Monthly Archives: July 2017

Testosterone Replacement Therapy – SteroidAbuse .com

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 3:44 pm

Testosterone Replacement Therapy these words have become more common with every passing year but many still have no clue as to what testosterone replacement therapy really is. Youve seen the commercials for Low-T and if you ask most men they sound great but many still have no clue Low-T is nothing more than testosterone replacement therapy and this therapy unknown to even more is nothing more than a legal prescription for anabolic steroids. Thats right, anabolic steroids; testosterone replacement therapy refers to a treatment in-which low levels of the naturally occurring hormone testosterone are brought back into an adequate range. To perform this function the anabolic steroid testosterone, a synthetic version of the hormone our body produces must be administered.

If you possess any understanding of the performance enhancing world, on its surface the idea of testosterone replacement therapy may bring you a sigh of relief but more than likely it probably irritates you at the same time. After all, for years weve been told anabolic steroids are brewed in the bowels of hell but if you receive testosterone replacement therapy this same hormone from which all anabolic steroids are derived from, now its a welcomed beacon of hope. Yes, you are correct; episodes of the Twilight Zone make far more sense than this confusing conundrum.

Lets from this point on be clear and precise; these advertisements for Low-T treatment and things of this nature are nothing more than advertisements and promotions for anabolic steroids. When you inquire about testosterone replacement therapy understand youre inquiring regarding anabolic steroids; lets call a spade a spade. We are still a long way off from anabolic steroids being generally accepted by the whole of society but it is within testosterone replacement therapy this acceptance holds its most promising form. ,/p>

If you are still unfamiliar with testosterone replacement therapy the idea is very simple. Testosterone replacement therapy is simply providing the body the testosterone it needs in-which it no longer produces naturally. Further, this same therapy is many times provided to increase testosterone levels in men who may not have a decline per say but who naturally do not make enough testosterone. This is where things find themselves a little murky; there isnt a set level of testosterone production that is considered Natural, for the amounts produced vary from person to person. Even so, the idea is sound and very well received by most all men who receive it.

There are those who desire to see testosterone replacement therapy thrown into the trash pile of life; why? We dont have a good specific answer for you because they have yet to give one themselves. Men who receive testosterone replacement therapy enjoy a higher quality of life, they feel better, and they become sick far less often and are generally happier individuals. Why on earth anyone would ever want to legislate testosterone replacement therapy into the ground is beyond reason and comprehension.

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Caster Semenya could be forced to undertake hormone therapy for future Olympics – The Guardian

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 3:44 pm

Caster Semenya of South Africa celebrates after winning the womens 800m final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Photograph: Diego Azubel/EPA

Caster Semenya, the Olympic 800m champion, may be banned from competing at future Games unless she undergoes hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or even surgery in the wake of a landmark study into athletes with raised testosterone levels which has just been published.

The International Association of Athletics Federations, the world governing body, commissioned research which has produced the most conclusive evidence yet that female athletes with very high levels of naturally occurring testosterone receive significant performance-enhancing benefits in competition.

It comes only weeks before the IAAF is set to challenge a ruling by the court of arbitration for sport which, since 2015, has prevented it from restricting permitted levels of testosterone among female competitors.

The new study will not stop Semenya and other hyperandrogenic athletes, such as the Indian sprinter Dutee Chand, from competing at the world championships in London in August but it could have a significant impact on the Cas hearing later this month.

It is bound to reopen the controversial and emotionally charged debate around the treatment of female athletes with hyperandrogenism, a medical condition characterised by excessive levels of male sex hormones such as testosterone.

Researchers measured blood testosterone levels in 1,332 female athletes competing across 21 track and field disciplines at the 2011 and 2013 world championships. Those with the highest levels of testosterone demonstrated significant advantages over those with the lowest levels notably in the 400m (2.7% faster), the 400m hurdles (2.8% faster), the 800m (1.8% faster), the hammer throw (4.5% longer) and in the pole vault (2.9% higher).

Although these margins appear small, at the highest level a performance boost of a few percentage points might mean the difference between winning gold and missing out on a medal.

Stphane Bermon led the research from the Monaco Institute of Sports Medicine and Surgery, together with Dr Pierre-Yves Garnier, director of the IAAF health and science department. Bermon said: This study brings new evidence [of] the performance-enhancing effects of androgens in elite female athletes. Although long suspected [to be the case], until now there was no proof.

Our starting position is to defend, protect and promote fair female competition.If, as the study shows, in certain events female athletes with higher testosterone levels can have a competitive advantage of between 1.8 and 4.5% over female athletes with lower testosterone levels, imagine the magnitude of the advantage for female athletes with testosterone levels in the normal male range.

Among female athletes testosterone is the most widely abused performance-enhancing drug, Bermon said. Of the 116 female athletes serving a doping ban as of December 2016, 64 had tested positive for androgens.

