Category Archives: Mississippi Stem Cells

The National Institutes of Health has announced it will invest $130 million over four years to accelerate the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the biomedical and behavioral research communities.

The NIH Common Funds Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI) program has issued four awards for data generation projects, and three to create a Bridge Center for integration, dissemination and evaluation activities. The data generation projects will generate new biomedical and behavioral data sets ready to be used for developing AI technologies, along with creating data standards and tools for ensuring data are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable, a principle known as FAIR, NIH said.

In addition, data generation projects will develop training materials that promote a culture of diversity and the use of ethical practices throughout the data generation process. The Bridge Center will be responsible for integrating activities and knowledge across data generation projects, and disseminating products, best-practices, and training materials.

Bridge2AI will produce a variety of diverse data types ready to be used by the research community for AI analyses. These types include voice and other data to help identify abnormal changes in the body. Researchers will also generate data that can be used to make new connections between complex genetic pathways and changes in cell shape or function to better understand how they work together to influence health. In addition, AI-ready data will be prepared to help improve decision making in critical care settings to speed recovery from acute illnesses and to help uncover the complex biological processes underlying an individuals recovery from illness.

Participating research institutions have shared some details about what they will be working on. One of the four data generation projects, Voice as a Biomarker, co-led by the University of South Florida and Weill Cornell Medicine, will bring together medical, voice, AI, engineering, and ethics experts to create a human voice database using privacy-preserving AI, giving doctors a new tool for diagnosing conditions known to have associations with voice alterations.

Based on the existing literature and ongoing research, the research team has identified five disease cohort categories for which voice changes have been associated with specific diseases with well-recognized unmet needs. Data collected for this project will center on the following disease categories:

Voice disorders: (laryngeal cancers, vocal fold paralysis, benign laryngeal lesions)

Neurological and neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimers, Parkinsons, stroke, ALS)

Mood and psychiatric disorders (depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders)

Respiratory disorders (pneumonia, COPD)

Pediatric voice and speech disorders (speech and language delays, autism)

Federated learning technology an AI framework that allows machine learning models to be trained on data without the data ever leaving its source will be deployed across multiple research centers by French-American biotech startup company Owkin to demonstrate that cross-center AI research can be conducted while preserving the privacy and security of sensitive voice data.

Shannon McWeeney, Ph.D., chief data officer for the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute, will co-lead tool development to support one of the grand challenge projects in the Bridge2AI program, aimed at generating new biomedical and behavioral data sets that are ethically sourced, trustworthy, well-defined and accessible. The collaborative team will leverage $7.8 million in funding for the first year to develop software and standards to unify data attributes across multiple data sources and types.

Moving the field of AI forward is essential to help detect and treat earlier diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, says McWeeney, a professor and head of the Division of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology in the OHSU School of Medicine, in a statement. The ability to understand and affect the course of complex, multi-system diseases has been limited by a lack of well-designed, high-quality, large, and inclusive multimodal datasets. We need transparency about how the data are generated with regard to any bias or uncertainties, and to ensure they are ethically sourced. We also need to lower the barrier for researchers to be able to use AI-based tools in their future research.

Other institutions collaborating on the Data Generation project include: University of Washington, California Medical Innovations Institute, Johns Hopkins University, University of California at San Diego, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, Native BioData Consortium, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System and Microsoft.

David Dorr, M.D., M.S., chief research information officer and professor of medical informatics and clinical epidemiology in the OHSU School of Medicine, will co-lead another of the grand challenge projects, Skills and Workforce Development, with a team from Washington University in St. Louis.

This module will be centered on bridging expertise across people in the biomedical and behavioral research domains to develop an AI/machine-learning research workforce. Dorr says this project is designed to enhance skill development and attract and develop a specialized workforce.

Researchers at University of California San Diego and University of California San Francisco are expected to receive nearly $20 million in the next four years to launch Cell Maps for AI, a research project designed to usher in a new era of precision medicine. The team envisions a future in which an AI algorithm could analyze a patient's genome and decipher which disease they have, what stage they are in and which treatments are most likely to help. Importantly, they say the algorithm must be interpretable, such that a physician could point to the molecular and cellular pathways that inform its decisions.

"It's not enough for an algorithm to just take a complex set of mutations and decide what drug to give a patient if we don't know why it's making that choice," said Trey Ideker, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, in a statement. "We may now have enough human genomes sequenced to power precision medicine, but what we don't have yet is a clear map of cellular biology to interpret the data with."

To address this, the project aims to map the structure and function of a human cell in its entirety, starting with the most basic cell type: the stem cell. The researchers will obtain induced pluripotent stem cells from a variety of genetic backgrounds and combined microscopy, biochemistry and computational tools to study their biology at multiple scales. The final product will be a comprehensive model of the cell, from genes and proteins to entire organelles and how they all work together. Once the stem cell has been modeled, they plan to use the same approach to model other cells, such as those that are dividing, differentiating or in various disease states.

Their goal is to eventually have a library of cell maps across many demographic and disease contexts, which can be used to train AI algorithms to make informed and interpretable decisions about human health.

Excerpt from:
NIH Initiative to Build Data Sets for Developing AI Technologies - Healthcare Innovation

It takes a committed gardener to consistently produce high-quality peaches or plums. These fruit crops are especially demanding when it comes to pest management because peaches and plums are attacked by many insects and diseases that must be controlled to have a successful crop. This publication provides information on how to identify pests and when to treat. It also includes a recommended spray schedule for disease and insect treatments based on stage of crop development.

This publication has been developed specifically for small-scale home orchards. The insecticide and fungicide recommendations given here are based on non-restricted use products that are readily available from local lawn and garden centers and sold in container sizes appropriate for small orchards. Commercial producers and large-scale hobby orchardists who have a private pesticide applicator license should obtain a copy of the Southeastern Peach, Nectarine, and Plum Pest Management and Culture Guide, available at https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/B%201171_14.PDF, and follow the recommendations for pest management in commercial orchards.

Some of the diseases that attack peaches in Mississippi are very aggressive, and missing one or two key sprays can result in the loss of most of a peach crop, especially if sprays are missed when weather conditions are favorable for disease development. Fungicides protect the plant or fruit from infection; they do not eliminate the infection once it has occurred. While fungicide sprays are necessary to grow peaches in the Deep South, much of the real protection from these diseases will come from removing and destroying the inoculum (or seed-producing structures) of these diseases.

The following disease descriptions may seem extensive to the point of too much, but they will help you identify these disease infections so that you can prune and remove these structures from your trees, reducing the disease pressure. Similarly, descriptions of weather conditions necessary for a disease may seem unnecessary, but knowing the conditions that encourage the disease can help you decide how important it might be to get out and spray before or between rains.

When tree parts suspected of harboring disease are removed or pruned from the tree or surrounding soil, immediately place them in a plastic bag. Tightly close the bag and destroy it. If the limbs are too large to fit in the bag, place them well away from and downwind of the trees. Burn or otherwise remove them as soon as possible. Do not allow them to accumulate.

Brown rot is a serious peach disease, but it is not very common on plums in Mississippi. The disease attacks many plant parts (blossoms, twigs, shoots, and fruit) from spring through harvest. Fungicides will help suppress the disease but control it only moderately when conditions favor the disease, especially in late season near harvest. Nonetheless, fungicides are almost a necessity in our climate.

The fungus that causes brown rot (Monilinia fruticola) overwinters in twig cankers, fruit mummies, and peduncles (stem-like structures that attach the flower/fruit to the branch). Removing these overwintering sites after harvest will reduce disease pressure the next season.

The brown rot fungus becomes active in early spring, about the time the flower buds develop into the pink stage. Warm, humid, wet weather favors rapid spread and disease development. The optimal temperature for disease development is 75F, but slower disease development can occur as cool as 39F and as warm as 86F. Storms are a perfect time for spore movement because the free water (rain, dew, irrigation) on the trees provides the moisture for these seeds (spores) to germinate and infect the plant. The free water will need to be present for longer periods the further the temperature is from the 75F optimum.

As the fungus grows, it produces spores, or seed-like structures. They are very small (like very small pollen) and easily carried by wind and rain. The fruiting areas that produce the spores are small, ash-gray tufts that emerge from the surface of the brown-colored infected tissue. Infections in mature fruits show these spores clearly (Figure 1).

