Category Archives: Stem Cell Videos

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Ocular Technologies, a startup that has developed a device-enabled telemedicine platform powered by machine learning to improve accessibility to eye care,beat out seven finalists to win the Robert P. Goldberg $100,000 grand prize at theMIT $100K EntrepreneurshipLaunch Finale held virtually for the first time in the Competition's 31-year history.

New this year was a $50K Launch Runner-Up Prize awarded to AgZen, whose field-tested spray and formulation technology allows reductionofpesticide usage by 50%.

The MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition remains an economic barometer for sectors of innovation that are receiving funding by venture capitalists. To date, the MIT $100K has facilitated the birth of more than 160 companies, which have gone on to raise $1.3 billion in venture capital and build $16 billion in market capitalization. More than 30 MIT $100K startups have been acquired by major companies, such as Oracle, Cisco, 3M, and Merck. Over 4,600 people are currently employed by MIT $100K companies. Recent IPOs include Akamai (AKAM) and Hubspot (HUBS).

According to the CDC and private payers, patients present with nearly 100 million eye conditions each year across the United States with only 19,000 ophthalmologists to address them. One recent studyfinds that the average wait time in the U.S. for the first available ophthalmologist appointment averages 24 days. This results in eight million patients who cannot access same-day care with an eye doctor and instead resort to visiting emergency rooms or urgent care centers. Unfortunately, both facilities often lack the tools and expertise to properly address eye conditions. Several other studies show that over 40% of eye diagnoses made at these facilities are inaccurate and can lead to improper treatment. That's three million people who risk vision loss and worsened pain.

In response, Ocular Technologies is developing a device-enabled telemedicine platform powered by machine learning algorithms to transform patient accessibility to high quality eye care by capturing high magnification videos of anterior segment exams that enable ophthalmologists to make a diagnosis remotely.

Team members are:

Brett Sternfield, co-founder,MIT Sloan MBA2020. Sternfield earned a BS and MS from the University of Rochester in Biomedical and Optical Engineering. His father's vision issues inspired him to build solutions for eye care aimed at improving vision.

Zona Liu, co-founder,MIT Sloan MBA 2020. Prior to MIT Sloan, she spent five years withGoldman Sachs' strategic investment team and wasthedirector of business development at SOSV, one of the most activeearly stage VCs.

Grayson W. Armstrong, MD, MPH, co-founder. Dr. Armstrong currently serves as the Chief Resident in Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye & Ear / Harvard Medical School and on the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association, the largest physician organization in the United States. Starting in July, he will be undertaking a one-year fellowship in tele-ophthalmology at Harvard.

A panel of judges chose Ocular Technologies based on value creation, value capture, and technological differentiation.

New this year was a $50K Runner-Up Prize awarded to the startup AgZen. Studies by Oxford Universityfound that on average less than 2% of sprayed pesticide reaches its intended target. This inefficiency forces over-spraying, which results in the pollution of soil, water sources and the atmosphere, leading to two hundred thousand deaths every year according to the United Nations. AgZen's field-tested spray and formulation technology allows reduction of pesticide usage by 50%. Pesticides have a market size of $60 billion globally, and $15 billion in the U.S. Based on AgZen's business model, the total addressable market is $9 billion.

The six remaining finalists include:

GC Therapeutics (GCTx)is developing the next generation of cell therapies, a market on track to be worth $55 billion by 2024. GCTx uses synthetic biology to program patient-derived stem cells into any differentiated cell-type with best-in-class efficiency (10x), speed (100x) and scalability. Leveraging this breakthrough process, their team can program additional cellular features and go beyond simply replacing damaged cells, thereby introducing their new concept of 'SuperCell Therapy' to allow the tailoring of cells to specific clinical indications.

Harmony DesalThe dominant technology in desalination today is reverse osmosis (RO.) While RO is trusted and proven, it is also energy intensive. Harmony Desal's technologybatch reverse osmosisis the most energy-efficient RO configuration. In batch RO, a time-varying pressure tracks the osmotic pressure to increase water recovery while consuming less energy. More than $30 billion dollars is estimated to be invested in seawater desalination over the next five years. Batch RO has been proven at the bench-scale (TRL: 4.5) and is ready to move from the lab and into the market.

Hikma HealthHealthcare delivery for displaced populations is fragmented, uncoordinated, and under-resourced. Hikma Health, launched with the support of the MIT Media Lab Refugee Learning Accelerator, createscustom health data management systems for partner organizations around the globe that provide free healthcare to millions of refugees to improve their patient outcomes. Hikma Health's end-to-end integrated platform is specifically designed to fit the needs of under-resourced settings, includingmultilingual functionality and online-offline syncing. Leveraging cutting edge technologies, they create personalized predictive models, and empower physicians and care providers with the data they need to improve outcomes for their patients with chronic conditions.

Le Qarahas bioengineered a new vegan, eco-friendly bioleather by changing its texture, thickness and flexibility, allowing them to replicate any type of leather or create new ones. Le Qara bioleather has the same breathability because, like animal leather, it comes from alive microorganisms.It is not only biodegradablethe residues from the process can be used as a liquid compost, making it a process that generates no waste. La Qara's aim is to disrupt the leather industry.

Spatio Metricsis a B2B software company that creates rich spatial datasets to capture qualitative design characteristics. Their first product analyzes hospital floor plans to reveal how facility design choices can improve quality of care, operational efficiency, and wellbeing. Their visualizations and machine learning insights support hospitals and their architects during the design process to save time, money, and most importantly, lives.

