two hands-on educational sessions focusing on deep-learning for neuroimaging. The event was attended by 80 of the centres students and staff scientists.

AI techniques are changing the game of how we do science. We want our research staff and trainees to be aware of and well prepared for this revolution, says Sylvain Baillet, a McGill professor and Director of the BIC. We are fortunate that Montreal is emerging as an international hub for AI research and industry. To remain leaders in our field, we must embrace AI methods like deep learning together with building and using large neurodata repositories, and invest both human and technical resources to exploit the unique features of these powerful tools.

Category: Blog

Tag: autism, brain imaging, deep learning, neuroimaging, neuroscience

See more here:
Dr. Computer is transforming neuroscience research - McGill Reporter

Neuroscience

Neuroscience firms up companies’ efficiency – Business Day (registration)

March 24, 2017 student

About 30% of what is eaten is used to fuel the brain, so healthy eating is good. "People make food choices because they are on a diet or training for sport, but no one not even someone who is paid to use his or her brain wakes up and thinks, What should I eat so I can make better decisions or think flexibly to solve complex problems?"

The first rule is to eat regularly. Meals should not be skipped because brains cannot store nutrients and will slip into low-power mode. Recommended foods are salmon, avocado, eggs, nuts, olives and coconut oil.

Another hot topic is technologys effect on the brain. Having calm time before bed is common sense, but the scientific reason makes it more compelling. "The blue light emitted from smartphones, tablets or laptops sends a message to your pineal gland that it is still daytime and it should not release the hormone melatonin that helps you fall asleep. So stop looking at those screens an hour before you want to fall asleep," Swart says.

Another topic she will deal with is "imposter syndrome", in which high-powered and successful people feel like frauds. When Swart began covering this in her talks, people would come up afterwards and confess that was how they felt.

"Successful people such as hedge-fund billionaires say they feel like they should not be in that position and they are afraid one day they will be found out as people realise they should not have risen this far," she says. "It has nothing to do with skills. They are skilled and no one else is thinking they cannot do their job. It is the creeping thought at the back of their mind that one day they will be found out," Swart says. The answer is to learn positive ways of overwriting those pathways in the brain and increasing peoples resilience and confidence by focusing on past successes.

That relates to her favourite topic of neuroplasticity the brains ability to rewire and build new pathways to relearn something or acquire new skills. Many people claim they are too old to learn new tricks or change their ways, but science has shown that is not true.

Neuroscience can also help people make better decisions before taking financial risks. Stress hormones and testosterone change when attempting something risky. Boosting testosterone brings extra confidence. A combination of certain foods and weight-bearing exercise can also achieve that. "Do some weights and eat cabbage afterwards, because there is a chemical compound in cabbage that has an effect on your testosterone levels," Swart advises.

Stress people feel at work affects their mood, decision-making abilities and capacity to bounce back from adversity.

Because leaders skills are affected by their mental state, Swart believes changes must be driven by companies, not individuals. It is happening slowly. Office gyms are being supplemented by yoga or meditation rooms, canteens are serving brain food and water coolers are being installed so people can remain hydrated.

Swart has been visiting SA for almost 20 years, first as a medical student working with HIV-positive babies, then as a doctor and now as a neuroscience coach.

The companies she consults for are mostly in the financial services and legal sectors.

She finds South Africans need this advice more than most, because the "boys dont cry" attitude is so engrained.

"The culture of organisations has to change. Having a culture of people doing exercise and eating healthily and being able to talk about stress is really important and it has to come from the leadership," she says.

Neuroscience for Leadership will run at the Turbine Hall, Newtown, Johannesburg, on May 25.

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Neuroscience firms up companies' efficiency - Business Day (registration)

Immunology

IMMUNOLOGY 2017 May 12 16, 2017 | Washington, D.C.

March 24, 2017 student

Development of Inexpensive Multiplex Immunoassays: Assessment of Food Allergens in Plasma

1:45 AM 2:30 PM EXHIBITOR WORKSHOP ROOM 2 SCIENION US, Inc.

Presenter:

Attack by foreign substances, such as allergens, triggers a cascade of events, in which IgE is a first responder. An allergic reaction to certain foods, e.g., shellfish or peanuts, can elicit a response within minutes of ingestion. There are also more subtle responses, such as IgG, which remains in the bloodstream for an extended period, and is monitored to assess this delayed response. Th2 cytokines are involved in the humoral response, leading to the production ofIgE antibodies. Other cytokines, such as IL-25, are also involved in the induction of Th2 responses. In this study, a microplate-based microarray of allergenic proteins from food sources was constructed together with antibodies to measure inflammatory cytokines. Plasma from patients with known food allergy was assessed for specific IgG subclasses, specific IgE, and Th2 cytokine levels. Quantitative multiplex immunoassays were performed, and resulted in bright and colorful spots. The plates were analyzed using a novel colorimetric microplate imaging reader (sciREADER CL2, Scienion).