Chand, a 100m and 200m sprinter, successfully challenged IAAF regulations restricting permitted testosterone levels in 2015. These regulations mandated that affected individuals had to receive hormone treatment to lower their testosterone levels artificially if they wanted to compete in the female category of competition. Cas ruled the IAAF regulations must be suspended until evidence of the impact of circulating androgens, like testosterone, on sporting performance could be produced.

This missing evidence prompted the current study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Testosterone has several potential performance-enhancing effects on the body, including boosting the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, building lean muscle mass and increasing mental drive and aggressiveness. The new study also found that female competitors with high levels of androgens benefit from improved visuospatial abilities.

Bermon believes the studys findings have significant implications for future rulings on testosterone in elite womens sport. We believe that these results could help the CAS jury to better understand the relationship between androgen levels and athletic performance. Additionally, our work addresses the main CAS request: quantification of the advantage experienced by female athletes with very high level of circulating androgens when compared to athletes with normal level of androgens.

The IAAF has commissioned a second piece of research and sources told the Guardian it would look at the effect naturally occurring testosterone has on 100m and 200m sprinters like Chand, as well as middle distance runners and throwers.

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Your Good Health: Testosterone shots have drawbacks – Times Colonist

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 1:45 am

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 70-year-old man. I receive testosterone injections (in the butt) from my provider every three weeks, and have been receiving these injections for roughly five years. My provider reviews my bloodwork every six months before he writes a prescription renewal for testosterone, which I then take to his office for safekeeping and the regular injections. My latest bloodwork indicates that my testosterone serum is low at 310, and free testosterone is low at 4.9. After five years of injections, I continue to have low T; it does not seem to be improving. At my most recent visit, the doctor increased the injection dosage from 2 ml to 3 ml. I am concerned because of the heart, prostate and other risk factors I read about. Any advice or cause for concern?

M.M.

Testosterone treatment is indicated for men with symptoms of low testosterone levels and confirmed by blood testing. It is not a tonic to be used without due consideration.

There has long been concern about adverse effects of testosterone, especially to the prostate and to the heart. Most prostate cancer is testosterone-sensitive, and removing testosterone was one of the oldest treatments for prostate cancer.

However, restoring normal levels of testosterone in a man with low levels is now considered to have low potential for increasing prostate cancer. It has not been definitively proven to be safe, but the many studies that have been done have been reassuring.

Authorities recommend more-aggressive prostate cancer screening for men on testosterone treatment.

Athletes using extremely high doses of testosterone (many times greater than the doses you are taking) are at risk for heart attack and stroke. However, these data cannot be used to consider the risk in men who are prescribed testosterone with a low level, where the goal is to get to normal. Testosterone treatment reduces several key risk factors, including cholesterol. Most of the well-done studies show little if any risk from testosterone treatment; some have shown benefit.

Since the dose you were getting wasn't bringing your blood level up, I think increasing it is appropriate. The usual goal is a blood level of 500-600, but that may not be appropriate for everybody.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am perplexed about use of estrogen ointment. My doctor has prescribed Premarin ointment to be used vaginally for relief of painful intercourse. It is effective, but I am very concerned about side- effects. She has assured me that the amount that is used (twice a week) is minimal and does not put users at risk for the side-effects of oral estrogen tablets. I have family history of blood clots and uterine cancer, and I suffer from aura migraines. I am 65 and in good general health. I never considered the use of hormones for menopausal symptoms, and although I am using the ointment at present, I still am very hesitant.

A.M.H.

Because estrogen is poorly absorbed when used topically, the concerns about side-effects are greatly reduced. Estrogen blood levels are very nearly the same in women on vaginal estrogen compared with women who do not use estrogen at all. While I would never prescribe vaginal estrogen to a woman with a history of breast cancer without discussing it with her oncologist, I think that the systemic risks of estrogen are very small with the vaginal preparations.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.

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Charice’s journey to becoming transman Jake Zyrus – Inquirer.net

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 1:44 am

When he looks back at old videos of himin dainty dresses and belting out power balladshe does not see himself, but a different person.

Its like watching my little sister, quipped recording artist Jake Zyrus, who was previously known as Charice.

But the 25-year-old singer, who announced his new name in social media last June 20, isnt out to completely erase Charice from his life. According to Jake, hes simply letting her go to give way for the person he has been all along.

Changing his name was just one of the early steps in his journey as a transmanin his journey toward becoming complete.

He had his breasts surgically removed in March, and has been taking testosterone shots since April. And the effects were quite apparent when we sat down with him recently for an interview: He now has a hint of mustache; his voices tone has gone deeper. And these excited him.

If theres one song that would encapsulate what hes feeling right now, it would be Rascal Flatts Im Moving On. At last, I can see life has been patiently waiting for me, Jake began to sing, his voice still as beautiful as ever. And I know there are no guarantees, but Im not alone.