ThiozenHydrogen produced by fossil fuel reformingwhich comprises 96% of total productioncontributes to 2,3% of global warming emissions. Thiozen has invented a patented process to generate hydrogen that is 20% less expensive and 75% less carbon intense than current methods used in oil and gas. As an illustration, their process would save the average US refinery $9.6 million each year while avoiding 60,000 tons of CO2 emissions, roughly 20% of a refinery's annual carbon footprint.

This year's keynote speaker was Anne Wojcicki, founder and CEO of 23andMe, who was interviewed in a Fireside Chat format.

"Even more than the big checks for our winners, the greatest value the $100K creates for competitors is a platform to share their ideas with the world," says Christian Mirabile, MIT Sloan MBA 2021, one of the $100K Competition organizers. "A lot of their early growth comes from live interaction building connections with mentors, potential investors, and future users. We were unsure we would be able to replicate that buzzing atmosphere through a virtual event. But once we heard from our competitors, how they were working harder than ever on their startups, we knew we had to do our part and give them the best platform possible to launch their ventures."

To watch the MIT $100K EntrepreneurshipLaunch Finale, please visit:www.mit100k.org

Since its debut as the MIT $10K Entrepreneurship Competition in 1989, it has grown to include three independent contests Pitch, Accelerate, and Launch from September through May. Each contest focuses on developing specific founding skills. For each semi-finalist contender, the MIT $100K brings together a network of resources that includes mentorship from venture capitalists, serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and attorneys; media exposure; prototyping funds; business plan feedback; and discounted services. Altogether, almost $1M in non-dilutive prize money and other financial resources are awarded to help these new ventures accelerate. http://www.mit100k.org

For further information, contact:

Paul Denning

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Patricia Favreau

Director of Media Relations

Associate Director of Media Relations

617-253-0576

617-253-3492

denning@mit.edu

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Ocular Technologies, a startup developing telemedical solutions to improve access to eye care, wins the 2020 MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition -...

If you think this can help you, Austin Wolff said earnestly into the camera, its worth a shot .It can only help.

Wolff was speaking on a YouTube video produced for the Novus Center, a Studio City business run by his mother, Stephanie, selling stem cell-related products said to treat chronic pain, sexual performance issues and the effects of aging.

In recent weeks, Novus has begun directing its pitch at potential customers fearful about the effects of the novel coronavirus, implying that its stem cell exosome vapor the supplies for which can be shipped overnight to customers homes can improve lung strength, the immune system and ward off viruses and disease. (Exosomes are a form of cellular secretion.)

These are opportunistic businesses, and COVID-19 for them is an opportunity.

Novus videos bristle with formal disclaimers. Its not going to cure anything, Austin Wolff says on one video. You should only do this if you want to try it.

But the videos seem aimed at viewers desperate for any possible defense against a pandemic whose implacable spread seem to grow more frightening with every passing day.

Novus charges $10,000 for the shipment of vials containing the exosomes and nebulizing equipment. Stephanie Wolff says the business, which has been open for four years, has served about a dozen customers worried about COVID-19 in the last month or two.

Promoters of untested and unlicensed stem cell treatments have jumped into the coronavirus market with both feet, says Leigh Turner, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota who has been tracking the spread of clinics pitching these treatments to consumers for years.

The direct-to-consumer clinics have pivoted their marketing message to treating or preventing COVID-19, Turner told me. Thats not really shocking, in a way; these are opportunistic businesses, and COVID-19 for them is an opportunity.

In a paper scheduled to be published shortly in the prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell, Turner examines how these businesses are preying on public fears and anxieties about the pandemic.

Typically, their claims fall short of actually promising cures or even specific treatments; that holds at bay the Food and Drug Administration, which has sought to shut down clinics offering unproven therapies for conditions such as Alzheimers, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and erectile dysfunction.

Some use the language of immune booster or preventive intervention, Turner says. Theyre not trying to treat somebody whos in an ICU bed. Its more the worried well theyre going after people who are anxious, fearful of the pandemic, and susceptible to claims that a stem cell procedure will reduce their chance of becoming infected.

These treatments can come with a healthy price tag, ranging hundreds to thousands of dollars. But they run up against one indisputable fact: There are no approved stem cell treatments for COVID-19.

Those are the words of Martin F. Pera, a leading stem cell researcher who is editor-in-chief of Stem Cell Reports, the open-access journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. The society issued a stern warning March 6 against claims that stem cells can be used to treat people infected with COVID-19.

As for the products sold by Novus, the FDA warned consumers in December that there are currently no FDA-approved exosome products. The agency stated that certain clinics across the country offering such products to patients deceive patients with unsubstantiated claims about the potential for these products to prevent, treat or cure various diseases or conditions.

Weve reported for years on the proliferation of clinics selling purported therapies based on stem cell injections costing as much as $15,000 each.

These treatments arent supported by scientific research, typically arent covered by insurance, and have been targets of an FDA crackdown. (Turner did groundbreaking work with UC Davis biologist Paul Knoepfler in 2016, sounding the alarm about the spread of these clinics.)

In early April, the FDA sent letters to two stem cell firms, Dynamic Stem Cell Therapy of Henderson, Nev., and Kimera Labs of Miramar, Fla., that it said had been marketing their products for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 and warning them that any such products would have to meet regulatory standards for drugs. But the agency didnt explicitly threaten them with legal consequences. Kimera is the supplier of exosomes to Novus.

Frightened laypersons arent the only targets of claims for cellular treatments for COVID-19. So are decision-makers and government regulators.

The FDA came under fire in March when it issued an emergency use authorization to allow the prescribing of two antimalarial drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, for COVID-19 patients. The action came after President Trump had been relentlessly promoting the drugs as potential game changers in the battle against COVID-19.

Less than a month later, the FDA issued a warning against using the drugs against COVID-19 because of reports of serious heart problems in COVID-19 patients who had taken them, as well as the absence of evidence that they were safe and effective for treating the disease.