The rest is here:
IMMUNOLOGY 2017 May 12 16, 2017 | Washington, D.C.

Immunology

Immunology Conference | Immunology Meeting 2017 | Malaysia | Asia

March 24, 2017 medical

Scientific Sessions

Session Tracks

Conference Series invites all the participants from all over the world to attend"9th Annual Meeting on Immunology and Immunologist, July 03-04, 2017 Kuala Lumpur,Malaysiaincludesprompt keynote presentations, Oral talks, Poster presentations and Exhibitions.

TheImmunology conferencesdeals with the major branches like Classical immunology, Clinical immunology, Osteoimmunology,Medicine immunology, Tissue-based immunology. It will broadly classify the cells of immune system, autoimmune diseases, antigen-antibody reactions, T cell development, B cell development, cytokines etc. Immunology has applications in numerous disciplines of medicine, particularly in the fields of organ transplantation,oncology, virology, bacteriology, parasitology, psychiatry, and dermatology. Immunologists employed by universities work in virtually every life science department or division conducting research to increase our understanding of the immune system.

Track:1Cellular Immunology

The study of the molecular and cellular components that comprise the immune system, including their function and interaction, is the central science ofimmunology. The immune system has been divided into a more primitive innate immune system and, in vertebrates, an acquired oradaptive immune system

The field concerning the interactions among cells and molecules of the immunesystem,and how such interactions contribute to the recognition and elimination of pathogens. Humans possess a range of non-specific mechanical and biochemical defences against routinely encountered bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. The skin, for example, is an effective physical barrier to infection. Basic chemical defences are also present in blood, saliva, and tears, and on mucous membranes. True protection stems from the host's ability to mount responses targeted to specific organisms, and to retain a form of memory that results in a rapid, efficient response to a given organism upon a repeat encounter. This more formal sense of immunity, termed adaptive immunity, depends upon the coordinated activities of cells and molecules of the immune system.

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

2nd InternationalConference on Antibodiesand Therapeutics, July 11-12, 2016 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; 5thEuropean Immunology Conferences, July 21-23, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 7th InternationalConference on Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, September 14-15, 2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands; 2nd internationalconference on innate immunity, July 21-22, 2016, Germany; InternationalConference on Autoimmunity, October 13-14, 2016 Manchester, UK;Immunology 2016, American Association of Immunologists, Annual MeetingMay 13-17, Los Angeles, USA Immunology Conferences;InternationalConference onMucosalImmunology, July 28-29, 2016, Australia;International Congress of Immunology

Track: 2Inflammatory/Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseasescan affect almost any part of the body, including the heart, brain, nerves, muscles, skin, eyes, joints, lungs, kidneys, glands, the digestive tract, and blood vessels.

The classic sign of an autoimmune disease is inflammation, which can cause redness, heat, pain, and swelling. How an autoimmune disease affects you depends on what part of the body is targeted. If the disease affects the joints, as inrheumatoid arthritis, you might have joint pain, stiffness, and loss of function. If it affects the thyroid, as in Graves disease and thyroiditis, it might cause tiredness, weight gain, and muscle aches. If it attacks the skin, as it does in scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, vitiligo, andsystemic lupus erythematosus(SLE), it can cause rashes, blisters, and colour changes. Many autoimmune diseases dont restrict themselves to one part of the body. For example, SLE can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, nerves, blood vessels, and more. Type 1 diabetes can affect your glands, eyes, kidneys, muscles, and more.

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Track: 3T-Cells and B-Cells

T cell: A type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body's immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders. Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland in the neck, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active in the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body's own tissues are normally killed or changed ("down-regulated") during this maturational process.There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines such as the interleukins which further stimulate the immune response. T-cell activation is measured as a way to assess the health of patients withHIV/AIDSand less frequently in other disorders. T cell are also known as T lymphocytes. The "T" stands for "thymus" -- the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.B cells, also known asBlymphocytes, are a type of white bloodcellof the lymphocyte subtype. They function in thehumoral immunitycomponent of the adaptive immune system by secreting antibodies. Many B cells mature into what are called plasma cells that produce antibodies (proteins) necessary to fight off infections while other B cells mature into memory B cells. All of the plasma cells descended from a single B cell produce the same antibody which is directed against the antigen that stimulated it to mature. The same principle holds with memory B cells. Thus, all of the plasma cells and memory cells "remember" the stimulus that led to their formation. The maturation of B cells takes place in birds in an organ called the bursa of Fabricus. B cells in mammals mature largely in the bone marrow. The B cell, or B lymphocyte, is thus an immunologically important cell. It is not thymus-dependent, has a short lifespan, and is responsible for the production ofimmunoglobulins.It expresses immunoglobulins on its surface.