Jakes interview with the Inquirer:

Did it feel like it was the right time to do this? I just went with the flow, as always. I had to wait, because I knew it wasnt going to be easy. What I was sure of, though, was that I wanted to present the real me the next time I stepped onstage.

You first came out as a lesbian in 2013. I came out as a lesbian back then, because I was still worried about revealing who I really wasa transgender. People knew of being gay or lesbian, but not necessarily other gender identities. Now it seems like people are starting to recognize that the LGBTQ community is diverse.

What inspired you to come out as a transman? What pushed me was seeing other people having a hard time telling the world who they truly are. Theyre the reason why I did thisaside from personal reasons, of course.

How did you come up with Jake Zyrus? Ive always liked the name Jake. And I wanted to have two names, because why not? So I chose Zyrus.

Are you planning to make this name change official? Its a screen name for now, but the fact that people are calling me by that name is a big deal for me as a transman. I hope to eventually change my name officially, but not anytime soonthats a complicated process. Id choose a different name, if that time ever comes.

Some people made fun of your name. At times I feel its unfair. Ginusto ko to, so I dont have the right to complain.

How do you deal with the negativity? Im used to the issues. My life has been an open book. Much has been said about me, but Im still here, standingand Im a very sensitive person. You cant expect everyone to welcome you with open arms.

I had my breasts removed on March 29. I have also been taking testosterone shots. The first was on April 19 Jake Zyrus SingerPhoto by Lyn Rillon

Speaking of which, your grandmother didnt take it very well. What I did wasnt simple. So I expected that reaction; I understood.

The difference, I think, is that my life is public, everything becomes a big deal. But, were not much different from other families. We all go through challenges. I just hope we could resolve it privately.

Hows your relationship with your mother? Im happy she accepts the whole thing.

How are you and Alyssa Quijano after your breakup? We dont talk anymore, but our separation was amicable; the decision was mutual. We just realized that our relationship wasnt working anymore.

Aside from your name, are there other changes? I had my breasts removed on March 29. I have also been taking testosterone shots. The first was on April 19; next month I will have another.

Was it a tough decision? Were you afraid of going under the knife? I wasnt afraid I was excited. I knew what I wanted, so there were no buts and doubts. My mind was already made up.

Were you uncomfortable with the body you had. Im a man. But I was insecure about my breasts, my body. I wanted to act like a man, to sit like a man.

And the tone of your voice has gotten deeper? It sounds a bit different, but it wont negatively affect my voice.

The vocal abilities will remain intact. I hope so!

What do you think of Charice? I feel like shes a different person. I dont want to totally erase her from my life. When I watch my old videos, I just see her as a little sister. I dont regret anything I have been through as Charicebut it was hard. I was being someone Im not. But Im proud of her achievements.

Some people jokingly say that Charice is dead. Shes not dead; I just let her go. Shes free.

So back then, while you were making people happy with your talent, it wasnt the case for you. I dont want to be dramatic, but thats true. Theyre happy, but deep inside, its breaking you.

Do you get offended when people call you Charice? When somebody calls me, Charice, maam or she, I just think that they either have a different set of beliefs or they arent aware. Or, they just want to insult you.

As a celebrity transman, do you feel like you now have a responsibility to educate people? I dont want to impose, or force people to accept who we are. And so, should I speak about being a transman, it would be about making people in similar situations [feel] that theyre not alone.

In your last album, Catharsis, you went pop-rock. Do we expect more of that? Ill just let myself fly. I still love alternative rock, and I was heartbroken when Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden) died. I have been singing different genres all my life. Now, Im exploring again, experimenting with my voice.

What are you most excited about being Jake? The music Im going to do. And of course, when people call me Jake.

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Everything’s a hustle in Orphan Black episode 5.5 – SYFY WIRE (blog)

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 1:43 am

Spoiler Warning: If you haven't seen "Ease For Idle Millionaires" or don't want to know what happened, turn away now. Or, y'know, go watch and come back so we can talk about it.

First and foremost, let's just acknowledge how much Cophine love there was in this episode. Cosima and Delphine's past is a complicated one and it's a miracle they manage to maintain a relationship at all given the variables involved. There are times I worry Delphine is running the longest con on the show, but this episode was a perfect reminder that the love between these women runs deep. It's real and it's passionate and it seems to surprise even them.

In this case, there's one thing Delphine's known all along that Cosima's never really grokked; how truly dangerous everyone within Neolution is. Of anyone in Clone Club, Delphine has the most information and she's got a better idea of the scope of what's going on and just what the Neo's are willing to do to make it happen. She's willing to do anything to keep Cosima safe, even if it means telling Westmoreland what Cosima's been up to just to earn more of his trust. But you have to admit, it's hard to be Cosima and not feel betrayed and it's hard to see someone being literally manipulated by science and stand idly by.

I love Cosima Niehaus more than I can say, but it's true; she does always push too hard, which is why Cosima's locked up in Westmoreland's basement wearing a very dapper tux. The tux was the small push. The rest...too much.