It wouldnt be surprising to see more companies and clinics showing up in the media and on cable television hawking unsubstantiated stem cell treatments for COVID-19. On May 4, the San Diego stem cell firm Giostar issued a news release asserting that it had received approval for a COVID-19 clinical trial using stem cells to treat COVID-19 patients, under the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded access for compassionate use program.

Is this plausible? Weve reported before that Giostar had made untrue claims about its scientific connections: Several legitimate stem cell scientists the firm listed as members of its scientific advisory board said they had no connection with Giostar and had repeatedly asked that their names be removed from its website. The company has also acknowledged that it had exaggerated the professional credentials of its co-founder and chairman, Anand Srivastava.

Giostars claim in its news release that it would conduct the clinical trial under the FDAs expanded access for compassionate use program is curious. That program, which allows doctors to prescribe unapproved drugs as a last resort for people suffering from life-threatening diseases with no established cure, covers patients for whom enrollment in a clinical trial is not possible.

In other words, there doesnt seem to be such a thing as a clinical trial conducted subject to the expanded access program.

Giostar didnt respond to our request for comment. The FDA would say only that it generally cannot disclose information about an unapproved application, which certainly suggests that Giostar hasnt won the approval it claims.

In the frenzied search for COVID-19 treatments, it may be difficult to distinguish promising efforts from those just grasping at the main chance.

What we have right now is a COVID-19 gold rush, Turner says. Businesses are seeing this as a terrific opportunity to get their applications for investigative new drug trials approved by the FDA a process that can take years and generally requires the submission of extensive evidence from lab and animal studies.

The direct-to-consumer pitches by clinics reviewed in Turners paper typically fuse pseudoscience, which is what theyre offering, with more credible forms of science. He found numerous references in these pitches to research from China, often of doubtful scientific significance.

A Pennsylvania clinic offering stem cell treatment to support lung health during COVID-19, for example, cited a report from a Beijing hospital where seven patients were injected with stem cells all saw significant improvement in COVID-19 related pneumonia, according to the clinics press news . It quoted its CEO stating, This goes to support the wide range of healing and restoration that can be provided by (stem cell) therapy.

However, as Turner observes, the report didnt specify the severity of the subjects pneumonia, the source of the stem cells, or results from a control group. At best you can say that no one seemed to be harmed, but its hard to draw any firm conclusions about efficacy.

The Novus Center hangs its pitch on what Stephanie Wolff describes as a study thats ongoing in China right now using exosomes to help with viral load, to help with inflammation of the lung, to help with pneumonia, to help with infection.

The reference, however, is to a clinical trial in Wuhan that had not even begun to recruit test subjects at the time of its latest public report, which is dated Feb. 25. The researchers didnt expect their trial to be completed until July 31.

As weve written before, the proliferation of stem cell clinics selling untested and unlicensed therapies has been a public health crisis for years. The COVID-19 pandemic will only deepen the crisis as clinics add the coronavirus to their menu of treatment claims.

Despite its crackdown campaign, the FDA has never taken strong enough action against this corner of the healthcare industry. It should act without delay to shut down opportunistic initiatives, or more innocent Americans will find their health, and their pocketbooks, at ever greater risk.

2020 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at http://www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Michael Hiltzik: Don't be taken in by stem cell firms offering unsubstantiated therapies for COVID-19 - Rome News-Tribune

The revival of Company was in previews and 10 days from opening when Broadway shut down. And opening night was meant to be especially special, timed to the 90th birthday of the musicals composer Stephen Sondheim. Soon after, the shows director, Marianne Elliott, returned to her husband and producing partner, Nick Sidi, and their daughter in London, while one of its stars, Patti LuPone, headed to the Connecticut home she shares with her husband, Matthew Johnston, and their son.

Prompted by The New York Times, they agreed to share their email exchanges during those first weeks, a conversation that touched on plans for the show and for Elliott & Harper, its production company (optimistic); their respective nations leaders (pessimistic); a former colleagues health (worrisome); and how family, friends and members of the current cast, including Katrina Lenk, were keeping in touch (Zoom parties). An edited selection of their emails follows, with Elliott kicking things off the day after the canceled opening night.

My dear friend,

Its amazing, isnt it, how ones life is now recalibrated. All things I took for granted are now long-lost treasures.

Ive been clearing everything in this house, ready for God knows what, but its easier than sitting at a desk and doing concentrated work. I like a pair of yellow rubber gloves, and I love to throw things into the rubbish heap. So theres truly satisfaction of sorts here. And it channels my energies. But it also means Ive been going through old drawers of long-kept items or piles of faded photos even from my 20s and looking at how young and happy we looked.

I had to throw out Eves school uniform the other day. As she had her last day of school on Friday. Shes been there since she was four! I found myself burying my head and sobbing into an old skirt of hers. That uniform that always went missing, nobody liked, was thrown into heaps every day as she entered the house, that never seemed very durable, was usually hitched way too high up her legs, and was far too expensive for its own good. And yet there I was, crying over it as though it was born from my very own limbs.

Yesterday was tough, wasnt it? Im truly not sentimental about shows, and certainly not about opening nights because they are usually so pressurized about other things. But I really, really, and, yes, really missed ours yesterday. It felt like a huge hole. And all that publicity for Sondheims birthday was wonderful on one level, but kind of bleak on another, because Elliott & Harper had been working so hard to make sure we could be open on that very day, with Steve with us all celebrating!

However, the sun is shining here in England. So Im feeling hopeful.

Nick and [co-producer] Chris are working like buzzing bees, trying to decipher what is to happen to our work force, our employees, our future shows, most of which are probably going by the wayside. Though we are fighting tooth and nail to keep our staff. The government is offering help, but its vague how much and when. Its hard not to catastrophize when you hear some of the stories out there. Some being very gloomy about the future of theater at all.