Twig cankers are dead (brownish), sunken areas. The canker may stay on one side of the twig or may girdle (encircle) it. A weak or dead twig or fruit spur will emerge from the canker. Some cankers may be small and difficult to find. Larger infected twigs or spurs may ooze sap, which looks like a bubble of dark brown viscous gum. This is called gummosis. The amount of gummosis varies from none to a fair amount and will only occur on larger twigs and branches.

Mummified fruit is a favored location for many diseases to overwinter. The mummies are fruit that have dried, leaving an unappetizing mock fruit. They might be hanging from the tree, lying on the ground, or, worse, partially buried in the soil near the tree (Figure 2). Infected fruit mummies that have been buried or partially buried in the soil may produce small, brown, cup-shaped mushrooms (apothecial stage of the fungus). The mushrooms produce a different kind of spore that infects the trees. Retrieving and destroying all mummies will be very beneficial.

The fungal spores commonly infect the flower, fruit, peduncle, and twigs. The peduncle is the stout stem that connects the flower/fruit to the tree branches. Early-season infection of the twig and blossoms creates the small cankers from which the fungus produces more spores. These early-season infections can substantially influence fruit infections later in the season.

In Mississippi, attacks on the flower by brown rot disease are not common. When they do occur, it seems to foretell a very challenging season for the grower, because the disease becomes prevalent. Symptoms of flower infection are called blossom blight. The blossoms will brown and probably collapse. The blight appears 36 days after infection, which will probably have occurred during a rain, irrigation, or long, heavy dew event.

Symptoms of shoot and twig infection will occur 34 weeks after infection. They may or may not follow from infected blossoms, from which the fungus travels down the peduncle into the twig or branch. As these infections progress, whole clusters of blossoms or leafy branches may wilt and die. This is because the canker cuts off the flow of water to these parts of the tree. Prune these out by cutting into healthy wood below the lesion as soon as possible. Remember to place the cut parts in a plastic bag, and seal and destroy it.

Brown rot may attack fruits at any time, but older fruit are more susceptible. Infection may occur directly through the skin of the fruit, through natural openings, and through wounds, especially those made by insects.

Direct your spraying and sanitation controls toward the sources of infection. Remove old, mummified fruit, peduncles, and infected twigs/branch parts from the tree and ground before spring. If harvest weather favors the disease, regular and thorough sprays will be necessary if you want to save your fruit from destruction by brown rot. Fungicides work preventivelythey cannot eradicate an infection. This means you must be proactive and keep these protective sprays on the targets the fungus most likes to infect.

Scab is a fungal disease caused by Cladosporium carpophilum. Although the primary damage caused by this disease is visual, it can provide entry wounds for brown rot. Heavy infections may also cause the peach to split.

The disease symptoms are velvety, olive-green spots on the fruit, leaves, or twigs. The spots are about one-sixteenth of an inch and enlarge to one-eighth of an inch. You will begin seeing these spots about 3 weeks after petals fall. When the spots are on the fruit, they will usually be on the stem-end side. When infections are numerous, they may merge and may cause the fruit to split. The fruit spots are confined to the skin; they do not enter the flesh.

Like brown rot, peach scab overwinters in twig lesions. Infections of twigs occur on new growth and are difficult to see. They start as raised, oval to circular areas that are pretty much the same color as the surrounding tissue. As they age, they may turn brownish. By seasons end, the lesion edges may be somewhat purple and the lesions may have grown to one-fourth to one-half of an inch. The second season of infection is when these lesions will produce most of the spores. The spores are both air- and water-borne and require 24 hours of high relative humidity to germinate.

Peach leaf curl disease is caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. Peach leaf curl does not occur regularly on most peach and plum trees, but it can be a serious disease. Standard fungicide sprays used to control other diseases, such as brown rot, normally control this disease.

The disease is favored by moderate temperatures (4881F; optimal temperature for development is 68F) and wet weather during early bud development. The humidity needs to be above 98 percent.

Two stages of the fungus make this disease unique. One type of spore is produced from curled (infected) leaves in the spring. The fungus can infect either side of the leaf. Infected leaf symptoms include yellow to reddish areas that get thicker as the fungus grows. The infected and thickening portion of the growing leaf causes that part of the leaf to grow more slowly than the rest of the leaf, causing the leaf to curl. These thick areas produce spores that, when germinated, produce a different phase of the fungus that grows on and along with the shoot tips, keeping up with their growth.

Sanitation and cultural controls are not effective for this disease. Some peach cultivars have been bred for resistance to this disease, so resistant cultivars and fungicides are the primary management tools. Copper sprays during tree dormancy, as well as in-season applications, are important. Once established in a group of trees, even radical pruning to remove infections will have only modest success controlling the disease.

Shot hole is a fungus disease (Wilsonomyces carpophilus) that gets its name from the leaf symptomssmallish brown spots that fall out, leaving a shot pattern in the leaf. The disease is present in Mississippi.

This fungus starts to cause problems during wet winter months when buds and twigs infected the previous season produce spores. The fungus infects and kills dormant buds. Some buds may have a varnished appearance, which results when tree gum seals the infection from the rest of the plant.

Stem lesions range from about one-tenth to three-eighths of an inch in diameter. Leaf and fruit lesions start as small, purplish areas that expand and turn brown. All may have a velvety, brownish mass of fungus in the middle during moist and humid weather. When the weather turns warm, the leaf lesions will fall from the leaf, leaving the shot hole appearance. Fruit lesions will be on the upper (stem) side and will become rough-textured, almost corky.

To manage this disease, you must protect the dormant buds. A single application of fixed copper or Bordeaux mixture before fall/winter rains provides winter-long protection. Growing shoots and fruits also need protection. A spray application immediately after fruit set is most common. Usually Captan is used because copper fungicides used at this time of year can cause plant injury (phytotoxicity). No resistant cultivars are available.

As the name indicates, this disease is caused by a bacteria (Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni). It can be very aggressive in the eastern United States because of generally higher humidity, wetter conditions, and longer dew periods than in the western states. Very susceptible cultivars cannot be grown here at all.

The bacteria depend upon free moisture (dew, rain, irrigation) to reproduce and for lesion growth. Rain driven by wind spreads the bacteria through the tree and among trees. Infections will be worse on the sides of the trees facing the winds that brought the infection. The optimal growth temperature is 7584F. The disease affects twigs, shoots, leaves, and fruits.

Leaf symptoms start as a water-soaked dark green spot that expands until it meets the veins inside the leaf. Because the leaf veins keep the lesion from spreading for a while, angular lesions (lesions with sharp corners) about one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch are a key that bacterial spot is the problem. If warm, wet weather continues, the lesions may enlarge and merge. As the lesions age, the insides will turn from a water-soaked dark green to a light purple color. As the weather dries, the lesions may turn brown and fall from the leaf. The lesions will be more common in areas of the tissue where water sits for any period of time, such as along the leaf midrib, on leaf tips, or along lower areas of the leaf margins. Leaves with numerous lesions may turn chlorotic (yellow) and fall from the tree.

This bacterial pathogen usually enters twigs through leaf scars, which are places where a leaf has fallen from the twig. Lesions that develop on the previous years growth are called spring cankers or black tip. They were infected by the bacteria moving through the leaf scars the previous autumn. Spring cankers appear as slightly raised blisters. They can expand to as long as an inch along the twig. Black tip is confined to the terminal bud area of the twig. The bud fails to open, and a dark canker can extend up to 1 inch down the twig from the bud.

Summer cankers form on newly growing shoots and are seen in late spring or very early summer. Favorable weather conditions may cause rapid bacterial growth, and the infection may kill the shoot.

Fruit symptoms first become apparent several weeks after petal fall. They appear as small, water-soaked, brownish lesions that might be mistaken for insect damage. As infection progresses, gum may ooze from the lesions during periods of high humidity. As the fruit and the infection age, the lesions may crack open and perhaps sink.

Bacterial infections can only be managed with proper sanitation, copper-based products, or antibiotic sprays and host plant resistance. There are cultivars with resistance to this disease. Common resistant cultivars include Redskin, Redhaven, Loring, Candor, Biscoe, Dixired, Sunhaven, Jefferson, Madison, Salem, Contender, Harrow Beauty, and Harrow Diamond. Bacterial spot is a very difficult disease to manage. If you are planting peaches or plums, please select a resistant cultivar.