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

.http://annualmeeting.conferenceseries.com/immunologist/

Track: 4Cancer and Tumor Immunobiology

The tumour is an important aspect of cancer biology that contributes to tumour initiation, tumour progression and responses to therapy. Cells and molecules of the immune system are a fundamental component of the tumour microenvironment. Importantly,therapeutic strategies for cancer treatmentcan harness the immune system to specifically target tumour cells and this is particularly appealing owing to the possibility of inducing tumour-specific immunological memory, which might cause long-lasting regression and prevent relapse in cancer patients.The composition and characteristics of the tumour microenvironment vary widely and are important in determining the anti-tumour immune response.Immunotherapyis a new class ofcancer treatmentthat works to harness the innate powers of the immune system to fight cancer. Because of the immune system's unique properties, these therapies may hold greater potential than current treatment approaches to fight cancer more powerfully, to offer longer-term protection against the disease, to come with fewer side effects, and to benefit more patients with more cancer

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Track: 5 Vaccines

A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters. There are two basictypes of vaccines: live attenuated and inactivated. The characteristics of live and inactivatedvaccinesare different, and these characteristics determine how thevaccineis used. Liveattenuatedvaccinesare produced by modifying a disease-producing (wild) virus or bacteria in a laboratory.

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

Track: 6Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy,also called biologic therapy, is a type of cancer treatment designed to boost the body's natural defences to fight the cancer. It uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to improve, target, or restore immune system function. Immunotherapy is treatment that uses certain parts of a persons immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. This can be done in a couple of ways:1)Stimulating your own immune system to work harder or smarter to attack cancer cells2)Giving you immune system components, such as man-made immune system proteins. Some types of immunotherapy are also sometimes called biologic therapy or biotherapy.

In the last few decadesimmunotherapyhas become an important part of treating some types of cancer. Newer types of immune treatments are now being studied, and theyll impact how we treat cancer in the future. Immunotherapy includes treatments that work in different ways. Some boost the bodys immune system in a very general way. Others help train the immune system to attack cancer cells specifically. Immunotherapy works better for some types of cancer than for others. Its used by itself for some of these cancers, but for others it seems to work better when used with other types of treatment.

Many different types of immunotherapy are used to treat cancer. They include:Monoclonal antibodies,Adoptive cell transfer,Cytokines, Treatment Vaccines, BCG,

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Track: 7Neuro Immunology

Neuroimmunology, a branch of immunologythat deals especially with the inter relationships of the nervous system and immune responses andautoimmune disorders. It deals with particularly fundamental and appliedneurobiology,meetings onneurology,neuropathology, neurochemistry,neurovirology, neuroendocrinology, neuromuscular research,neuropharmacologyand psychology, which involve either immunologic methodology (e.g. immunocytochemistry) or fundamental immunology (e.g. antibody and lymphocyte assays).

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Track: 8Infectious Diseases and Immune System

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi; the diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another.Zoonotic diseasesare infectious diseases of animals that can cause disease when transmitted to humans. Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person. Some are transmitted by bites from insects or animals. And others are acquired by ingesting contaminated food or water or being exposed to organisms in the environment. Signs and symptoms vary depending on the organism causing the infection, but often include fever and fatigue. Mild complaints may respond to rest and home remedies, while some life-threatening infections may require hospitalization.

Many infectious diseases, such as measles andchickenpox, can be prevented by vaccines. Frequent and thorough hand-washing also helps protect you from infectious diseases

There are four main kinds of germs:

Bacteria - one-celled germs that multiply quickly and may release chemicals which can make you sick

Viruses - capsules that contain genetic material, and use your own cells to multiply

Fungi - primitive plants, like mushrooms or mildew

Protozoa - one-celled animals that use other living things for food and a place to live

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

Track: 9Reproductive Immunology,

Reproductive immunologyrefers to a field of medicine that studies interactions (or the absence of them) between the immune system and components related to thereproductivesystem, such as maternal immune tolerance towards the fetus, orimmunologicalinteractions across the blood-testis barrier. The immune system refers to all parts of the body that work to defend it against harmful enemies. In people with immunological fertility problems their body identifies part of reproductive function as an enemy and sendsNatural Killer (NK) cellsto attack. A healthy immune response would only identify an enemy correctly and attack only foreign invaders such as a virus, parasite, bacteria, ect.