But the one thing we all agree on, and that we all KNOW, is that by hook or by crook Company is coming back! We need it, we love it, the theater community needs it, and New York needs its story. Theater has always been and will always be vital. We humans are creatures that survive as a togetherness. And we need stories to make sense of things.

I look forward to that moment with all of my being. And I look forward to being in a room with you again Patti, to be sharing a G & T and to be screaming with laughter over some silly thing or other.

It seems far away now, but its only round the corner really!

Until then

Keep bleaching!

Love you so much

Girl!

That was quite a missive. You put down the rubber gloves and wrote a monologue!

Its so wacky and disjointed and at the same time kind of wonderful to be home with our loved ones and really grasping time. Whoever has the time to really understand time in the fullness of the word? My problem is structure. I want to be very disciplined, but I cant figure out how to structure the time. Im cleaning house like you, but I do that a lot. Im the Delete Queen. I actually threw out the elusive, desperately needed mask only a month ago. I have no idea why I had a box of them, but I looked at them and tossed them in the bin. Well done, Patti! Now I go to the market looking like a madwoman with scarves wrapped around my nose and mouth with fogged-up glasses.

I wonder if well come back. The uncertainty is the killer. I went through the polio scare, but there was a plan in place! I can still see the vaccination administered in my arm in the gymnasium of the elementary school. We had to suck on pink sugar cubes or Im making the whole thing up.

I think about you every day. Stay safe, healthy, warm, and know you are LOVED by so many of us.

XOXOXOXOXO

Hi P,

Gosh, it was good to see your face last night. And everyones. Poignant too, because you all felt so near via Zoom, and yet, you werent!

What a bunch of gorgeous people, our cast of Company. And how bonded we all seem. Now more than ever. Everyone cheery and happy to be connected again. It was three weeks to the day of our last performance, did you know that? Feels more like three years, doesnt it?

But the quirks that everyone displayed in just their little close-ups: Jen [Simard] and her gratefulness, Etai [Benson] with his dry humor, Matt [Doyle] recovering from Covid but actually looking more like George Michael every day, Chris [Sieber] dressed up in his beautiful blazer for our cocktail party, Chris [Fitzgerald] with his sons Trump impressions. Amazing.

And then there was you, dancing at the jukebox. Oh, and then mooning at us all! Brilliant. Not a dry eye in the house! You were always the very soul of the party and Zoom, Im so happy to learn, has lessened none of that!

By the way, have you got Judy Garlands Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries on that old jukebox? I was listening to it this morning (regarding another project I might do when and if I ever get out of this house!), and I thought Id love to hear you sing it! Go on give me a rendition. Your Twitter feed would go mad!!

I heard, two days ago, of a good friend of mine in dire straits in a New Jersey hospital. Hes been there a few weeks. Still on a ventilator. That made my head spin, and I took myself to bed and started visualizing him well and happy and going for dinner and a good big drink, of course, with me in some packed restaurant in the future.

I feel pretty lucky, though. Were safe and together here in the house. My sister had it pretty bad (and did get the test), but shes bounced right back. But I feel sorry for Eve, my teenager, the most. I think shes picking up more than she shows actually. But she mostly doesnt watch the news. Who can blame her?

However, shes getting Nick and I doing Tic Tok (Im too old to know the right blinking spelling) challenges to our neighbors across the road. Ill learn to body-pop yet!!

Im trying to run most days, while were still allowed. And I do a Pilates session and arm exercises (with lots of serious swearing I turn the air blue!) most days too. I tell you, I shall come out of this looking young and beautiful and with incredibly sculpted arms. And watch me wear that opening night dress! Come on!

Keep safe my lovely friend,

And Ill see you on the other side!

Meantime, heres a photo of you and Katrina in our show. Glorious!

PS: How is that Katrina STILL looks beautiful on Zoom and with no [expletive] make up!!?! Ugh.

M

The Zoom cocktail party left me drunk on my ass. Matt said I was shout-singing Blue Moon in bed. I think its just the release. Our collective energy shot through those funny little boxes.

We are all doing our best to be positive, mentally and emotionally. I think, I hope, we find a way to blow back all the negative energy in the world. This reset is good. Its forcing us to slow down, reflect, look out and see, really see, whats in front of us. Im continually fascinated with the birds, squirrels and chipmunks at our bird feeder. The birds are singing and nesting, the squirrels are demanding more peanuts. Theyre so bold as to come to the door, raise up on their hind legs, peer in the glass imploring Farmer Matt to FEED ME!

I feel for Eve. For all the youth in the world. What have we left them?

Im trying to remember 16 years old, in my high school on Long Island. There were those of us in the music department in joyous harmony with our teachers, our various choruses, our instruments, our summer band retreat with a high school from another county (a different set of boys in my case ). We were the outcasts, the oddballs, the bohemians.

Ill bet that division still exists. Its prevalent in our society as adults. The arts are superfluous. I am always made to feel like a third-class citizen in this country. They are NOT superfluous. They are an inherent human right. Games and storytelling have been our lifes force for as long as theyve been writing on walls. Eve will have a story to tell, a story shell tell her children who I hope will have a more peaceful Mother Earth.

We must get rid of the current politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. We are stuck with a clown and his clown car of clowns. And while Im raging, there has to be term limits for Supreme and federal court judges, the generals in the war room and Broadway musicals.

Sending you dear friend BIG LOVE.

Your pal, Patti

Hi P!

That article you sent from the NY Times was amazing: Come Back, New York, All Is Forgiven. Thank you. It sums up just exactly what I feel about that splendid city. It made me grieve for that beautiful volcano of craziness and brilliance. Well now, what to report in this weird cave of an existence over here?