Black-knot is caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa. The primary symptom in established infections occurs on wood and consists of outgrowths or knots on shoots, spurs, branches, and trunks. Old knots are hard, dark, almost black, raised areas. The raised areas are often invaded by insects whose damage may, in turn, be invaded by secondary pink or white fungi.

Infection starts in the spring when the tree enters the green tip stage, with most infection occurring between very early bloom and the end of petal fall. Spores released from 2-year-old infected tissue are moved by wind and splashing rain to new shoot growth. For the spores to be made, at least 6 hours of rain are needed at 70F, which is close to the optimal growth temperature for the fungus.

Symptoms of new shoot infection are difficult to detect. Perhaps the most obvious symptoms are the branches growing at right angles. Less obvious are the small, olive-green knots that might be firm to somewhat corky. The knots later turn hard and will probably break off easily.

Black-knot can be a problem in Mississippi plum trees, usually when those trees are within about 600 feet of wild plums and cherries or when the trees have not received care for a substantial length of time. Fungicides apparently suppress the disease, but pruning out black-knot cankers anywhere on the tree is a necessity. Wild plums and cherries within 600 feet should be removed if possible. Prune infections in wood about 4 inches below the lowest symptom of infection. Midsummer pruning is the most effective since the outer swelling is the closest to the infection on the inside of the wood. Fungicides should be applied during the time of active shoot growth if the disease is a problem in your area.

The fungus Taphrina causes plum pockets disease, but, while present in Mississippi, it has not been a serious problem. It is included here because it occurs frequently enough for many people who raise plums to see it. Although the fungus infects leaves, shoots, and fruit, symptoms are most obvious on fruits. Symptoms become obvious on all plant parts 68 weeks after bud break.

Fruit become enlarged (up to 10 times their normal size), wrinkled, and distorted. The centers of the fruit are spongy or hollow and may or may not contain a pit. When the fruits dry, they turn brown to black and are called bladder plums, mock plums, or, most often, plum pockets.

Twisting and curling are the most common signs of leaf and fruit infections, but these symptoms may not be present.

If planting new trees, select resistant cultivars. The most effective fungicide practice is a single fungicide spray in late autumn or before spring budbreak. Bordeaux mix, chlorothalonil, and liquid lime sulfur are effective treatments.

Captan-containing fungicides with labels for use on residential orchard trees include the following products:

Bonide Captan

Hi-Yield 50 W Captan Fungicide

Southern Ag Lawn and Garden Captan Fungicide

Chlorothalonil-containing fungicides with labels for use on residential orchard trees include these:

Fertilome Broad Spectrum Landscape and Garden Fungicide

Hi-Yield Vegetable, Flower, Fruit, and Ornamental Fungicide

Monterey Fruit Tree, Vegetable, and Ornamental Fungicide

Southern Ag Lawn and Garden Liquid Ornamental & Vegetable Fungicide Contains Daconil

Copper fungicides come in different formulations and brands. Formulations include basic copper sulfate, cuprous oxide, copper hydroxide, and copper octanate. The labels differ depending on the percent of metallic copper in the product. The rates of use should decrease the later in the season the product is to be used to avoid damage to the trees. Check your water pH before using coppers because spraying coppers in water with pH less than 6.5 can result in tree injury. Adjust the water pH using an appropriate spray buffer. Do not apply copper-based fungicides at temperatures greater than 90F to avoid tree injury. Do not use copper fungicides in conditions that may be overcast with high humidity for 3 or more days.

Copper fungicides with labels for use on residential orchard trees include these:

Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide Concentrate

Monterey Liqui-Cop

Natural Guard Copper Soap Liquid Fungicide

Southern Ag Lawn and Garden Liquid Copper Fungicide

The myclobutanil-containing fungicide labeled for use on residential orchard trees is

Spectracide Immunox Multi-Purpose Fungicide Spray Concentrate for Gardens

Propiconazole-containing fungicides with labels for use on residential orchard trees include these:

Bonide Infuse Concentrate

Monterey Fungi-Fighter

Sulfur-containing fungicides with labels for use on residential orchard trees include these:

Fertilome Dusting Sulfur

Hi-Yield Dusting Wettable Sulfur

Southern Ag Lawn and Garden Wettable or Dusting Sulfur

The plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar, is one of the most damaging insect pests of homegrown peaches and plums. The white, legless grubs are the worms so often encountered in fruit that has not been adequately protected. Adults are small weevils that overwinter in leaf litter and ground trash in or near the orchard. The adults become active about the time peaches begin to bloom. They fly to trees to feed on buds and newly set fruit; females chew crescent-shaped punctures through the skin of developing fruit to insert their eggs. Grubs hatch and feed inside the fruit until mature. Fruit that are attacked when small usually abort, but larger fruit remain on the tree with developing larvae inside. Picking up and destroying fallen fruit can help reduce future infestations. Mature larvae drop to the ground when they are ready to pupate. There are two to three generations per year.

Successful control of plum curculios depends on killing the adults before they are able to lay their eggs in the fruit. Begin including malathion in cover sprays as soon as petals fall and apply on a 10- to 14-day schedule (tighten the spray schedule during rainy periods). Extending the spray intervals will result in reduced control. Tightening spray intervals to 710 days, especially for the first few cover sprays, will improve control. The first few sprays after petal drop are the most important because they target the overwintered adults that will lay the eggs for the first generation.

Several species of stink bugs, as well as tarnished plant bugs, will feed on developing peaches and plums, causing catfacing injury. It is usually adult insects that cause this damage. Their feeding kills developing cells at the feeding site and causes the fruit to be distorted as it grows. Cover sprays containing malathion will usually control catfacing insects. Permethrin is also effective against stink bugs and will control plant bugs in non-Delta areas of the state.

The caterpillar stage of the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta, bores into the terminals, or tips, of peach tree branches, causing them to die back 46 inches. This damage is not serious unless populations are high, but once the terminals harden and become unattractive, the caterpillars begin boring into fruit.

The oriental fruit moth is relatively uncommon but can cause significant fruit damage. Watch for early signs of dying terminals and tighten the cover spray interval if necessary to protect fruit. Infested fruit may have masses of gummy sap containing frass at the point of entry. Permethrin can be substituted for malathion if necessary to control heavy infestations.

Two species of peachtree borers attack peaches and plums: peachtree borer (PTB), Synanthedon exitiosa, and lesser peachtree borer, Synanthedon pictipes. Both are wasp-like, day-flying moths whose larvae bore under the bark and tunnel in the cambium. Peach tree borers usually focus their attack on the lower 1012 inches of the trunk down to the root flare and extending a few inches belowground. Lesser peach tree borers attack higher on the trunk and on lower scaffold limbs. Peach tree borers are the more damaging of these two species.

Moths are especially attracted to trees that have injured areas on the trunk or have previous bore infestations. Keeping trees healthy and protecting trunks and root flares from mechanical injury helps reduce attacks. The eggs are deposited on the surface of the bark, and newly hatched larvae promptly bore into the tree. If PTB are not controlled, trees may die as the result of the cumulative damage caused by larvae tunneling through the cambium. Young, small-diameter trees are especially vulnerable. Balls of gummy sap that contain frass and sawdust indicate bore infestation. Note that some disease infections also cause peach and plum trees to exude gummy balls of sap through the bark. Sap balls that contain frass and/or sawdust indicate a bore problem; sap balls that are clear/free of frass and sawdust indicate disease problems.

The key to controlling peach tree borers is to kill the newly hatched larvae before they bore through the bark. This means applying a trunk spray at the proper time of year so the newly hatched larvae have to crawl through the insecticide residue as they bore into the bark. Low numbers of moths may be active in June and July, but cover sprays for other insect pests usually control these. Heavy PTB moth flight does not occur until August and September, usually peaking around early September, and this is the time to apply trunk sprays for peachtree borer control.

Permethrin is currently the best treatment available for peachtree borers in small home orchards. Mix at the highest rate labeled for trunk sprays, and thoroughly spray the lower scaffold limbs, the trunk, and the root flare. Apply a second spray in 23 weeks; a single application of permethrin will not provide adequate residual control. Treatment dates around mid-August and the first week of September are appropriate for most of the state. To protect trees that are heavily infested or especially vulnerable, make three applications at 2-week intervals, beginning in mid-August.