The concept of reproductive immunology is not widely accepted by all physicians.Those patients who have had repeated miscarriages and multiple failed IVF's find themselves exploring it's possibilities as the reason. With an increased amount of success among treating any potential immunological factors, the idea of reproductive immunology can no longer be overlooked.The failure to conceive is often due to immunologic problems that can lead to very early rejection of the embryo, often before the pregnancy can be detected by even the most sensitive tests. Women can often produce perfectly healthy embryos that are lost through repeated "mini miscarriages." This most commonly occurs in women who have conditions such asendometriosis, an under-active thyroid gland or in cases of so called "unexplained infertility." It has been estimated that an immune factor may be involved in up to 20% of couples with otherwiseunexplained infertility. These are all conditions where abnormalities of the womans immune system may play an important role.

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Track:10Auto Immunity,

Autoimmunityis the system ofimmuneresponses of an organism against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrantimmuneresponse is termed an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmunity is present to some extent in everyone and is usually harmless. However, autoimmunity can cause a broad range of human illnesses, known collectively as autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases occur when there is progression from benign autoimmunity to pathogenicautoimmunity. This progression is determined by genetic influences as well as environmental triggers. Autoimmunity is evidenced by the presence of autoantibodies (antibodies directed against the person who produced them) and T cells that are reactive with host antigens.

Autoimmune disorders

An autoimmune disorder occurs whenthe bodys immune systemattacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disorders.

Causes

The white blood cells in the bodys immune system help protect against harmful substances. Examples include bacteria, viruses,toxins,cancercells, and blood and tissue from outside the body. These substances contain antigens. The immune system producesantibodiesagainst these antigens that enable it to destroy these harmful substances. When you have an autoimmune disorder, your immune system does not distinguish between healthy tissue and antigens. As a result, the body sets off a reaction that destroys normal tissues. The exact cause of autoimmune disorders is unknown. One theory is that some microorganisms (such as bacteria or viruses) or drugs may trigger changes that confuse the immune system. This may happen more often in people who have genes that make them more prone toautoimmune disorders.

An autoimmune disorder may result in:

The destruction of body tissue

Abnormal growth of an organ

Changes in organ function

A person may have more than one autoimmune disorder at the same time. Common autoimmune disorders include:

Addison's disease

Celiac disease - sprue(gluten-sensitive enteropathy)

Dermatomyositis

Graves' disease

Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Multiple sclerosis

Myasthenia gravis

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

Track: 11Costimmulatory pathways in multiple sclerosis

Costimulatory moleculescan be categorized based either on their functional attributes or on their structure. The costimulatory molecules discussed in this review will be divided into (1)positive costimulatory pathways:promoting T cell activation, survival and/or differentiation; (2)negative costimulatory pathways:antagonizing TCR signalling and suppressing T cell activation; (3) as third group we will discuss themembers of the TIM family, a rather new family of cell surface molecules involved in the regulation of T cell differentiation and Treg function.Costimulatory pathways have a critical role in the regulation of alloreactivity. A complex network of positive and negative pathways regulates T cell responses. Blocking costimulation improves allograft survival in rodents and non-human primates. The costimulation blocker belatacept is being developed asimmunosuppressivedruginrenal transplantation.

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

Track: 12Autoimmunity and Therapathies

Autoimmunityis the system ofimmuneresponsesof an organism against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrantimmuneresponse is termed an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmunity is present to some extent in everyone and is usually harmless. However, autoimmunity can cause a broad range of human illnesses, known collectively as autoimmune diseases.Autoimmune diseasesoccur when there is progression from benign autoimmunity to pathogenic autoimmunity. This progression is determined by genetic influences as well as environmental triggers. Autoimmunity is evidenced by the presence of autoantibodies (antibodies directed against the person who produced them) and T cells that are reactive with host antigens.

Current treatments for allergic and autoimmune disease treat disease symptoms or depend on non-specific immune suppression. Treatment would be improved greatly by targeting the fundamental cause of the disease, that is the loss of tolerance to an otherwise innocuous antigen in allergy or self-antigen in autoimmune disease (AID). Much has been learned about the mechanisms of peripheral tolerance in recent years. We now appreciate that antigen presenting cells (APC) may be either immunogenic or tolerogenic, depending on their location, environmental cues and activation state

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Track: 13DiagnosticImmunology

Diagnostic Immunology. Immunoassays are laboratory techniques based on the detection of antibody production in response to foreign antigens. Antibodies, part of the humoral immune response, are involved in pathogen detection and neutralization.