The other main factor for Cosima being in that basement finally has a name; Janus (sp?). He's also dead now and, as much as I hate to say it, that's partly because Cosima pushed too hard, as well. I say partly because the majority of the responsibilitylies with the grand creator himself. P.T. Westmoreland turned a boy into a monster and then put that monster down when his creation and all the secrets that surround him escaped the close confines of his control. Master manipulator that he is, he's also convinced Cosima it's her fault. Ain't he a peach?

That's the overall picture, but let's get into a few details.

Mud

My heart goes out to Mud. More and more we see how damaged she is and how good of heart. Everything the Neo's touch seems to warp, doesn't it?

Susan and Rachel

P.T. does seem to enjoy pitting women against each other, doesn't he? Cosima and Delphine, Susan and Virginia Coady, and now Rachel and Susan. Westmoreland is offering Rachel a home and a cure, which is more than her mother ever did for her, right? Here he is treating Rachel like a peer (and throwing in some bizarre traces of intimacy) while he's also wooing Susan back with the "science". He's got them both fooled and both of them are willing to fight to be the last woman standing. D'you think they'll end up killing each other? That would be interesting.

Ira

Nooooooooooooooo. I don't want Ira to glitch. I want Ira to live. He needs to survive all of this and become a beautiful butterfly of an individual. He's never been allowed to be that and he deserves it.

Sarah, Kira, S, Scott, and Hell Wizard (btw, how did I NOT know his name until now?)

Sarah and Kira getting some quality alone time was so great. I hope it brings those two back together again. I reallllly dislike Rachel having any sway on Kira. Meanwhile, the whole scene back at the comic shop was a whiteboard nerd dream come true. I'd pay money to be able to read that whole thing up close.

LIN28A

The big find. The LIN28A gene got described in the episode, but I went and researched a bit and found a link to the gene in the National Centerfor Biotechnology Information, which is a division of the National Institute of Health. The full description is admittedly wordy, but this part definitely caught my attention: "This gene encodes a LIN-28 family RNA-binding protein that acts as a posttranscriptional regulator of genes involved in developmental timing and self-renewal in embryonic stem cells".

I have a feeling this all comes down to stem cells, more specifically, embryonic stem cells. We know LIN28A is part of the Leda genome and Cosima mentions the "unexpected" second generation.Brightborn, Kira's cells, Helena's babies, they all have their place in this overall plan. Kira's healing ability is one part of this. Aisha's tumor treatment is another.

What if they introduce embryonic stem cells into the body and then manipulate the LIN28A gene to renew them continually, thereby healing any damage or illness.

Isn't that immortality?

Oh, that dinner party.

What can we even say about that whole thing? Creepy is a good word. Let's go with creepy. We're not going to talk about what Westmoreland did to Cosima because that was totally beyond the pale, so let's just ruminate on what kind of person makes people dress up for dinner while tormenting them.

The plan for Kira's eggs.

1300 subjects ready for implantation with eggs from a child. From a child. How do you even process that? Who does that?

Final thought:

Y'know, I thought about it again and, yes, Cosima pushed too hard, but she's also the one getting answers. She's inside Neolution, she knows the plan. She has Westmoreland off kilter. So much so that he's killed his creation and locked her up. For a moment, she had the means to end this. She could have turned the gun on Westmoreland and killed him, but that's not who Cosima is and it's one of the reasons we all love her, right?

From the look of it, the Westmoreland's descent into madness continues next week, but we also get Crystal. Any episode with Krystal is a winner.

Wanna meet back next week so we can figure out how Big Cosmetics is behind all of this?

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McConnell: Action needed on health insurance – Richmond Register

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 1:41 am

GLASGOW Protesters stood at one entrance of a shopping center in western Kentucky on Thursday, holding signs and shouting health care not wealth care as they waited for U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to arrive.

He made two stops in Glasgow after attending the dedication of a new interchange on Interstate 65 in Warren County at the Kentucky Transpark.

McConnell's first stop in Glasgow was at the T.J. Health Pavilion where he spoke to members of the Glasgow Rotary Club and their guests, as well as members of the media, touching on a variety of topics including Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, tax reform, Democrats and Republicans' efforts to work together to resolve issues and the media's perception that only bad news is newsworthy.

Af first, he had very little to say about the proposed changes to the federal health care bill, other than to say that it was an issue where Republicans in the Senate are not anticipating receiving very much Democratic support.

Later, when the floor was opened for questions, Glasgow businessman Joe Goodman asked if the senator was worried about the re-election of Republican members of Congress if some form of health care legislation is not passed.

I think we have an obligation to the American people to try to improve what we currently have. What we do know is the status quo is not sustainable, McConnell said.

He continued that what Congress is discussing most in relation to the health care bill is the private health insurance market.