This tiny beetle occasionally attacks and kills peach and plum trees, as well as many other trees in the home landscape. Actually, it is not the beetle that kills the tree, but the disease it carries and inoculates into the tree. Because they are less than one-eighth of an inch long, the beetles themselves are rarely seen. The sign to look for is the compacted columns of sawdust these beetles create as they bore into the tree. Except for the fact that they are often curved, these sawdust columns are similar to toothpicks in size and color. Be aware, however, that this sign is short-lived, as these sawdust columns are easily broken off by wind and rain.

Even a half-dozen attacks is enough to kill a small tree, and there is no effective rescue treatment. This pest has several generations per year, but most fatal attacks to fruit trees occur in early spring, just as trees are leafing out. These beetles attack many species of trees and shrubs, but peaches and plums seem to be favorite targets, possibly because of pruning activities. Newly planted trees, less than 3 or 4 years old, are most susceptible, but older trees are also attacked.

Fortunately, granulate ambrosia beetle attacks are sporadic; they may kill two or three of your seven trees one year and not return for several years. In most situations, there is no practical treatment or response other than to recognize what killed the tree and to cut it down and burn the wood to prevent further spread. To treat preventively, mix permethrin according to label directions for a trunk spray and apply at 2-week intervals, beginning just before buds begin to swell and continuing until just before bloom. Spray to cover the trunk, scaffold limbs, and larger branches. Trees less than 4 years old are most likely to benefit from such treatments. Note that sprays for ambrosia beetles must be applied much higher on the tree than for peachtree borers.

Heavy infestations of San Jose scale or white peach scale can severely damage peach and plum trees. Scale infestations are difficult to detect because the insects are small and immobile. Watch for irregular, crusty, brown or white patches on limbs and twigs, and then use a hand lens to see individual insects (Figure 3). Scales will also occur on fruit when infestations are heavy. Insecticides used in spring and summer cover sprays help control newly hatched scale crawlers, but dormant horticultural oil sprays are the most effective treatment for scales. Apply a single delayed-dormant treatment in late winter to early spring as a preventive treatment or to control light infestations. Trees that are heavily infested with scales should be treated in late fall, after 95 percent leaf drop and before onset of freezing temperatures, and again in late winter to early spring (delayed-dormant period). Apply spring oil sprays before buds break and new leaf growth is evident. Do not apply oil sprays within 30 days of (before or after) making a spray that contains sulfur.

Several species of mites attack peaches and plums. Two-spotted spider mites are the most common, but European red mites and silver mites may also occur. Heavy infestations of spider mites can be damaging and difficult to control because there are no effective miticides labeled for home use. Minimize foliar sprays containing pyrethroid insecticides, such as permethrin, and avoid treatments that contain carbaryl (Sevin) because these treatments tend to encourage spider mite outbreaks. Some mites overwinter as eggs on the bark, and these overwintering eggs can be controlled with a delayed/dormant application of horticultural oil. If heavy mite populations occurred in the previous season, make an application of horticultural oil just before bud break to help reduce the potential for further mite outbreaks.

Protect bees and other pollinators. Avoid spraying insecticides while fruit trees are in bloom. There are no major insect pest problems to be concerned about during this period anyway. Begin your insecticide spray program promptly after petal drop to control overwintered curculios and catfacing insects.

Horticultural oils are usually applied in winter to early spring, after leaves drop in the fall and before buds break, to control San Jose scale and white peach scale, as well as overwintering mites. Read and follow the label carefully to avoid injuring plants. Avoid applying horticultural oil sprays when temperatures are below freezing or are likely to drop below freezing for the next 23 days. Bonide All Seasons Horticultural Spray Oil and Ortho Volck Oil are two examples.

Malathion is the most effective treatment available to homeowners for controlling plum curculios and is the key insecticide recommended for early cover sprays (beginning at petal fall). Malathion is also effective against immature scale insects (crawler stage) and catfacing insects (stink bugs and plant bugs) and will help control oriental fruit moths and lesser peach tree borers. Examples of brand name formulations include Bonide Malathion Concentrate and Ortho Malathion Insect Spray. The pre-harvest interval for malathion is 7 days on peaches. Avoid applying malathion during periods of overcast or highly humid weather because the spray will dry slowly and increase the potential for plant injury.

Permethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide that controls a wide range of insects. It is the most effective treatment currently available to homeowners for control of peach tree borers. Because overuse of permethrin can trigger outbreaks of spider mites, scales, and aphids, it is not recommended for early cover sprays. Permethrin is effective against oriental fruit moths and catfacing insects, as well as plum curculios, and can be substituted for malathion in one or two of the summer cover sprays. There are many commercial formulations of permethrin that are not labeled for use on peaches and plums. Check labels carefully before you buy. Hi-Yield Lawn, Garden, Pet, and Livestock Spray (10%) and Bonide Total Pest Control Outdoor Concentrate (13.3%) are examples of two products that are labeled for use on peaches. The pre-harvest interval for permethrin is 7 days on peaches.

Several companies sell pre-mixed fruit tree sprays. These usually contain a fungicide and one or more insecticides. Malathion should be one of the insecticides. Bonide Complete Fruit Tree Spray Concentrate and Gordons Liquid Fruit Tree Spray are two examples (both contain 11.76% Captan, 6% malathion, and 0.3% carbaryl). Such products can be an effective and convenient way to buy and apply pesticides, but read the label carefully before purchasing to be sure the product contains the active ingredients you need. Some fruit tree sprays contain active ingredients that are only marginally effective against important insect and disease pests.

A good sanitation program can greatly improve control of diseases and insects. The following sanitation and management practices are simple, inexpensive, and effective:

Controlling tree size makes them easier to spray. Pruning reduces tree height and number of limbs. This allows better air circulation and greatly improves spray coverage. Use adequate spray volume for the size of the trees you are treating and take care to get good spray coverage. Apply sprays as a mist of fine droplets with enough pressure to completely cover the tree. Be sure your spray pattern reaches the highest leaves.

Number of Gallons of Spray Required, Based on Tree Size

Gallons

Tree Size Height (ft)

Tree Size Spread (ft)

1

58

36

12

810

48

45

1015

815

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Disease and Insect Control for Homegrown Peaches and Plums ...

Thomas Werfel, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Mississippi, has received a Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, award from the National Science Foundation.

The CAREER award, a five-year grant for $597,638, will fund Werfels efforts to create innovative biomaterials that will help human immune systems respond better to illnesses.

The immune system is one of the most complex systems in the body: molecules, cells and organs work together to keep a person healthy. It responds to all types of challenges such as infections, cancers and toxins with great precision in terms of timing and location.

Immunotherapies drugs that harness the power of the immune system are typically given all at once as single therapies. That means they often lack the level of precision needed in terms of where, how much and how long the drug is administered.

Werfels research seeks to radically improve the ability to program immune responses by developing biomaterials that can recruit, train and sustain relevant immune cells with greater accuracy.

Ultimately, this could result in vaccines and cancer treatments that maximize the effectiveness of the immune response.

We think our approach has great potential because it is based on the way the body naturally responds to infection, as opposed to traditional approaches to drug-making, said Werfel.

To achieve this, it is necessary to pursue new technologies that can perform in this novel manner. Im truly honored to receive the NSF CAREER award, as it allows me the time and resources to hopefully discover a way to improve health care for many Americans.

Werfel also has received anearly $800,000 grant from the American Cancer Societyin a complementary area: research into new treatments for metastatic breast cancer.

As part of his CAREER grant, Werfel plans to set up a Nanoengineering Research Experience for Undergraduates, with particular focus on underrepresented students from Mississippi and nearby. The summer program would provide research and professional development opportunities.

He also wants to establish a STEM Excursion program, where north Mississippi high school students can learn about nanobiotechnology from Ole Miss undergraduate researchers.

Werfel explained that these outreach efforts provide a great opportunity for students of all backgrounds to learn about this exciting new field. And, this gives our young academics the possibility to share their passion and gain mentoring skills.

The NSFs Faculty Early Career Development program supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

This prestigious award is designed to help early-career faculty build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

Several UM researchers have received NSF CAREER Awards, but this is the first for the School of Engineering.