Diagnostic immunology has considerably advanced due to the development of automated methods.New technology takes into account saving samples, reagents, and reducing cost.The future of diagnosticimmunologyfaces challenges in the vaccination field for protection against HIV and asanti-cancer therapy. Modern immunology relies heavily on the use of antibodies as highly specific laboratory reagents. The diagnosis of infectious diseases, the successful outcome of transfusions and transplantations, and the availability of biochemical and hematologic assays with extraordinary specificity and sensitivity capabilities all attest to the value of antibody detection.Immunologic methods are used in the treatment and prevention ofinfectious diseasesand in the large number of immune-mediated diseases. Advances in diagnostic immunology are largely driven by instrumentation, automation, and the implementation of less complex and more standardized procedures.

Examples of such processes are as follows:

miniaturization (use of microtiter plates to save samples and reagents),

amplified immunoassays (chemiluminesent ELISA),

flow cytometry with monoclonal antibodies,

Immunoglobulins,

Molecular methods (polymerase chain reactions).

These methods have facilitated the performance of tests and have greatly expanded the information that can be developed by a clinical laboratory. The tests are now used for clinical diagnosis and the monitoring of therapies and patient responses. Immunology is a relatively young science and there is still so much to discover. Immunologists work in many different disease areas today that include allergy, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, transplantation, and cancer.

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

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Immunology

How Decline in Remicade Is Affecting Merck’s Immunology Revenues – Market Realist

March 24, 2017 student

What's Driving Merck's Valuation in 2017? PART 6 OF 9

Remicade, one of the top-selling drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, is losing its market share after the loss of exclusivity in European markets in 2015. Merck (MRK) has reported a constant decline in Remicade revenues. Apart from Merck, Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) also has marketing rights of Remicadein certain countries outside Europe.

Remicade revenues fell ~29% to $1.3 billion in 2016 as compared to $1.8 billion for 2015. The fall was mainly due to the entry of generic competitors and biosimilars following the loss of exclusivity in European markets. Merck expects Remicade revenues to fall further in the future as new patients prefer biosimilars over Remicade.

Simponi is another drug in the immunology franchise. Simponi revenues rose 11% to $766 million in 2016 as compared to $690 million for 2015.

Zetia and Vytorin are blockbuster drugs from Mercks cardiovascular portfolio. Both of these drugs are used to lower the LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. The combined revenues for these drugs fell to $3.70 billion in 2016. Global sales were affected due to the loss of exclusivity of Vytorin in the US, while Zetia sales improved 1% for 2016 as compared to 2015.

The competitors for Zetia include Niaspan from AbbVie (ABBV) and Lipitor from Pfizer (PFE). To divest the risk, investors can consider ETFs like the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), which holds 6.3% of its total assets in Merck.

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How Decline in Remicade Is Affecting Merck's Immunology Revenues - Market Realist

Human Behavior

True Crime Novella Highlights Human Factor in Cyber Solutions (Video) – 107.180.56.147 (press release) (registration) (blog)

March 24, 2017 medical

ideas42, a leading non-profit behavioral design firm, hasunveiled a unique approach to highlighting and resolving key behavioral problems in cybersecurity with the launch of an original, serialized novella.

The new true-crime- style short story Deep Thought: A Cybersecurity Story dramatizes the human factors in cybersecurity and is followed by a robust index of key insights from behavioral science that can be used to improve security protocols.

The narrative, to be released in multiple installments, highlights the human actions and decisions that often compromise digital information and computer security.

These range from password issues to more complex concerns such as coding practices and organizations resource investment choices.

(Experts estimate that 70-80% of the costs attributed to cyber attacks are actually the result of human error. Thats why ideas42 is applying a behavioral science lens to what has traditionally been considered a technological problem. Courtesy ofideas42 and YouTube)

Despite public and private sector investments in sophisticated security systems, the level of risk is immense.

In the search for answers, efforts have been heavily skewed toward finding technological solutions. However, up to 80% of the cost attributed to cyber-attacks is actually a result of human error.

With Internet access rapidly expanding across the globe and the proliferation of greater connectedness across business, finance, and individuals, ensuring privacy and security is more important than ever, as underscored by recent high-profile breaches such as the hacking of American political party systems during the 2016 election cycle.

It is because of the urgency around strengthening cybersecurity that we chose to present our insights as an engaging novella instead of using the more traditional white paper approach, said ideas42 Executive Director Josh Wright.