This is not people on Medicare; not people on Medicaid; not people who are getting their health insurance at work. This is the private health insurance market, McConnell said. It's never worked very well. It has worked worse after Obamacare, and so what I say to my colleagues is we are in the middle of this internal discussion about what to do about it, because our Democratic friends are not interested in participating, so this is a Republican-only exercise.

He continued that no action is not an alternative.

You've got the insurance markets imploding all over the country, including in this state. This is a very current topic, as you may have read. I'm in the position of the guy with the Rubik's Cube, trying to twist the dial in such a way to get at least 50 members of my Congress to agree to a version of repealing and replacing as much of it as we can agree to do, he said. That is a very timely subject that I'm grappling with as we speak and we all will be back in session next Monday and back at it again.

McConnell pointed out that many states only have one insurance provider, leaving residents with just one choice for health care coverage.

If you have just one choice, you really have no choice, he said.

Glasgow attorney Charley Goodman asked if there was a reasonable prospect of having to reach across the aisle in order to get a replacement bill passed.

If my side is unable to agree on an adequate replacement, then some kind of action with regard to the private health insurance market must occur, McConnell said, adding the health care bill has not been a very bipartisan issue.

If Republicans are not able to agree among themselves, he said the crisis will still be there.

We will have to see what the way forward is at that point, he said.

Other questions from the audience pertained to welfare and term limits for Congress, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.

After the question and answer session, Goodman said he enjoyed McConnell's talk Thursday probably more than any other he has given to the Glasgow Rotary Club.

I don't think he answered my question exactly, but I appreciate the answer that he did give and we will see, he said. I really enjoyed his talk and I think all of us here in Glasgow can appreciate that he comes here. He comes here a lot and for that we are very grateful.

McConnell did speak briefly about the 21st Century Cures Act, which he said was one of three major bipartisan accomplishments of the last Congress and touched on regenerative medicine or stem cell replacement.

Dana Emmitt-Hall of Glasgow spoke to the senator about stem cell replacement.

I took my son, Cameron, to Lima, Peru, and had donated umbilical chord stem cell treatment done with him when he was younger, she said.

Her son is autistic and with the stem cell treatment, he showed what she described as being remarkable results.

We were able to get him potty trained within the first six months. He was able to pick up language and skills. He's learned to read, she said. He's made a lot of progress, but I attribute a lot of it to those stem cells.

Emmitt-Hall said she had no idea there was work being done at the federal level behind the scenes on regenerative medicine, adding that she finds that to be very encouraging.

When you have a dire situation and there's not really much hope, that's like a medical miracle, especially with individuals with spinal chord issues, she said. It's regenerative medicine. It is generating your body to heal itself.

Following his talk at the Glasgow Rotary Club meeting, McConnell went to the Barren County Cooperative Extension Office on West Main Street for another meeting. The Glasgow Daily Times was denied access to the meeting.

Kinslow writes for the Glasgow Daily Times.

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Santa Monica’s NASA Astronaut Randy Bresnik Live Interviews Before Space Station Mission – Santa monica Observed

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 1:41 am

Santa Monica's NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, who is making final preparations for his launch to the International Space Station later this month, will be participating in live satellite interviews from 9 to 10 a.m. EDT Friday, July 14, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

The interviews will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website and will be preceded at 8:30 a.m. by a video feed of highlights from Bresnik's mission training and previous spaceflight.

Bresnik will arrive at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sunday, July 16, for final pre-launch training. He and his crewmates, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency), will launch on the Russian Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft at 11:41 a.m. on July 28. They are scheduled to return to Earth in December.

Their flight plan calls for an arrival at the station about six hours after launch, where they will join Expedition 52 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer of NASA. The crew members will continue several hundred experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science currently underway and scheduled to take place aboard humanity's only permanently occupied orbiting lab.

Among the experiments is Cardiac Stem Cells, which investigates how microgravity affects stem cells and the factors that govern stem cell activity, including physical and molecular changes. The Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass experiment is also scheduled to arrive at the station during the crew's stay and will measure the charges of cosmic rays ranging from hydrogen up through iron nuclei, over a broad energy range.

Bresnik was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, but considers Santa Monica, California, to be his hometown.

He graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and was commissioned in the Marine Corps in May 1989. NASA selected him as an astronaut in May 2004. This will be his second trip to the International Space Station and his first long-duration mission. Previously he flew aboard space shuttle Atlantis to the station in 2009.

For details about his experiences in space, follow Bresnik on social media at:

https://www.facebook.com/AstroKomrade

https://www.instagram.com/astrokomrade

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Update: Laval police erased cellphone video of violent arrest, says disabled black man – Montreal Gazette

Posted: July 9, 2017 at 1:41 am

Saturday, July 8, 2017, Fo Niemi of Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations, right, listens at CRARR's Montreal offices as Pradel Content discussed his complaint that two Laval police officers violently arrested him without cause and erased a video of the incident from his cell phone on May 14, 2017. Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette

A disabled, black, English-speaking man has laid complaints against two Laval police officers for violently arresting him without cause and erasing a video of the incident from his cellphone.