I am pleased that Thomas work has been recognized with this great honor, said Dave Puleo, dean of the School of Engineering. This is an excellent moment for the school and it demonstrates our efforts to give cutting-edge research opportunities to our students.

The project, titled Multimodal biomaterials for sequential delivery of diverse immunotherapeutic cargos, is jointly funded by the NSFs Biomaterials program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. EPSCoR works to enhance the research competitiveness of certain jurisdictions, such as underfunded states, by strengthening STEM capacity and capability.

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Mississippi professor, engineer receives national award to help develop better vaccines, cancer treatments - Magnolia State Live - Magnolia State Live

In the Philadelphia jail, the number of COVID-19 cases has tripled in the last two months. In Chicagos lockup, infections have increased 11-fold in the same period. And in New York, city jails are struggling with a mushrooming 13-fold increase in less than a month.

From local lockups in California to prisons in Wisconsin to jails in Pennsylvania, COVID-19 is once again surging behind bars, posing a renewed threat to a high-risk population with spotty access to healthcare and little ability to distance.

At this point its unclear whether the surge in infections is due to the highly contagious omicron variant. Still, as caseloads across the country skyrocket and omicron becomes the dominant variant, experts worry the coronavirus is once again poised to sweep through jails and prisons. As in the world outside prison bars, many incarcerated people are struggling with pandemic fatigue. Theyre also facing uncertain access to booster shots, widespread vaccine hesitancy and pandemic-driven staffing shortfalls that have created even harsher conditions.

As with previous iterations of the virus, everything about prisons and jails makes them a setup to magnify the harms of omicron. The overcrowding. The poor sanitary conditions. The lack of access to health care, said Monik Jimenez, an epidemiologist at Harvards School of Public Health. Masking is only going to do so much when you have people on top of you.

Though scientists warn that the new variant is far more contagious than previous ones, a half dozen prisoners who spoke with The Marshall Project for this story said they hadnt noticed any widespread concern about it at this point and that prison officials had given them little information.

They're not telling us anything about omicron or anything else for that matter, wrote Rachel Padgett, a federal prisoner in Florida. Many pandemic-weary prisoners said they were less concerned about catching the virus than about being locked down because of it, once again facing months confined to their cells and bunks with no way to call home, see their families or go outside.

Thats the only part people are worried about these days taking away our rec, said a man incarcerated in a federal prison in Mississippi who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation from prison officials.

For some, its hard to get worried again considering how bad things got in some prisons before. John J. Lennon recalled the end of last year when the virus seemed particularly relentless, making the people incarcerated with him in upstate New York fearful and anxious. All thats changed. There is no sense of urgency about it, he said.

I havent seen watery eyes coming off the phones anymore. There arent ambulances coming in and out, said Lennon, a journalist who is a contributing writer to the Marshall Project and Esquire. There was a time when thats what I saw every day.

Though some early reports suggested that omicron may cause less severe disease, there are also indications that the new variant is better able to evade vaccines which means that access to booster shots is even more important. But there is little good public information about how widely boosters are available to incarcerated people or how widespread booster uptake is among correctional staff, many of whom resisted vaccination in the first place.

Though officials in more than half a dozen prison systems including New York, Texas and Arkansas said theyd offered booster shots to prisoners, not all were able to specify how many received them so far. In Nebraska, inspector general Doug Koebernick said prisoners have only been offered access to the Johnson & Johnson booster shot, which early research suggests is the least effective against the new variant.

The CDC recently said the 2-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are preferred over the Johnson & Johnson. Homer Venters, a former New York City jail medical director and correctional healthcare consultant, said that makes the coming months a lot trickier for the people who are trying to engage with people behind bars and promote vaccination, which is crucial to prevent omicron.

Aside from the lack of data about booster availability, many states that routinely released real-time data about infections and vaccinations in the first year of the pandemic are now releasing information monthly or not at all, said Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, an associate professor and co-founder of the COVID Prison Project at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. We basically know nothing, and its really disheartening in that we have less and less data every day, she said.

Even so, the ripple effects of the mutating virus could soon become clear.

If the slope of the curve with omicron is as steep as we fear it is, we may have some really devastating staff shortages, said Venters, who has been performing court-ordered COVID-19 prison inspections since the beginning of the pandemic. With large numbers of staff unavailable to work very quickly, you cant actually do any of the jobs of running the facilities. Venters said to expect large scale lockdowns or very serious security consequences.

For several prison systems, the dwindling number of guards has already been a problem. In Texas, longstanding staff shortages exacerbated by the pandemic have created unsafe conditions for prisoners and workers alike. For the first time in recent memory, the Texas agency that runs state prisons is down more than 7,200 officers, leaving several facilities at less than half-staff and relying on overtime. Jeff Ormsby, executive director for the states biggest union representing corrections employees, said officers are more likely to die from a car wreck going home from a 24-hour shift than to die from omicron.

Meanwhile, populations of people in prison and jail have crept back toward pre-pandemic levels in many places, after early efforts to keep as many people out of jail as possible and to release people from prisons en masse as a tactic to stem the spread of coronavirus. By the middle of last year, the number of people in jails nationwide was down by roughly one-quarter its lowest point in more than two decades. And, from 2019 to 2020, the number of new prisoners admitted to state and federal prisons went down by 40%.

Now, courthouses are slogging through the backlog of cases that accumulated while they were closed, leading to many new people entering the system. Systems set up to process plea bargains have returned to business as usual. And new spikes in certain violent crimes and public fears of violence have put pressure on city leaders across the country to call for additional policing.

So with omicron poised to sweep through the nations lockups, they are increasingly crowded a dangerous setup for the viruss spread, said Jaimie Meyer, an epidemiologist and infectious disease doctor at Yale medical school. Were looking at another potential tinderbox scenario.

Staff writers Weihua Li and Katie Park contributed to this story.

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Omicron is here, and many prisons and jails are not ready - The Marshall Project

Fri, 06/18/2021 - 16:14pm | By: David Tisdale

An enhancement of the cutting edge technology employed by the Mississippi INBREs (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) Imaging Facility, headquartered at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), will keep its affiliate faculty and student researchers at the forefront in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics) research.

The Mississippi INBRE Imaging Core has upgraded its existing Leica SP8 confocal microscope to the STELLARIS STED super resolution platform, one of the most complete imaging systems in the region. The instrument was acquired through funding from the NIH-supported Mississippi INBRE Imaging Core Facility, as well as an NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program grant whose Principal Investigator (PI) is Dr. Alex Flynt, an associate professor in USMs Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.

The Mississippi INBRE Imaging Facility, directed by Dr. Jonathan Lindner, provides imaging and microscopy expertise to researchers throughout the state, offering access to and training on biomedical research equipment at no cost to users. The facility houses several types of microscopes, as well as a variety of large-scale instruments. The imaging facility also offers computational services and expertise to Mississippi researchers.

The addition of the STELLARIS STED super resolution microscope will enhance the quality and scope of biomedical research in the state of Mississippi, accommodating the varied needs of the INBRE Imaging Core user base. This cutting-edge technology is now accessible to faculty and students at USM and across the state who otherwise would not have access to super-resolution confocal microscopy.

According to Dr. Flynt, while light-based microscopes are indispensable to the advancement of many scientific fields. Unfortunately, he says, there is a lower limit to the size of objects that can be observed due to the physics of light itself, a barrier that impedes investigation of minuscule objects. Fortunately, recent advances have vaulted over this hurdle, yielding super-resolution microscopes such as the STELLARIS STED.

This specific super-resolution technology is well-suited for imaging dynamic objects like those in cells, as well as nanoparticles created in the laboratory, Dr. Flynt said. Areas of research that will be investigated with this microscope include material scientists studying assembly of plastic-like materials, cell biologists, and biochemists investigating cell components important in Alzheimers and genetic tools, and microbiologists who examine bacterial community structures involved in infection and plant-soil interactions.

Dr. Lindner concurs, noting also that researchers from a broad base of biological, chemical, and material science fields, including cellular and developmental biology, virology, biochemistry, high performance materials, and nanoparticle development, can greatly benefit from the instruments unique and powerful capabilities.

Microscopes are essential tools for the investigation of biological and molecular systems, Dr. Lindner said. Access to cutting-edge instruments is vital for cell biology, embryology, biochemistry, and imaging advanced materials.