With the release of a unique piece like Deep Thought: A Cybersecurity Story and our supporting analysis, we hope to reach more leaders and decision-makers who can take needed steps to increase the strength of their organizations digital networks.

The first installment of ideas42s novella debuted today at New Americas Cybersecurity for a New America conference and can be read at ideas42.org/cyber.

Simply clicking on a bad link can be devastating to network security, and the strongest security network in the world is only as good as the human with the password, continued Wright.

Furthermore, human error in security is not limited to end-users. The challenges around understanding and addressing human behavioral factors in cybersecurity present a rich vein of opportunity for making the system as a whole more robust.

(Hear from the author,Josh Wright, Executive Director at ideas42 on Changing the World with Behavioral Science, courtesy ofBehaviourWorks Australiaand YouTube)

ideas42s work in cybersecurity is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Cyber Initiative in partnership with New Americas Cybersecurity Initiative. The goal is to focus on behavioral insights and solutions that can be adopted quickly and brought to scale.

For a full copy of the novella and behavioral insight appendix contact us at cyber@ideas42.org.

To use our unique experience at the forefront of behavioral science to change millions of lives.

We create innovative solutions to tough problems in economic mobility, health, education, consumer finance, energy efficiency and international development.

Our approach is based on a deep understanding of human behavior and why people make the decisions they do. Working closely with our partners from government, foundations, NGOs and companies, we have more than 80 active projects in the United States and around the world.

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True Crime Novella Highlights Human Factor in Cyber Solutions (Video) - 107.180.56.147 (press release) (registration) (blog)

Human Behavior

GU bill seeks increase in retirement age – NYOOOZ

March 24, 2017 medical

Porvorim: The Goa University (amendment) Bill, 2017, which seeks to enhance the retirement age of the teaching staff of Goa Medical College (GMC), Goa Dental College and the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (IPHP), Bambolim, from 62 years to 65 years, was tabled in the Goa legislative assembly on Thursday.The bill proposes to amend section 15A of the Goa University Act in a bid to prevent the loss of senior and experienced teaching faculty.The GMC its...

News Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/gu-bill-seeks-increase-in-retirement-age/articleshow/57800318.cms

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GU bill seeks increase in retirement age - NYOOOZ

Genetics

Valuable Cattle Genetics Among Losses in Wildfires – AgWeb

March 24, 2017 medical

TAGS: Marketing, Overseas

December 18, 2014

When the wildfires tore through the southern Plains, they destroyed homes, some peoples livelihoods, and even genetics.

Greg Gardiner, co-owner of the Gardiner Angus Ranch in Ashland, Kan., lost approximately 500 cattle in the blaze. The Gardiner family has been fine-tuning the genetic make-up of their Angus herd for years.

Some of Gardiners donor cows survived during the fire, saving multiple generations of genetics. Other ranchers are experiencing the same story; however, their losses might not be realized for years.

Five years ago, a drought plagued the southern Plains, causing producers to cull as much as 30 percent of their herd, according to Greg Henderson, editorial director of Drovers. To rebuild the herd, they used younger and more genetically desirable animals.

The seed stock operations in the region lost many of the animals that would be next years breeding stock, said Henderson. The fires will represent more than a step back genetically for ranchers.

For more wildfire information and how you can help, click here.

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Valuable Cattle Genetics Among Losses in Wildfires - AgWeb

Genetics

The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Announces New Board Members and President-elect – PR Newswire (press release)

March 24, 2017 medical

All four newly-elected directors will serve six-year terms from April 2017 to March 2023.

1.Anthony R. Gregg, MD, MBA, FACOG, FACMG: President-Elect

As ACMG's President-elect, Dr. Gregg is currently the Professor and Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) at the University of Florida (UF). He is also the Director of Obstetrics at UF Health and Program Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship. He completed his clinical genetics fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and remained on the faculty with appointments in OB/GYN and Molecular and Human Genetics. He later became Associate Professor and Director of MFM as well as Medical Director (Division of Genetics) and Medical Director of the Genetics Counseling Program at the University of South Carolina.

In his dual role as a geneticist and MFM specialist, Dr. Gregg provides care to women with complicated pregnancies who experience maternal medical and obstetric complications and fetal complications such as birth defects, genetic conditions and physiologic perturbations. Dr. Gregg has held several research collaborations and with his colleagues has published numerous works addressing the clinical application of genetics and genomics technologies in prenatal care. To learn more about his pub med citations, click here.

Specializing in women's health, he is board certified in OB/GYN, MFM and Clinical Genetics.

