James P. Crowley’s Post

Bavarian Crown Prince Louis, later King Louis I of Bavaria, marries Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The Bavarian royalty invited the citizens of Munich to attend the festivities, held on the fields in front of the city gates. These famous public fields were named Theresienwiese—”Therese’s fields”—in honor of the crown princess; although locals have since abbreviated the name simply to the “Wies’n.” Horse races in the presence of the royal family concluded the popular event, celebrated in varying forms all across Bavaria. The decision to repeat the festivities and the horse races in the subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the annual Oktoberfest, which now begins in late September and lasts until the first Sunday in October. Drinking beer is an important part of the modern festival, and more than 1 million gallons of beer are consumed annually at Oktoberfest.

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina. On October 12, the expedition reached land, probably Watling Island in the Bahamas. Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba, which he thought was mainland China, and in December the expedition landed on Hispaniola, which Columbus thought might be Japan. He established a small colony there with 39 of his men. The explorer returned to Spain with gold, spices, and “Indian” captives in March 1493 and was received with the highest honors by the Spanish court. He was the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland in the 10th century.

Blood clotting occurs in a series of “drive on to clotting” and “slow down!” signals. In normal persons these 2 signals balance each other perfectly! In hemophilia the “drive on” factors VIII and IX are low so “slow down!” signals like TFPI predominate and clotting is slowed down when bleeding starts. TFPI is a key anticoagulant in hemostasis regulation because it inhibits procoagulant clotting activity at a very early stage of the clotting process. Because deficiencies in factor VIII or factor IX, both procoagulation promoting elements, are the pathological basis for hemophilia A and B, limiting the action of the natural anticoagulant such as TFPI with Pfizer’s new TFPI inhibitor aims to “rebalance” the process.

“In cancer, infection and inflammation, the immune system’s function can be dysregulated. Instead of fighting disease, immune cells may increase pathology and suppress host-protective immune responses. Myeloid cells show high plasticity and adapt to changing conditions and pathological challenges. Despite their relevance in disease pathophysiology, the identity, heterogeneity and biology of myeloid cells is still poorly understood. “We will focus on phenotypical and functional markers of one of the key myeloid regulatory subtypes, the myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), in humans, mice and non-human primates. These cells may play an important role in down regulating the immune response to cancer. #MDSC #immunesupressormyeloidderivedcells #myeloidsuppressionofcancerimmunity

“An exodus of national insurance companies from Florida and local private insurers canceling plans has left many homeowners with only one option: Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The state-backed nonprofit home insurance company was set up as an insurer of last resort for those who can’t find coverage in the private market. With 1.3 million policies in force as of last month, three times as many compared to five years ago, Citizens is by far the largest provider in the state….. ….Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, told CNN in an emailed statement. “Should claims exceed the insurer’s ability to pay, Citizens has a mechanism to pass its losses on to Florida families, who are already paying sky-high premiums,” said Whitehouse, who chairs the Senate’s Budget Committee and is leading an investigation into Citizens’ viability. “Recouping billions of dollars in losses from Floridians is unlikely to be feasible economically or politically, let alone in time to pay massive claims — hence the Budget Committee concern about possible requests for a federal bailout.” Regina Phelps LinkedIn

Overall, research seems to point to the fact that less sitting and more moving contribute to better health. You might start by simply standing rather than sitting when you have the chance. Or find ways to walk while you work. For example: Take a break from sitting every 30 minutes. Stand while talking on the phone or watching television. If you work at a desk, try a standing desk — or improvise with a high table or counter. Walk with your colleagues for meetings rather than sitting in a conference room. Position your work surface above a treadmill — with a computer screen and keyboard on a stand or a specialized treadmill-ready vertical desk — so that you can be in motion throughout the day. #sittingisharmful

“For the Paris 2024 Olympics, the new guidelines require transgender women to have completed their transition before the age of 12 to be eligible to compete in the women's category. This rule is intended to prevent any perceived unfair advantages that might arise from undergoing male puberty. In addition, at least 10 Olympic sports have restricted the participation of transgender athletes. These include sports like athletics, cycling, swimming, rugby, rowing, and boxing.” According to Natalie Venegas who is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. (You can get in touch with Natalie by emailing n.venegas@newsweek.com) “In the U.S. the issue has been left up for states to decide, with over 20 states implementing policies that restrict transgender athletes' ability to participate in sports that correspond with their gender identity. “

According to recent data, physician Medicare payment rates have fallen 29 percent over the last two decades when adjusted for inflation. Annual increases in physician pay did not measure up to inflationary pressure, with real compensation falling the most in my clinical specialties: hematology (-$82,483) and allergy and immunology (-$52,864) in most recent report. Plastic surgery had the highest growth in real compensation ($1,137), and it was the only specialty that had its average pay exceed inflation. Medicare does not cover esthetic surgery; most plastic surgeries are self-pay. Meanwhile and all the while the cost of running any type of medical practice continues to rise. Most physicians have considerable educational debt. Consistent and on-time payments will see an average medical graduate successful concluding loan repayments but not for many until around age 50. The 2025 Medicare MPFS Proposed Rule highlights that the cost of running a practice, as measured by the Medicare Economic Index (i.e., expenses associated with paying rent, compensating clinical and administrative staff, and purchasing supplies and equipment) is estimated to increase by 3.6 percent in 2025 but they still recommended a 2.8% cut for medical practitioners. #physiciancompensation #medicare #ama

Inflammation of the arteries is a primary precursor and driver of cardiovascular disease — the No. 1 killer of people in the United States. This inflammation is associated with the buildup of dangerous plaque inside the arteries. Advanced treatments are needed to target this inflammation in patients. Michigan State University researchers have tested a new nanoparticle nanotherapy infusion that precisely targets inflammation and activates the immune system to help clear out arterial plaque. Smith and his coworkers, authors postdoctoral fellows Yapei Zhang and Manisha Kumari, created nanoparticles – materials that are thinner than a human hair – that they used to develop a nanotherapy infusion. The nanotherapy selectively targets a specific immune cell type that moves into and is a part of the plaque. These treated cells “eat” away parts of the plaque core, removing it from the artery wall and decreasing levels of blood vessel inflammation. #heartattacks #nanoparticles #nanotherapy #coronaryarteryinflammation

This study elucidates how loss of p53 could be destabilizing for the replicating genome. More importantly, the study describes an unanticipated crosstalk between redox metabolism, PARP1 and p53 tumor suppressor pathway that is broadly relevant in cancers and can be leveraged therapeutically. Poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes are a family of proteins involved in a number of cellular processes including gene regulation, chromatin remodelling, DNA repair and apoptosis. These enzymes are present in all eukaryotes except yeast. The development of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) for therapy is a successful application of bench-to-bedside medicine and nowhere is the impact more appreciated than in the treatment of advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer. #parpdnarepair #parpp53