Further, the addition of the advanced microscope will provide important training opportunities for students, also enhancing Mississippi STEM education.

The Leica STELLARIS STED Super-Resolution Confocal Microscope upgrades the previous confocal microscope to a fully automated platform with a 3D STimulated Emission Depletion (STED) super resolution module. The STED technology enables fluorescence microscopy approaches for visualizing objects smaller than the diffraction limit of light, increasing resolution up to 10 times more than traditional microscopes. For reference, the diameter of a nucleus of an average human cell is approximately 10 micrometers. STED super-resolution imaging is capable of resolution below 50 nanometers, over 200 times smaller than a nucleus. This enables the real-time study of sub-cellular molecular interactions and mechanisms on the nanoscale.

The system is capable of both conventional confocal scanning and resonant scanning for rapid low-light illumination imaging, which is ideal for live specimens. It is equipped with an automated motorized stage with upgraded software for expanded view image stitching options, 3D modeling, FRAP, and co-localization. Additionally, the instrument is outfitted with an Okolab CO2chamber for long term mammalian tissue culture imaging, and a Hamamatsu Flash camera for ultrafast acquisition.

Mississippi INBRE, directed by USM Professor Dr. Mohamed Elasri, is a statewide program supported by an award from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences. Its mission is to enhance the biomedical foundation in Mississippi and engage talented researchers and students in biomedical research projects that will increase the state's research competitiveness, as well as positively impact the health of the states citizens.

For more information about Mississippi INBRE, visit msinbre.org.

Continued here:
Mississippi INBRE Research Efforts Aided by Technology Upgrade - Southern Miss Now

Does the thought of a barbecue make you ravenously hungry? Imagine a mouth-watering image of beautifully seasoned meat, fresh off a grill or right out of the smoker, a charred texture, intoxicating aroma and deliciously satisfying taste only well-cooked meat provides. Now, imagine if you did not have to kill an animal to get it.

Most Americans follow a diet that includes meat with every meal. There are also vegetarians or vegans who reject meat for a variety of reasons, and their choice is equally valid. Thankfully, recent developments in lab-grown meat will satisfy each group, yet many are still skeptical about it.

Yes, I understand the hesitation that surfaces with the concept of 'lab-grown.' It draws in concepts like beakers, Petri-dishes and imitation. Several questions arise, like if vegetarians would be okay with it. Could cultured meat be considered kosher or halal? Some scoff at the idea, thinking it exists in the same 'plant-based' spectrum of veggie-burgers or tofu; however, lab-grown meat does not.

First, we need to explain the difference. Plant-based meat, like tofu, has been around for thousands of years. They mainly rely on soybeans, gluten fibers or some alternative vegetarian or vegan option. Lab-grown meat, known as cultured meat, is a form of cellular agriculture that creates artificial tissues from cultured animal cells.

Basically, it is meat down to the molecular level. The only difference is cultured meat uses stem cells and does not require the slaughtering of animals. As a source of protein, there are few things on this planet as delicious as meat. The problem is the inefficient energy requirements of our current production system. It takes ages to raise animals for meat production, and they require more feed intake than the overall output of meat.

There is also the slew of other unpalatable factors that are a part of the current system. Grotesque slaughterhouse methods, apathetic living conditions, growth hormones and the horrific note that 70% of all antibiotics go toward animals, as reported by Lisa Baertlein and Tom Polansek ofReuters. With a lot of potential, the demand for more compassionate options of meat is sure to grow once it becomes globally available.

A major benefit cultured meat has compared to traditional livestock is scalability. Due to the enormous human population, we will have to produce more food over the next few decades than the last few hundred years combined. Right now, livestock is incredibly inefficient and a major issue for the planet. According to a Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations report, livestock accounts for over 14% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Given the human population has doubled in the last 50 years, we have to become more efficient. Cultured meat might be an adequate solution to industry problems. According to New-Harvest.org, a cellular agriculture research institute, the Netherlands kicked off government-funded research on cultured meat in 2005. By August 2013, Dr. Mark Post, a professor at Eindhoven Technical University, was showcasing the first lab-grown burger to the public. The burger was made up of around 20,000 muscle strands and cost roughly 250,000 to produce.

From that moment on, advancements in technology were bound to occur. Silke Koltrowitz and Andrs GonzlezwithReuters report cultured meat could hit $9 a patty by 2021. Economies of scale are important to consider, which may lead to cultured sources becoming cheaper than the livestock variety. It makes sense why many would be willing to try cultured options if it winds up cheaper than the slaughtered standard. Soon enough, both will co-exist in the supermarket, but the concept of meat without death is a strong selling point. That said, before the excitement grows, there are a few issues that have not been explored yet.

There is little publicly available scientific data, which causes concern for efficiency metrics. There is also emerging governmental regulation that stands in the way of new cellular agriculture companies. The conventional meat industry does not want cultured meat to be labeled "meat," as it will directly interfere with their business. According to Laurel Handel with Handel Food Law LLC, over 10 states have passed laws prohibiting the label stating "meat" if the food is not derived from animal carcasses. Mississippi's SB 2022 took effect last July and follows similar legislation from other states.

For me, I am interested enough to try meat that did not require slaughter. There is also the exciting possibility of getting a cheaper, but still good quality, sirloin or an incredible wagyu-beef. Slaughtered meat will not disappear, but a reduction in reliance would leave a fantastic impact on our planet. It is all about options, and I am certain we are all partially curious if it tastes the same.

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Lab-grown meat meets resistance from industry | Opinion - The Reflector online

One of two prisoners believed to have escaped from one of several Mississippi prisons recently rocked by violence is back in custody, authorities said early Sunday.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections tweeted just before 3:30 a.m. that David May was in custody. Further details weren't immediately released.

Gov. Phil Bryant on Saturday said via Twitter that he directed "the use of all necessary assets and personnel" to find the two inmates who escaped Saturday from the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Five inmates have died in prison violence since Dec. 29; three of those deaths have occurred at Parchman.

The corrections department said in a Facebook post that May, 42, and Dillion Williams, 27, were discovered missing from Parchman during an "emergency count" about 1:45 a.m. Saturday. May is serving a life sentence for two aggravated assault convictions in Harrison County, and Williams is serving a 40-year sentence for residential burglary and aggravated assault in Marshall County.

The state Department of Public Safety deployed state troopers and the highway patrol's special operations group to help the Department of Corrections find the two inmates and to help restore order at the troubled facility that they escaped from, Bryant said.

The department said via Twitter on Saturday afternoon that there were no major disturbances occurring at Parchman.

"There was a minor fire at Unit 30 earlier this week. That fire, set by an inmate, was immediately extinguished. Like other facilities in the prison system, the prison has limited movement," the department tweeted.

Parchman is a series of cell blocks scattered across thousands of acres of farmland in Mississippi's Delta region. Inmates who escape their cells sometimes don't make it off the property.

Mississippi's outgoing prisons chief said Friday that four of the five killings of inmates since Sunday stem from gang violence, as guards struggle to maintain control of restive inmates.

Corrections Commissioner Pelicia Hall said the department won't confirm the names of the gangs "for security purposes," but relatives of inmates who spoke to The Associated Press and other news outlets said there's an ongoing confrontation between the Vice Lords and Black Gangster Disciples.

It wouldn't be the first time the two gangs have warred behind bars in Mississippi, with previous confrontations at Parchman and other prisons over the past 15 years. A 2015 survey found nearly 3,000 Black Gangster Disciple members and nearly 2,000 Vice Lords in prisons statewide.

"These are trying times for the Mississippi Department of Corrections," Hall said Friday.

All state prisons statewide remained locked down Saturday, Bryant said, with inmates confined to cells, and no visitors allowed.

T he first of five inmates identified as dying was Terrandance Dobbins, 40, who died Sunday at the South Mississippi Correctional Institute in Leakesville. Two days later, Walter Gates, 25, was stabbed and several other inmates were injured at Parchman during a fight that spread to multiple units of the sprawling prison. Then on Thursday, Gregory Emary, 26, was killed at the Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility, a county-run jail that holds state inmates. Also Thursday, 32-year-old Roosevelt Holliman was fatally stabbed at Parchman in a fracas that led to multiple injuries. Before dawn Friday, Denorris Howell, 36, was found dead in his cell at Parchman.