Boris Johnson seems to be out of hospital. But dont ask me whos running the country. Our press conferences sort of lack a leader and a driver. They are dry, boring, staid affairs. And the same things get repeated and repeated: Not enough tests! Not enough protective equipment for our health workers! It kind of drives you mad after a while.

My friend who has been on a ventilator for nearly four weeks now is part of a very new drug trial, Pluristem. Hes just gone on it, and hes making the news! The new drug is a sort of stem-cell therapy. It comes from placentas! Can you believe it?

Hes doing well! Its literally Day Two on the drug, but he had a few hours yesterday off the ventilator and breathing himself! Im praying. Every time I go jogging, I fill my lungs as I run, as though I was teaching him how to breathe again. I dunno. Anything. Im trying anything. Ridiculous, but what can you do?

We still watch movies most nights, which is highly educational for all of us! And we look forward to it each day. Although we realized the other night that the dog had pissed on the sofa. It slowly started to seep into Nicks trousers during Whats Eating Gilbert Grape. In the morning I took the cushions outside to properly clean and realized that clearly the dog had been using the sofa as a toilet for some time. It was full of stains! I wonder, if there had been no quarantine, we would have EVER discovered this?

So maybe this is a metaphor for unearthing what was always beneath the surface? Well all emerge from this cleansed and illuminated. Ha! Or Im just looking for meaning and stories in every little thing? Directing and analyzing the text as ever!

Dearest Marianne,

I just reread your email. You are eternal sunshine. Im a black cloud. Its harder and harder to maintain equilibrium.

Im loving Madame Bovary, but I find my mind scanning, not absorbing, Lydia Daviss beautiful translation (a quarantine gift from my dear friend Jeffrey Lane. When you return you must come to Salon de Jeff. Hes a monster cook, and his dinner parties are Bacchanalian events.)

I cant watch any more videos, because its just too late at night, even though its only 8 p.m. The daytime seems to slip through my fingers, and Ive done next to nothing. I dont mean for this to sound like a bitch fest. I think Im verbalizing my anxiety. Im sorry.

The one great treasure for me is being somewhere to really experience the blossoming of spring. The birds are in full cacophony, occasionally full harmony. The squirrels are demanding and trusting. The bear woke up and destroyed our bird feeder. Its all glorious nature. Virus? What virus?

Its Sunday. What will I do? I think I shall drive to Farmer Randy, get the best eggs in the Western Hemisphere and attempt a souffl. I had a moral dilemma. Randy is a BIG TIME Trump supporter. There were signs all over his barn. What to do? Boycott his eggs? I just couldnt. Theyre too damn delicious.

Its time for me to get out of bed. I wake up early, very early. Ill attempt to change my attitude today and make something of myself. But what will it end up being? A restless, unfocused energy? Or maybe a pensive, dreamy organism? Or maybe a housewife dusting?

Dear pal o mine, I wish you sanity, safety, health and peace.

Your loving friend,

OXP

Hi Patti,

I have to tell you that my friend, the one that was on the ventilator for FIVE weeks, has made an amazing recovery. You may know him, Eddie Pierce? He codesigned my set of Angels in America on Broadway. Such an amazing guy and so talented. Younger than me and no complicated health circumstances that I know of. Anyway, hed been through so much in hospital, was sedated most of the time, caught other infections while in hospital, and they even thought at one time that hed had a stroke! It was not looking good, P.

Well, he came home yesterday! His wife sent a video of him leaving the hospital. With all the staff, standing in awe, clapping as he left the front entrance, and his children running to hug him. Then there was another video of his friends welcoming him arriving at the house. It was incredible. They had gathered in their cars, in a nearby parking lot, and then PROCESSED together down his street, honking their horns. They couldnt get out, obviously, so they held out huge, homemade, colored signs to be read as they passed. Some had painted their cars, some had got dressed up in fancy dress, some stood on their car doors. It was like watching a carnival.

Hell need a bit of physio, but otherwise hes totally on the mend. Seems like a miracle. Things that you cant believe can ever come about can indeed occur. Keep the faith.

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The Shows Delayed, but Theyre Still Keeping Company - The New York Times

We are education reporters by day and parents by night (and day). But, in recent weeks, our two worlds have collided, with parents and educators equally concerned about the spread of COVID-19. So here's a quick rundown of some of the great questions we've heard from listeners and readers and the answers we've been able to explore in our reporting. For even more, you can listen to this new episode of NPR's Life Kit podcast.

Q. What's the single most important thing we can do to protect our kids?

Make sure they understand that hand-washing isn't optional. And that means showing them how to do it properly: using soap, warm water and time. Washing should take 20 seconds, which means you may need to help them find a song they can sing (in their heads, maybe twice) like the ABCs or "Happy Birthday" songs. Be sure they wash whenever they come in from outside, before eating, after coughing or sneezing or blowing their nose and, of course, after using the bathroom.

For younger kids, it can't hurt to remind them that nose-picking is a no-go, and that they should cough into their elbows. If you're feeling ambitious, clip their fingernails frequently, as they provide a sneaky hiding spot for viruses. Hand lotion keeps skin comfy and unbroken, which also helps prevent the spread of infection.

A few more ideas: Try laundering things like coats, backpacks and reusable shopping bags more frequently and take off shoes when you come inside. For cleaning the house, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says "diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective."

Q. How do I get my kids to STOP TOUCHING THEIR FACES?

Sorry. This is one of the few questions to which we have no good answer. Because I (Cory) have not yet figured out how to stop touching my own face.

As an experiment, maybe try making them wear scratchy mittens. Or do what I (Anya) did and paint your child's face so you can catch them red-handed, though this could also lead to unwanted faceprints on walls and windows.