Pradel Content, 39, took a video of two Laval police officers who made a U-turn on Highway 15 to tail his car on May 14.

Content, who lived in Florida for 17 years, said he was going for his daily Tim Hortons run and was heading towards a gas station to buy cigarettes in his Cadillac Escalade. The officers followed Content when he stopped at a gas station. Content then stepped out of his car, his cane in one hand and his cellphone in the other to videotape the police driving towards him.

One of the officers, Constable Michael Boutin, then stepped out of the police car and slapped the phone out of Contents hand, pushed him against the car and handcuffed him as Content protested that he was disabled and fragile, said Fo Niemi, executive director of Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations.

Content didnt mince words when he spoke at a press conference Saturday at CRARRs office.

I want my life back, he said, seated between Niemi and his mother, Marie Rose Thodore. Let me live.

Since the incident, his mother said she has been accompanying Content in public. She became increasingly upset speaking about the current situation with her son.

Im tired of the way hes treated, she said in French. He didnt do anything. He cant leave the house alone now. I need to go with him.

I want to be able to walk down the street, to walk down the street like everybody else, Content said.

The organization has filed complaints on Contents behalf with Quebecs Police Ethics Commission and Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission in connection with the incident, alleging the officers used excessive force to arrest him and illegally erased footage of the incident.

We hope this case will create a clear precedent and also a clear positive policy, Niemi said.

Niemi said surveillance video confirms Contents version of the incident by showing one officer slapping Contents phone out of his hand and shoving him.

In the police report, Boutin confirms that police erased video from Contents phone. Boutin reports that the officers began tailing Content after they noticed a fake Halloween-style hand coming out of the trunk of his car. Content said it was a Halloween prop that he has placed in his trunk year-long.

Content had to be handcuffed and placed in the police car. He cries constantly that he is handicapped, the police report says.

Content says he suffers fromarthritis in the neck, fibromyalgia, lumbar and thoracic problems, issues in both knees and a broken rib. Aside from the broken rib, his injuries stem from a previous car accident.

This is why I keep telling police officers you cant push me and slam me like that, he said. You cant slam me on the car and not think that Im not going to feel that. Leave me alone, let me live, got that?

Content said he was pushed into the police car without any regard for his disabilities. He said he was then told by officer Boutin that he was handicapped in the head. The officers gave Content a $127 ticket for using a cell phone while driving, which Content has contested.

Content realized the footage from his phone was gone after speaking with the gas station clerk, who asked Content about the incident. He wanted to show the clerk the video, which was no longer there. Initially panicked, Content asked the clerk if he could take a look at the surveillance footage at the gas station and was told to come back the next day when the clerks manager would be there.

This is not Contents first run-in with the cops. In 2014, police officers falsely identified him as a black male suspect they had been searching for. He was arrested and detained before they realized they had the wrong person.

Content said he has been trying to track the number of times police have stopped him since June 2016 but has stopped since the incident this past May. However, he said in the past, he would be stopped three times in a five-day span.

Moving forward, Content said he simply wants to go back to a normal life.

I want my voice to be heard, I want to be able to go out on the streets and live like a normal human being, he said. I mean like, this is not the first time, I know its not going to be the last time but Im hoping its the last time.

Earlier this year, two court rulings determined that police officers cannot legally erase video footage from peoples electronic devices. In Larochelle v. Sarno, the police ethics commission won an appeal overturning a decision initially stating that police officers didnt have to face any disciplinary action after they forced a man to give them his phone and delete videos of the officers on duty. The commission ruled the officers had no valid reason to detain the victim or use force. As to the the demand to delete the pictures, the officers had no legal basis to ask for the deletion of the pictures.

In Commissaire la dontologie policire v. Ledoux, a man was stopped for making an illegal U-turn, which police said was clearly marked by a sign on the road. The man took a photo of the sign to see what it said. The case states the officers request is to see the pictures in an aggressive manner and orders the photos to be deleted. However, it was determined the police officers didnt have the right to make that request because it violated the Quebec police ethics code.

On Wednesday, a Cte-des-Neiges man who was handcuffed and wrestled to the ground by Montreal police in a case of mistaken identity says he was angry that his complaint to the Quebec police ethics commission had been dismissed.

Errol Burke, a 54-year-old illustrator, said he entered a dpanneur to buy milk last February when police officers threw him to the ground, pointed their pistols at him and dragged him outside.

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Update: Laval police erased cellphone video of violent arrest, says disabled black man - Montreal Gazette

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Stem Cell Therapy Franklin TN | Stem Cell Treatment

Posted: July 7, 2017 at 3:44 pm

Dr. Gil Center for Back, Neck, and Chronic Pain Relief

Your pain is uniquethats why you need treatment thats tailored specifically for you. Why spend unnecessary time and money on treatments that only hide the symptoms ? At Dr. Gil Center for Back, Neck, and Chronic Pain Relief, we offer regenerative medicine in the form of regenerative cell therapy in Franklin, Tennessee for your knee pain.