Corrections officials have repeatedly not answered questions about how many people overall have been injured, or whether there have been other violent incidents in prisons.

Mississippi's prison system has struggled to fill guard vacancies, with Hall saying it's difficult to attract people with salaries that start below $25,000 a year. Some guards end up bringing illegal drugs and cellphones into prisons. Criminal charges were filed in 2014 against 26 state correctional officers.

Some prisons, including South Mississippi, have areas where many prisoners are housed in bunks in one large room, instead of individual cells. This can lead to worsened security problems. South Mississippi, in Greene County, was locked down for almost all of 2019, in part because of guard shortages.

The violence came even as U.S. District Judge William Barbour ruled Tuesday that while conditions may have previously been poor at East Mississippi Correctional Facility near Meridian, there's no longer any evidence that the privately run prison is violating inmates' rights.

Hall announced Tuesday that she will resign in mid-January to take a private sector job, signaling incoming Gov. Tate Reeves won't retain her upon taking office Jan. 14.

Originally posted here:
1 of 2 escapees from troubled Mississippi prison in custody - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Stem cell treatment has ended up being a popular debate in the global medical scene. This extremely questionable therapy has actually received mixed viewpoints from different stakeholders in the healthcare industry and has likewise brought in the attention of politicians, spiritual leaders and the basic population at large. Stem cell treatment is considered a revolutionary treatment for people dealing with a vast array of degenerative conditions. Some common questions regarding this treatment are responded to below.

Are you a stem cell therapy provider in Tupelo MS 38801? Contact us for more information about joining our website.

Stem cells can be described as blank state or non-specialized cells that have the capability to become customized cells in the body such as bone, muscle, nerve or organ cells. This indicates that these special cells can be utilized to restore or establish a vast array of damaged cells and tissues in the body. Stem cell therapy is therefore a treatment that focuses on accomplishing tissue regrowth and can be utilized to treat health conditions and illnesses such as osteoarthritis, degenerative disc illness, spinal cord injury, muscular degeneration, motor neuron disease, ALS, Parkinsons, cardiovascular disease and much more.

Being a treatment that is still under research, stem cell treatment has not been fully accepted as a feasible treatment choice for the above mentioned health conditions and diseases. A great deal of studio is presently being carried out by researchers and medical specialists in various parts of the world to make this treatment viable and reliable. There are however various restrictions imposed by governments on research including embryonic stem cells.

Presently, there have not been many case studies carried out for this form of treatment. However, with the few case studies that have actually been performed, one of the significant concerns that has actually been raised is the boost in a patients risk of establishing cancer. Cancer is triggered by the rapid multiplication of cells that have a tendency not to pass away so easily. Stem cells have been connected with comparable development elements that may lead to formation of growths and other malignant cells in clients.

Contact us for more information about stem cell doctor near Tupelo MS 38801

Stem cells can be drawn out from a young embryo after conception. These stem cells are typically referred to as embryonic stem cells. After the stem cells are extracted from the embryo, the embryo is ended. This is generally one of the significant causes of controversy in the field of stem cell research study. Many individuals argue that termination of an embryo is dishonest and inappropriate.

Stem cells can still be acquired through other means as they can be found in the blood, bone marrow and umbilical cables of adult people. Regular body cells can likewise be reverse-engineered to become stem cells that have actually restricted capabilities.

New research has actually nevertheless revealed pledge as researchers focus on developing stem cells that do not form into growths in later treatment phases. These stem cells can therefore efficiently change into other kinds of specialized cells. This therapy is therefore worth investigating into as numerous clients can take advantage of this revolutionary treatment.

stem cell doctor close to Tupelo MS 38801

55

Main address:Tupelo, Mississippi, 38801

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Stem Cell Tupelo Mississippi 38801

In our practice we often see patients who are in severe back pain. They have an MRI, X-ray and/or scan that shows an inaccurate picture of what is causing their pain. The MRI cannot show muscle spasms from a simple back strain which can cause excruciating pain. Conversely, the MRI can show a large herniated disc which may be completely painless. Yet that large herniated disc will send the patient to surgery. As you will read in the research below, this was considered unsupported enthusiasm for the surgical management of discogenic back pain. Now surgeons are publishing new data with a tempered enthusiasm.

Marc Darrow MD, JD. Thank you for reading my article. You can ask me your questions about degenerative disc disease using the contact form below.

The decision to perform surgery in patients with predominantly axial pain (low back pain caused degenerative disc disease) should be made with the understanding that many patients may not respond to the treatment.

April 2018,European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology

In a study out of Greece, surgeons reassessed a few of the most commonly performed spinal fusion alternative surgical procedures.(1) Their reassessment surroundedadjacent level disease. This is advanced degeneration above and below the fusion site. The researchers of this study examinedmotion preservation surgical methods that were recently developed in order to overcome this complication.

(Motion preservation surgical methods) include total disc replacement, laminoplasty (cutting away of bone and other pressure causing material on the nerves), interspinous implants (spacers to hold nerve pathways open) and dynamic posterior stabilization systems (not a fusion but similar. This procedure allows controlled movement of the spine).

What is being said in the above research and the below research is, these surgeries may not be as helpful as doctors thought.

In an editorial from theDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia, doctors found: Without prospective trials with non-conflicted surgeons and standardized selection criteria, the true role for sacroiliac jointfusion procedures in the treatmentof chronic lower back pain will remain murky. The consequences of the unsupported enthusiasm for the surgical management of discogenic back pain still negatively impacts the public perception of spinal surgeons. 2

Enthusiasm they say from surgeons is not realistic. When the surgical outcome is poor, the patients are surprised. Researchers say patients should have been told upfront of the likelihood of complication

Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, May 2017

Four to fifty percent of patients will developFailedBack Surgery Syndrome followinglumbarspine surgery. Repeated surgeries lead to escalating costs and subsequent decreases in success rate.

2016:University of Minnesotas Department of Orthopedic Surgery inClinicoEconomics and outcomes research:

The 60% may be considered an improvement over results found in other studies. In a heavily cited 2006 landmark study from the Schulthess Clinic in Zurich Switzerland, doctors reported on 17 patientswith chronic low back pain, with a positive response to specific diagnostic tests for sacroiliac joint dysfunction who a bilateral sacroiliacfusion procedure.

At the time of follow-up (on average 39 months after surgery),

In the August 3, 2016 edition of the New York Times, author Gina Kolata wrote:

Back to MRI assessment

Is MRI to blame? Doctors at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlandsquestioned whether or not MRI has any value in determining sciatica treatment or diagnosisand why surgeons rely so heavily on the readings.(5)We often see patients who visited the doctor who had unsupported enthusiasm for sacroiliac joint dysfunction surgery because they had an MRI showing a herniation between the L5 and S1 vertebrae and a prognosis of impending surgery.

Spinal Fusion Alternative: Regenerative medicine for problems of the spine

In a new paper Japanese doctors came up with a scoring system to help clinicians determine if sacroiliac joint pain was originating from the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine.

The ligaments are important as attested to by researchers atUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center. As important as the vertebral ligaments are in maintaining the integrity of the spinal column and protecting the contents of the spinal canal, a single detailed review of their anatomy and function is missing in the literature.(7)

Why not get a consultation to see if the ligaments are the cause of your back pain before your embark on surgery?

The video below shows treatment of the low back with bone marrow derived stem cells. Compare this to surgery.

STEM CELL INSTITUTEA leading provider of bone marrow derived stem cell therapy, Platelet Rich Plasma and Prolotherapy in Los Angeles and the world!11645 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD SUITE 120, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025PHONE: (800) 300-9300

1: Gelalis ID, Papadopoulos DV, Giannoulis DK, Tsantes AG, Korompilias AV. Spinalmotion preservation surgery: indications and applications. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2018 Apr;28(3):335-342. doi: 10.1007/s00590-017-2052-3. Epub 2017 Oct 6. Review. PubMed PMID: 28986691.

2. Shaffrey CI, Smith JS. Editorial: Stabilization of the sacroiliac joint. Neurosurg Focus. 2013 Jul;35(2 Suppl):Editorial. doi: 10.3171/2013.V2.FOCUS13273.

3 Polly DW, Cher D. Ignoring the sacroiliac joint in chronic low back pain is costly. ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research: CEOR. 2016;8:23-31. doi:10.2147/CEOR.S97345.