Q. This health crisis can be scary. How should we talk about it with kids?

Keep it simple, age-appropriate and fact-based. For example, don't tell your child they won't get COVID-19; you don't know that. Instead, the CDC suggests telling children that, from what doctors have seen so far, most kids aren't getting very sick. In fact, most people who've gotten COVID-19 haven't gotten very sick. Only a small group have had serious problems. And, channeling the great Mr. Rogers: Look for the Helpers. Assure your kids, if they (or someone they love) do get sick, the world is full of grown-ups who will help. And be sure to check out this incredible comic by our colleague, Malaka Gharib. She made it specifically for kids who may be scared or confused about coronavirus.

Q. With racist incidents toward Asians and Asian Americans, is this a teaching moment for social justice?

Absolutely. We must remind the children in our lives that viruses can make anyone sick, regardless of a person's race or ethnicity. No matter where scientists first documented COVID-19, this outbreak isn't anyone's fault. Similarly, just because someone looks different or talks differently, doesn't mean they are at a higher risk of getting the coronavirus or spreading it. And let children know that if they hear language in school or on the playground that suggests otherwise, they should be sure to let you know.

Q. Why is/isn't my school being closed?

Closing schools is a complicated decision. Many school leaders and public health officials seem to be waiting for an infection or potential infection in their immediate school community before closing. While the science suggests closing schools earlier is more effective at slowing the spread of disease, it's important to understand why so many school leaders are so reluctant to close schools.

For one thing, parents should understand that for many kids in the United States, being sent home from school is also a public health risk. Many children may not have parents who can take off work, or work from home, if school is canceled. They may also live in unsafe neighborhoods. Millions of U.S. children rely on schools for free or reduced-price meals, too, and 1.5 million schoolchildren nationwide are housing-insecure. For many of these kids, having to miss several weeks of school could be incredibly destabilizing.

One more thing: Rest assured that the decision to close schools is not being taken lightly and is being made in conjunction with local public health officials. Emphasis on local this decision is being made school by school, district by district.

Q. What do we do if school is canceled?

Many parents and caregivers will have to scramble for child care, especially low-wage workers who may not have vacation or sick leave. If you're not one of those parents, try to do something to help those who are. School closure can last two weeks or more; flexibility and empathy will help us all through this.

For parents who can stay home, many are wondering: What exactly is "social distancing?" Can my children still go on play dates? Or is it screen time, all the time?

The idea with closing schools is to limit the number of social contacts. That is what is going to be most effective in slowing the spread of this disease. But we want to acknowledge that staying with immediate family only might be hard to enforce for more than a few days.

Luckily, public health officials in King County, Washington, offer this helpful guidance:

"Social distancing doesn't mean you have to stay stuck in your house. ... The current recommendation is to avoid large groups. That mostly means groups over 50 people but conservatively means anything more than 10 people. However, if you don't fall into the high risk group, you can still certainly visit each other."

Think of it as a good opportunity for one-on-one hangouts.

Also, be extra mindful of grandparents, neighbors, friends and people with compromised immune systems. They are the most vulnerable in this outbreak. Instead of a face-to-face visit next week with Nana and Papa, try starting a video-chat habit: Try coloring together, cooking or reading aloud.

Q. What does it mean to work from home and parent young (preschool and elementary) kids that are home as a result of school closures at the same time? Disney+ all day everyday???

Common Sense Media is a great resource for quality screen-time recommendations both free and paid, educational and purely recreational including privacy tips. I (Anya) like Duolingo for language learning, Tynker for coding and Khan Academy for academic subjects. Epic is a subscription service with endless books and comics for tablets, searchable by age.

As we said, you can also get creative with video chat. In addition to checking in with grandparents, try setting up a remote play date for your kids. Some long-distance families stay connected with a Zoom or Google hangout portal that just stays open. Try playing hide-and-seek by carrying a laptop around the house!

Also, if school's been canceled, think about using video chat to continue learning opportunities: piano lessons, tutoring or Sunday school with your child's regular teacher. A company called Outschool does live online classes for kids.

There are even physical screen-time options. GoNoodle offers both physical dance/movement and meditation videos, and this is a great time for everyone in the family to learn TikTok dances like the Renegade.

Special note on teens and screens: Online spaces are their social spaces and it's good to respect that. Take this as an opportunity to learn more about their online worlds. Help them bust rumors and disinformation. (Check out this free online module to become an expert detector of coronavirus hoaxes.) Check in with their mental health. Be a media mentor.

Q. What about non-screen activities?

Yes! Getting outside isn't just a good idea, it's good for your physical and mental health. Go for a walk, a bike ride or, if possible, a family hike.

And here's a wild card: While everyone's home, try giving the kids more responsibility around the house, including cooking a meal or doing the laundry. And cleaning there's going to be a lot of cleaning to do!

ANYA KAMENETZ, HOST:

Hi, I'm Anya Kamenetz, an NPR reporter and the mother of two girls.

CORY TURNER, HOST:

And I'm Cory Turner, an education reporter and the dad of two boys. And today, we're going to talk with you about really the only thing that Anya and I have been talking about for the last two weeks - coronavirus.

KAMENETZ: Obviously, right? That's what everyone has been talking about.

TURNER: So this is going to be a special LIFE KIT parenting episode about how to talk with young kids about coronavirus, how to deal with school closures. Maybe your school is closed, or maybe it isn't and you're worried about why it isn't. We're also going to talk about some screen time strategies if your kids are home and, most importantly, how to keep our kids healthy.