Stem cell/regenerative therapy can help treat degenerative knee conditions and essentially provides new cells to old and damaged tissue. This can help regenerate healthy cells and help provide relief and repair. We use this form of therapy for patients who have meniscus tears, arthritis, chronic knee pain, ligament and tendon injuries. Many people think stem cell therapy is a brand new concept, but the fact is, the first stem cell transplant was performed in 1968 at the University of Minnesota. In the mid 1980s stem cells were discovered in human adipose tissue and later in all body tissue. The idea of using umbilical cord tissue and blood to provide the stem cells has been around for over 10 years. The benefit of umbilical stem cells is young healthy stem cells in huge numbers that are ready to become new healthy tissue and regenerate your bodys damaged cells.

Franklin TN stem cell therapy is a procedure that involves injecting stem cells into the affected area in your body, typically joints affected by arthritis or cartilage damage such as the knees. These stems cells are taken from healthy umbilical cord tissue/blood under strict supervision and guidlines . fetal tissue is never used or considered in our stem cell treatment.LIVEYON is unique from other regenerative medicine suppliers because of the quality, viability, and capabilities of theirumbilical cordblood derived Stem Cells.

The donors for this tissue undergo extensive medical screening and provide a detailed medical history in order to ensure this practice is safe. All donated tissue is screened by the American Association of Tissue Banks and all procedures are held to the highest standards.

When cartilage is damaged in the joint due to arthritis or an injury, pain is often the result. This pain doesnt go away and instead needs to be treated. Many doctors will suggest medications or surgery, but these treatment options rarely alleviate all the pain and in some cases can create additional side effects from the medications used.

Unlike having knee surgery, stem cells actually simulate new growth and repair connective tissue. It improves the bodys natural ability to heal itself without the side effects. There is no rejection to umbilical cord stem cells, since this tissue is immuno privileged , meaning there are no antibodies to cause rejection. We have seen excellent results in those with knee pain conditions and shoulder problems as well as other joint conditions.

The great thing about Franklin Tennessee stem cell treatment for knees is that your body continues to heal and benefit from the stem cells long after treatment is done. In fact, typically only one cellular injection is needed for the joint to continue to improve and heal. This provides patients with a long-term solution with lasting results! Patients often start feeling better within 1-2 weeks following the procedure.

Dr. Gil Center for Back, Neck, and Chronic Pain Relief gives each patient the specialized treatment and attention they deserve. Our office tailors your treatment specifically for you, not the other way aroundWe provide you with pre and post procedure instructions specific for your condition. A knee brace is often recommended for the first few weeks, but little if any downtime at all is necessary. The main precaution the first 2 weeks is to avoid deep knee bends, running, jumping , or excessive stair climbing.

As a part of our patient care and unique treatment for each person, we take the time to discuss all your options with you, including options outside our office. If youre facing a total knee replacement and want to consider other options, we can often help. We perform a thorough evaluation that includes your medical history and a physical exam in addition to x-rays. Youll then discuss your options thoroughly with Dr. Gil, and our medical staff who will answer all your questions and provide information about this treatment.

Treating and managing your pain isnt easy, and finding a doctor who understands your chronic pain and can help can be even harder. Dr. Gil Center makes this choice easy. Weve been in business for over 27 years and have a professionally trained, highly skilled, chiropractic and medical staff to accommodate you. We offer options besides medication and surgery to help you find alternatives to an impending knee surgery.

A few years ago, Dr Gil decided to provide regenerative procedures and stem cell therapy in Franklin TN to help patients manage their knee pain with less invasive options. He brought into his office a group of highly skilled medical practitioners to administer the regenerative medicine procedures and provide the best care possible. ALL OF OUR MEDICAL PROCEDURES ARE PERFORMED BY OUR HIGHLY TRAINED AND CREDENTIALED MEDICAL STAFF UNDER DIRECTION OF OUR OVERSIGHT PHYSICIAN. Let us help specialize a treatment plan for you. Your body isnt the same as anyone elseswhy would your treatment be?