From 2009-2015 he served on the ACMG Board of Directors and was Clinical Vice President from 2013-2015. During his Board member term, he served on numerous committees that produced policy statements and points to consider documents on topics intersecting OB/GYN and MFM, including expanded carrier screening and noninvasive prenatal screening. In December 2015 he represented ACMG's position on noninvasive prenatal screening before a congressional sub-committee. Dr. Gregg is currently a member of the ACMG Foundation Board where he is Chair of the Development Committee.

Dr. Gregg received his biology degree, MD, and residency in OB/GYN from Loyola University (Chicago). Afterwards, he went on to complete his fellowship training in maternal fetal medicine at the University of Iowa then in clinical genetics at Baylor. Most recently, he completed his MBA at the University of Florida.

2.Laurie A. Demmer, MD, FACMG: Clinical Genetics Director

Clinical genetics, medical education and clinical research are important to Dr. Demmer, the incoming Clinical Genetics Director on the ACMG Board. She is an author of more than 75 peer-reviewed works including publications, reviews and book chapters. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Demmer currently works as a Clinical Geneticist and Associate Pediatric Residency Program Director at Levine Children's Hospital/Carolinas Health Care. From medical education, dysmorphology, applications of genetic and genomic testing in clinical practice, and ethics she will bring multifaceted knowledge to the ACMG Board. As an active ACMG member and leader, she has worked on numerous ACMG committees. Currently, she serves on the Membership Committee (2013-present) and prior to that she served on the Program Committee (2007-2013), the Maintenance of Certification Committee (2009-2014) and the Genetics Education Task Force (2011-2013).

In addition to serving on ACMG committees, Dr. Demmer is a dedicated proponent of medical genetics education, training and recruitment. Throughout her leadership, she has been president of three organizations: the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG) (2015), the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG) (2013-2015), and the Medical Genetics Residency Program Directors Group (2010-2012). She is one of the original members of the organizing committees which founded the Residency Program Directors and the Medical Student Course Directors Special Interest Groups of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG). She also participated in the creation of the Medical Genetics Milestones, the ACMG Competencies for Physician Medical Geneticist Project, and the Intraining Exam for Genetics Trainees. Furthermore, she is the Past Chair of the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG) MOC committee, and is a current member of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Committee on Continuing Certification. Her most recent projects include advocating for improvements in the Maintenance of Certification process, and serving as Chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) RRC for Medical Genetics (2016-2019).

Dr. Demmer graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH with degrees in Biology and French. She received her MD and MA (Biochemistry) from Washington University in St. Louis. Subsequently, she completed her Pediatrics Residency at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Medical Genetics Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Afterwards, she joined the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she was the Division Chief in Genetics from 1995-2002. Dr. Demmer then moved to Tufts University School of Medicine where she served as Professor of Pediatrics, Division Chief of Genetics and Metabolism, Program Director for the Genetics Residency and Director for the Medical Student Genetics Course until 2012.

3. Elaine Lyon, PhD, FACMG: Laboratory Molecular Genetics Director

Dr. Elaine Lyon will serve as a new ACMG Laboratory Molecular Genetics Director. After completing two fellowships at the University of Utah in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Molecular Pathology she joined the faculty in the Pathology department as a Medical Director of Clinical Molecular Genetics at ARUP Laboratories, a not-for-profit reference laboratory owned by the University of Utah. Currently, she is a tenured Professor of Pathology. For nine years she was the program co-director for the Clinical Molecular Genetics Fellowship program and is now chair of the departmental academic committee responsible for the department's faculty appointment, review and advancement.

Certified in Clinical Molecular Genetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG), Dr. Lyon has served on numerous ACMG committees: the Program Committee (2006-2010), the Quality Assurance Committee (2007-2011) and the ACMG/College of American Pathologists (CAP)Biochemical/Molecular Resource Committee (2007-2012). She has also been active with other professional organizations. She served as President for the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), Chairman of the Board, and Chair of the Executive Committee (2013-2014), and was on the Executive Committee and AMP Board of Directors (2012-2015). She was also chair of the Clinical Practice (2005-2007), Professional Relations (2009-2011), and Strategic Opportunities (2012-2013) committees and is a member of the Professional Relations and Economic Affairs committees (2008-present). Additionally, she serves on the Molecular Pathology Advisory Group for the American Medical Association (2012-present), and CSER advisory panel for the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

Dr. Lyon oversees clinical molecular testing for inherited diseases, applying methods for variant detection, deletion/duplication and sequence analysis (Sanger and massively parallel sequencing). Furthermore, she develops/validates assays for clinical application under CLIA and (recently) ISO requirements, and reviews/interprets cases. As an author of more than 100 publications, including book chapters, review articles, she has contributed to the following ACMG guidelines: CYP2C9/VKORC1 testing (2008), interpretation of sequence variants (2008, 2015), CYP2D6 testing (2012), next generation sequencing quality standards (2012), and Fragile X testing (2013).