KAMENETZ: And because we're education reporters, we are in the privileged position of talking to experts about this. And so we thought that we would come to you, our LIFE KIT listeners, and pull together everything that is potentially useful. So here we go.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

TURNER: Takeaway No. 1 - and we're going to start super basic here - is, we've said this two weeks ago, we're going to say it again - your kids need to understand not only that it is important to wash their hands, but, really, show them how to wash their hands well. Make sure they take 20 seconds. Make sure they use soap. And, you know, have them sing a song in their heads. Whatever it is, whatever it takes, this is seriously one of the most powerful things that you and they can do to protect not only themselves but all of us.

KAMENETZ: Right. So when should they wash their hands? They should wash their hands when they come in from outside, before eating. And then coming along with that - so I spoke to a friend of mine, Kavitha (ph), and she is the mom, actually, of an immunocompromised kid. He's 3 years old. He's doing pretty well. But he had - he's had a stem cell transplant in the past, so they are really, really used to all this stuff as a family. And here's some of the stuff that she told me.

KAVITHA: As soon as we walk inside, we just wash our hands for a good 30 seconds to a minute.

KAMENETZ: Do you use lotion?

KAVITHA: We use lotion because the handwashing can really cause your skin to crack. We use Aquaphor.

KAMENETZ: And things that we might not think of - don't forget to clip your fingernails every other day. Keep them short because a virus hides under there. And we've heard this thing to stop touching your face, right?

TURNER: Yeah. It's very hard for me. I will fully admit I caught myself on the metro this morning touching my nose.

KAMENETZ: Right. So something...

TURNER: Sorry everybody who saw me do it. I know it was really alarming. Sorry.

KAMENETZ: So a couple of tips - one is I painted my toddler's face yesterday and she had touched it so many times within, like, five minutes.

(LAUGHTER)

KAMENETZ: And I think it was actually a pretty good reminder for us - still spitballing on that one.

TURNER: (Laughter) All right. Moving on to takeaway No. 2 - when we're talking about coronavirus, it is really important to give them facts and be reassuring.

KAMENETZ: Yeah.

TURNER: Don't make promises, though, that you cannot keep.

KAMENETZ: Right.

TURNER: So the big thing that comes to mind for me is any parent's first reaction when a child asks, am I going to get coronavirus, is going to be, well, no, of course not, that - no, don't be silly. Don't say that because you don't know that. That is not a promise that you can keep.

And so instead - and these recommendations come directly from the CDC - talk about what COVID-19 looks and feels like, say, you know, it can feel kind of like a flu. People can get a fever or a cough. They might have a hard time breathing. You can be reassuring that only a small group of people, really, who get it actually have more serious problems. And we also know from what doctors have seen so far that kids don't seem to be getting very sick.

KAMENETZ: Yeah, that's a huge one, I think, for kids to listen to and to hear is that very, very few kids have gotten sick.

TURNER: Yeah, absolutely. And Anya, one more thing just because I don't think we can say this enough in every episode that we do for parents and kids is always double down on the fact that there are helpers out there. There are always helpers. Whether you get sick with COVID-19 or flu or you fall off your bicycle and break your arm, there are going to be folks out there who will help you get through this.

KAMENETZ: Yeah, totally. You know, we have a whole LIFE KIT episode on talking to kids about scary stuff in the news. But just in a 30-second recap, ask what they have heard, what rumors they may have come across, ask how they're feeling, make sure that you check in and limit the flow of information in your house. And honestly, this really goes for parents, too. You know, no screens in the bedroom at night. Don't play the news all day. We all need to take a lot of breaks from what's coming in at us.

TURNER: Absolutely.

KAMENETZ: So our takeaway No. 3 is that we should all try to reduce any stigma or misinformation or xenophobia around this virus.

TURNER: Yeah. You may have heard politicians talking about the Chinese coronavirus. You know, it's been kicking around. It's very important, especially when you talk to school leaders, educators, social workers - it's very important when talking with kids especially about this outbreak that we don't try to assign blame because this disease affects all of us, and we all need to help protect each other.

KAMENETZ: Our takeaway No. 4 is about closing schools. And, you know, Cory's been reporting on this. It's really a complicated decision.

TURNER: Yeah. I think we're really just at the beginning of a wave of closures. And there are a couple of things that I really want parents to understand here. I know there's been a lot of clamor from parents to close schools now. And there is research - Anya, you and I both know this. There is research out there that says that closing schools proactively - doing it early - does help slow the spread of disease. It is effective.

But the thing I want parents to understand is there are very real public health concerns and risks that come with closing the schools. So think about it, in this country, we have nearly 30 million kids who depend on schools for free or reduced-price breakfast, lunch, sometimes even dinner.

KAMENETZ: Yeah. And we have a million and a half kids, sadly, that don't have stable housing. So I guess the take-homes here are just to know this is a very complicated decision. Obviously, authorities are making it. Understand the pressure that they're under and figure out ways that we as communities can pull together and help the kids that are needier in our communities when it comes to this. And I've already heard of really creative thoughts around that, sort of extending meal distribution in communities, for example. So we should all be on the lookout for ways to help, I think.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

TURNER: Takeaway No. 5 now is if school does close, you still have options.

KAMENETZ: OK. This was a key question for me, which was, is it OK to have playdates or to trade off for child care if you need to?

TURNER: Yeah, yeah.

KAMENETZ: Basically, the science of this is the idea with closing schools is to limit the number of social contacts. In an ideal world, you would limit social contacts just to the people in your immediate family. That's what's most effective in slowing the spread of the disease. However, we also want to acknowledge that this might be really hard to enforce for more than a week or two, and it probably is impossible for a lot of families, especially if someone has to go to work.

TURNER: Yeah.

KAMENETZ: And it's also really tough on your mental health.

TURNER: Right.