4 Schtz U1, Grob D. Poor outcome following bilateral sacroiliac joint fusion for degenerative sacroiliac joint syndrome. Acta Orthop Belg. 2006 Jun;72(3):296-308.

5.el Barzouhi A, Vleggeert-Lankamp CL, Lycklama Nijeholt GJ, Van der Kallen BF, van den Hout WB, Koes BW, Peul WC; Leiden-Hague Spine Intervention Prognostic Study Group. Predictive value of MRI in decision making for disc surgery for sciatica. J Neurosurg Spine. 2013 Dec;19(6):678-87. doi: 10.3171/2013.9.SPINE13349. Epub 2013 Oct 18.

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"Bloodroot" redirects here. For other plants known as bloodroot, see Eomecon and Lachnanthes.Not to be confused with the grass genus Sanguinaria, now divided between Digitaria and Paspalum.

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)[1] is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America. It is the only species in the genus Sanguinaria, included in the family Papaveraceae, and most closely related to Eomecon of eastern Asia.

Sanguinaria canadensis is also known as bloodwort,[1] redroot,[1] red puccoon,[1] and sometimes pauson. It has also been known as tetterwort,[1] although that name is also used to refer to Chelidonium majus. Plants are variable in leaf and flower shape and have in the past been separated out as different subspecies due to these variable shapes. Currently most taxonomic treatments include these different forms in one highly variable species. In bloodroot, the juice is red and poisonous.[2]

Bloodroot grows from 20 to 50cm (8 to 20in) tall. It has one large basal leaf, up to 25cm (10in) across, with five to seven lobes.[3] The leaves and flowers sprout from a reddish rhizome with bright orange sap that grows at or slightly below the soil surface. The color of the sap is the reason for the genus name Sanguinaria, from Latin sanguinarius "bloody".[4] The rhizomes grow longer each year, and branch to form colonies. Plants start to bloom before the foliage unfolds in early spring. After blooming the leaves unfurl to their full size and go summer dormant in mid to late summer, later than some other spring ephemerals.

The flowers bloom from March to May depending on the region and weather. They have 812 delicate white petals, many yellow stamens, and two sepals below the petals, which fall off after the flowers open. Each flower stem is clasped by a leaf as it emerges from the ground. The flowers open when they are in sunlight.[5] They are pollinated by small bees and flies. Seeds develop in green pods 4 to 6cm (112 to 214in) long, and ripen before the foliage goes dormant. The seeds are round and black to orange-red when ripe, and have white elaiosomes, which are eaten by ants.

Bloodroot leaves clasping the flower stems in early spring

White petals and yellow stamens

Fruit (a pod holding the seeds) in early summer

Bloodroot leaves after flowering

A carpet of bloodroot leaves in late spring

Bloodroot is native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida, United States, and west to Great Lakes and down the Mississippi embayment.

Sanguinaria canadensis plants are found growing in moist to dry woods and thickets, often on floodplains and near shores or streams on slopes. They grow less frequently in clearings and meadows or on dunes, and are rarely found in disturbed sites. Deer will feed on the plants in early spring.

Bloodroot is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants, a process called myrmecochory. The seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes, and put the seeds in their nest debris, where they are protected until they germinate. They also benefit from growing in a medium made richer by the ant nest debris.

The flowers produce pollen, but no nectar. Various bees and flies visit the flowers looking in vain for nectar, for instance sweat bees in the genera Lasioglossum and Halictus, cuckoo bees in the genus Nomada, small carpenter bees (Ceratina), and bee flies in the genus Bombylius. Some bees come to collect pollen, including mining bees (Andrena), which are the most effective pollinators.[6][7]

The bitter and toxic leaves and rhizomes are not often eaten by mammalian herbivores.[7]

Sanguinaria canadensis is cultivated as an ornamental plant. The double-flowered forms are prized by gardeners for their large showy white flowers, which are produced very early in the gardening season. Bloodroot flower petals are shed within a day or two of pollination, so the flower display is short-lived, but the double forms bloom much longer than the normal forms. The double flowers are made up of stamens that have been changed into petal-like parts, making pollination more difficult.

The double-flowered cultivar S. canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8]

Bloodroot produces benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, primarily the toxin sanguinarine. The alkaloids are transported to and stored in the rhizome.

Sanguinarine kills animal cells by blocking the action of Na+/K+-ATPase transmembrane proteins. As a result, applying bloodroot to the skin may destroy tissue and lead to the formation of a large scab, called an eschar. Bloodroot and its extracts are thus considered escharotic. Although applying escharotic agents (including bloodroot) to the skin is sometimes suggested as a home treatment for skin cancer, these attempts can be severely disfiguring.[9] Salves derived from bloodroot cannot be relied on to remove an entire malignant tumor. Microscopic tumor deposits may remain after visible tumor tissue is burned away, and case reports have shown that in such instances tumor has recurred and/or metastasized.[10]

Internal use is not recommended.[11] An overdose of bloodroot extract can cause vomiting and loss of consciousness.[11]

Comparing the biosynthesis of morphine and sanguinarine, the final intermediate in common is (S)-reticuline.[12][13] A number of plants in Papaveraceae and Ranunculaceae, as well as plants in the genus Colchicum (family Colchicaceae) and genus Chondodendron (family Menispermaceae), also produce such benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Plant geneticists have identified and sequenced genes which produce the enzymes required for this production. One enzyme involved is N-methylcoclaurine 3'-monooxygenase,[14] which produces (S)-3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine and mendococlaurine from (S)-N-methylcoclaurine.

Bloodroot was used historically by Native Americans for curative properties as an emetic, respiratory aid, and other treatments.[15]

In physician William Cook's 1869 work The Physiomedical Dispensatory is recorded a chapter on the uses and preparations of bloodroot,[16] which described tinctures and extractions, and also included at least the following cautionary report:

The U. S. Dispensatory says four persons lost their lives at Bellevue Hospital, New York, by drinking largely of blood root tincture in mistake for ardent spirits ...

Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus), a member of the poppy family, was used in colonial America as a wart remedy. Bloodroot has been similarly applied in the past. This may explain the multiple American and British definitions of "tetterwort" in 1913.

Bloodroot extracts have also been promoted by some supplement companies as a treatment or cure for cancer, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has listed some of these products among its "187 Fake Cancer 'Cures' Consumers Should Avoid".[17] Oral use of products containing bloodroot are strongly associated with the development of oral leukoplakia,[18] which is a premalignant lesion that may develop into oral cancer.

This plant has also been used in medical quackery, as was evidenced by the special product produced by Dr. John Henry Pinkard during the 1920s and 1930s. Some bottles of "Pinkard's Sanguinaria Compound", made from bloodroot or bloodwort, were seized by federal officials in 1931. "Analysis by this department of a sample of the article showed that it consisted essentially of extracts of plant drugs including sanguinaria, sugar, alcohol, and water. It was alleged in the information that the article was misbranded in that certain statements, designs, and devices regarding the therapeutic and curative effects of the article, appearing on the bottle label, falsely and fraudulently represented that it would be effective as a treatment, remedy, and cure for pneumonia, coughs, weak lungs, asthma, kidney, liver, bladder, or any stomach troubles, and effective as a great blood and nerve tonic." John Henry Pinkard plead guilty and was fined $25.00.[19]

Commercial uses of sanguinarine and bloodroot extract include dental hygiene products. The United States FDA has approved the inclusion of sanguinarine in toothpastes as an antibacterial or anti-plaque agent.[20][non-primary source needed][21][non-primary source needed][22][23] However, the use of sanguinaria in oral hygiene products is associated with the development of a premalignant oral leukoplakia,which may develop into oral cancer.[18][24] In 2003, the Colgate-Palmolive Company of Piscataway, New Jersey, United States commented by memorandum to the United States Food and Drug Administration that then-proposed rules for levels of sanguinarine in mouthwash and dental wash products were lower than necessary.[25] However, this conclusion is controversial.[26]

Some animal food additives sold and distributed in Europe contain sanguinarine and chelerythrine.

Bloodroot is a popular red natural dye used by Native American artists, especially among southeastern rivercane basketmakers.[27] A break in the surface of the plant, especially the roots, reveals a reddish sap which can be used as a dye.

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