To ensure regulation protocol, she has been a collaborative site investigator for three recent grants: Improving the time to diagnosis in infants detected by newborn screening (CF Foundation), Newborn screening for identification and follow-up of infants with SMA for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), and A unified clinical genomics database for the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). Furthermore, she has been a co-investigator for an Exploratory Centers of Excellence in an ELSI Research grant (NIH) focusing on molecular-based screening (carrier, newborn or non-invasive prenatal screening). Her most recent effort is demonstrating clinical utility for molecular testing.

She graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, and received a BS and MS degree in Microbiology. She subsequently received her PhD in Medical Genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

4. Catherine W. Rehder, PhD, FACMG: Laboratory Cytogenetics Director

Dr. Catherine Rehder will serve as an ACMG Laboratory Cytogenetics Director. After the completion of her Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics fellowships at Duke University in 2007, she accepted a position there as Assistant Professor of Pathology.Currently, she is the Director of the Duke Cytogenetics Laboratory and Associate Director of the Duke Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory. She is also the training co-director of the Duke ABMGG Laboratory Genetics and Genomics fellowship, and is board certified in both Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Rehder also served briefly as the interim director of the Fullerton Genetics Laboratory in Asheville, NC in 2014.

For the past six years, Dr. Rehder has been a member of the ACMG Laboratory Quality Assurance Committee and has served as Chair for the past two years. She is currently a member of the American Cytogenetics Conference Board of Directors, and has served on the Program Committee for that organization's biennial meeting (2012-2016) including the position of Program Chair for the 2014 meeting. From 2013-2016 she served on the organizing committee of the Cancer Genomics Consortium's Annual Meeting.Additionally, Dr. Rehder is a member of the NC Physician Advisory Group Task Force on Emerging Issues in Coverage of Genetic Screening Tests and is part of the North Carolina newborn screening expansion committee.

Dr. Rehder is an author on more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, review articles, and laboratory guidelines, which cover a wide variety of cytogenetics and molecular genetics topics, most notably the ACMG standards and guidelines for documenting suspected consanguinity as an incidental finding of genomic testing. In addition to her various roles as laboratory director, lecturer, training program director, and active participant on several intramural and extramural committees, her other primary areas of interest and publication include the reporting practices of genomic testing, Pompe disease and other glycogen storage diseases, as well as newborn screening and cancer cytogenetics.

A graduate from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, she earned her BS degree in Biochemistry, a BA degree in Multidisciplinary Studies (self-designed curriculum entitled Genetics and Human Affairs) and a minor in Genetics. She completed her PhD in Human Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.

Four ACMG Directors completed their terms on the ACMG Board and are thanked for their service: Soma Das, PhD, FACMG; Gail E. Herman, MD, PhD, FACMG; Mira Bjelotomich Irons, MD, FACMG; and Christa L. Martin, PhD, FACMG. A complete list of the ACMG Board of Directors is available at http://www.acmg.net.

About the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and ACMG Foundation

Founded in 1991, ACMG is the only nationally recognized medical society dedicated to improving health through the clinical practice of medical genetics and genomics. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (www.acmg.net) provides education, resources and a voice for nearly 2000 biochemical, clinical, cytogenetic, medical and molecular geneticists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals, nearly 80% of whom are board certified in the medical genetics specialties. The College's mission is to develop and sustain genetic initiatives in clinical and laboratory practice, education and advocacy. Three guiding pillars underpin ACMG's work: 1) Clinical and Laboratory Practice: Establish the paradigm of genomic medicine by issuing statements and evidence-based or expert clinical and laboratory practice guidelines and through descriptions of best practices for the delivery of genomic medicine. 2) Education: Provide education and tools for medical geneticists, other health professionals and the public and grow the genetics workforce. 3) Advocacy: Work with policymakers and payers to support the responsible application of genomics in medical practice. Genetics in Medicine, published monthly, is the official ACMG peer-reviewed journal. ACMG's website (www.acmg.net) offers a variety of resources including Policy Statements, Practice Guidelines, Educational Resources, and a Find a Geneticist tool. The educational and public health programs of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics are dependent upon charitable gifts from corporations, foundations, and individuals through the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org).

Kathy Beal, MBA kbeal@acmg.net

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SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

http://www.acmg.net

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