Call now for a free consultation to determine if your a good candidate for regenerative cell therapy. (615) 794-0800. GET FURTHER INFO AT OUR STEM CELL AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE WEBSITE TNSTEMCELL.COM

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Stem Cell Therapy Franklin TN | Stem Cell Treatment

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When C9ORF72 Silences U2, Spliceosomes Can’t Find What They’re Looking For – Alzforum

Posted: July 7, 2017 at 3:44 pm

30 Jun 2017

Expanded C9ORF72 hexanucleotide repeats cause many cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia, but exactly how these expansions work their mischief remains a mystery. Researchers have proposed several different pathogenic mechanisms, including that aberrant dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins made from the expansion interfere with mRNA splicing. In the June 13 Cell Reports, researchers led by Robin Reed at Harvard Medical School describe how this could happen. Using in vitro assays, they found that DPRs prevented spliceosome assembly through interactions with one portion of this splicing complex, the U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) particle. In cells, C9ORF72 DPRs caused the U2 complex to mislocalize to the cytoplasm, away from splicing sites in the nucleus. Subsequent bioinformatics analyses suggested that disruption of U2 function accounts for about 40 percent of the mis-splicing seen in C9ORF72 patient cells, Reednoted.

The data for the mechanism are compelling, but it remains unclear how much it contributes to neurotoxicity, noted Johnathan Cooper-Knock at the University of Sheffield, England, in an email to Alzforum. He was not involved in the research. One way to address this might be to examine its correlation with clinical phenotype, he suggested (see full commentbelow).

In control motor neurons (left), the U2 splicing complex (red) occupies the nucleus, but in C9ORF72 motor neurons (right), much of it lurks in cytoplasm. [Courtesy of Cell Reports, Yin etal.]

Previous research had found that C9ORF72 expansions caused mis-splicing in cultured cells (see Aug 2014 news; Conlon et al., 2016). In one study, the degree of this mis-splicing correlated with faster ALS progression (Cooper-Knock et al., 2015).The papers proposed different explanations for how mis-splicing occurred, however, from dipeptide repeat proteins physically gumming up the splicing machinery in the nucleolus to C9ORF72-expanded RNAs sequestering crucial splicing factors such asHNRNPH.

To try to nail down the mechanism, first author Shanye Yin used a cell-free system developed in the Reed lab that combined nuclear extract from HeLa cells with a DNA template for the fly Ftz gene. In this assay, the Ftz gene is transcribed by RNA polymerase and the resulting RNA is then spliced to yield mature transcript. However, when the authors added a 20-repeat length of the toxic DPRs glycine-arginine (GR) or proline-arginine (PR), splicing ground to a halt. The effectiveness of the block depended on the dose of DPR. Further analysis showed that in the presence of DPRs, the spliceosome failed to assemble properly. C9ORF72 RNA, by contrast, had no effect on splicing in thissystem.

The authors next searched for proteins that associated with GR and PR using pull-down assays, and identified these interactors by mass spectrometry. The most common were components of the U2 snRNP, although other proteins were present as well. The list of interacting proteins largely matches that seen in previous proteomic screens of DPRs, noted Paul Taylor at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. That gives us confidence in the data, he toldAlzforum.

The findings suggested a direct interaction of DPRs with the splicing machinery in vitro. Would the same thing happen in patients? The authors examined motor neurons made from induced pluripotent stem cells of people who carried the C9ORF72 expansion. They were surprised to find U2 snRNP lingering outside the nucleus in about half these cells (see image above). It was unclear if the complex leaked out of the nucleus, or simply never made it inside in the first place, Reed noted. U2 snRNP is assembled in the cytoplasm, and faulty transport across the nuclear membrane has quickly become a hallmark of C9ORF72 disease, with many nuclear proteins, such as TDP43 and FUS, getting stuck en route (Jan 2010 news;Aug 2015 news).DPRs are known to build up in the cytoplasm, suggesting they could be sequestering the U2 snRNP there. Overexpressing PR in HeLa cells also caused U2 snRNP to loiter in cytoplasm, supporting a direct causal role for these peptides in U2 mislocalization. This was specific to U2, as other components of the splicing apparatus stayed confined to thenucleus.

The authors next wondered how big a role U2 mis-splicing might play in disease. U2 snRNP normally helps splice about one-quarter of all transcripts (see Kfir et al., 2015). Analyzing published RNA expression data from C9ORF72 cerebella and frontal cortices (Prudencio et al., 2015), the authors found that the mis-spliced mRNA was enriched for U2-dependent transcripts. Altogether, U2 snRNP may account for nearly half of the mis-splicing in these cells, they calculated. They saw a much smaller role for HNRNPH-dependent splicing. Notably, in brain samples from sporadic ALS cases, U2-dependent transcripts were no more likely to be mis-spliced than any others, indicating this mechanism is specific for C9ORF72expansions.

In theory, mis-splicing could lead to toxicity by knocking out essential proteins. In support of this, the authors found numerous transcripts involved in mitochondrial function and gene expression among the disrupted set. Both of these processes are known to be perturbed inALS.

However, DPRs sequester other proteins as well, which may play an equally important role in damaging cell function, Taylor noted. Many of the proteins bound by DPRs contain low-complexity domains. Such proteins are now believed to be crucial in assembling many cellular organelles (Oct 2015 webinar; May 2017 conference news).Madolyn BowmanRogers

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When C9ORF72 Silences U2, Spliceosomes Can't Find What They're Looking For - Alzforum

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