KAMENETZ: So there's a more realistic recommendation and it comes from the Seattle area public health officials. Obviously, they've been at the epicenter of this. And the key here is social distancing, not social isolation.

TURNER: Yeah, that's a hugely important distinction. Their guidance says, look, it's OK for families to socialize with small, controlled numbers. Like, think fewer than 10 people, all of whom agree, you know, to wash their hands, take their temperatures and stay isolated if they get sick. You need to be able to practice social distancing. Think of it as a good opportunity for a one-on-one hangouts.

KAMENETZ: Definitely.

TURNER: The real key here is avoid larger groups - anything 50 people or more, which is why we're seeing so much guidance now canceling everything from public sporting events to church on Sundays.

KAMENETZ: That's right. And so when you do get together, you know, you need to be able to practice social distancing and that means elbow bumping, waving. It's really, really hard if you have a young, young child. This might be off limits, right? It might be hard to get them to understand that.

And then we also - and I put you in mind to the fact that we need to be extra careful of our grandparents, older folks, anyone who's immunocompromised, has respiratory issues, those are our most vulnerable family members. And you know, it's hard. They want to see their grandkids. But that's the most dangerous.

TURNER: Yeah. And I want to say one thing on that count because my parents live about 45 minutes away from me. And I'm going to take this as an opportunity to really improve my FaceTime game with them.

KAMENETZ: Perfect timing. Create that...

TURNER: (Laughter).

KAMENETZ: ...Screen time. And, you know, that's kind of my thing. So our takeaway No. 6 is that, actually, there are better ways to do screen time. You don't have to be 24/7 Disney Plus...

TURNER: (Laughter).

KAMENETZ: ...And nothing else. I have a bunch of tips on this. Some schools are going to be sending home online homework while some will not. There's equity issues involved with that. I would encourage people to kind of think creatively about this because it's going to get really old after a couple days. Common Sense Media has put out a bunch of quality screen time recommendations - both free and paid - including privacy tips, which you want to think about if you're downloading a whole much a new apps.

So let's think really creative about what you might be able to do over video chat. Could you do your piano lessons on video chat? Could you do Sunday school on video chat? And then socializing - right? - so playdates, grandparents, like you mentioned, Cory. So you can read books over video chat. You can play hide and seek by carrying the laptop around the house. And...

TURNER: You could cook together.

KAMENETZ: You can cook together, totally. You could have a dance party together.

TURNER: (Laughter).

KAMENETZ: It doesn't mean, however, that you can't do enrichment.

TURNER: No.

KAMENETZ: That you have to just, you know, resign yourself to totally entertainment-based time. I mean, there's Khan Academy if they want to do different kinds of math. There is Tynker and a lot of other tools for practicing coding online. So you know, you might want to divide your screen time into vegetables and dessert and not just let them do entertainment all day, every day.

TURNER: (Laughter).

KAMENETZ: I want to think about the physical screen time options. So GoNoodle is something we use in our house. It's free videos with dances and also there's meditation videos and yoga videos on GoNoodle. Cosmic Kids Yoga is another video channel on YouTube that's all, like, yoga videos that work with even very young kids. It's also a really good time for everyone in the family to learn the Renegade...

TURNER: (Laughter).

KAMENETZ: ...And other viral dance crazes on TikTok. Like, make it active, right? It doesn't have to be a totally solo pursuit.

See the rest here:
Coronavirus And Parenting: What You Need To Know Now - KPCW

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Two-year-old Regann Moore lights up as she watches videos on her iPad at home on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Moore has a rare disease known as Krabbe Disease and received a life-saving stem cell donation less than a month after being born.(Photo: Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader)

Soon after the News-Leader published a story about 2-year-old Regann Moore,a Springfield child whose life was saved thanks to a newborn screening test, someone tweeted the story toMissouri State Rep. Becky Ruth.

"I bawled my eyes out," Ruth said. "I just cried."

She cried because she knew Regann is alive thanks to the death of Ruth's grandson, Brady.

"I cry and smile when I see these children," Ruth said. "We are always so thankful. For us, we see Brady's death wasn't in vain. His legacy lives on by helping save the lives of other children."

More: Springfield child with rare, deadly disease continues to amaze doctors, family

Regann, who is 2 now, was diagnosed right after she was born withKrabbe Disease, a rare metabolic disorder that must be diagnosed at birth and treated as soon as possible with a stem cell donation.

The newborn screening is important because babies with Krabbe Disease appear healthy at birth. Signs something is wrong usually don't appear until it's too late for treatment to be effective.

That is what happened to Brady in 2009. He wasn't diagnosed with the disease until he was 4.5 months old too late for treatment.

Brady died 10 days before his first birthday.

Brady Cunningham died of Krabbe Disease just before his first birthday.(Photo: Courtesy of the Cunningham family)

That's why Ruth and her family fought to get lawmakers on board with making sure all newborns in Missouri are screened for Krabbe Disease.

TheBrady Alan Cunningham Newborn Screening Act was passed in 2009 and screening began in 2012. Ruthsaid her family was OK with the three-year lag because they realized the lab needed time to become equipped to test for the disease.

Missouri is one of just a few states that do the newborn screening.

Brady's law also includes screening for Pompe, Fabry, Gauche and Niemann-Pick diseases. Since then, SCID, MPS I, MPS II and SMA diseases are screened, as well.

Ruth became a state representative in 2015and said newborn screening is her passion.

Her experience with getting Brady's law passed is what led her to seek office.

"It showed me what just a regular everyday person can do and what a differenceyou can make," Ruth said. "People a lot of times complain about politicians and the legislature, but we also do very good things here."

Ruth said her family knows of another child with Krabbe Disease who was saved thanks to newborn screening and a stem cell transplant.

That child is now 4. Ruth said her family and that child's family have a "strong connection."Ruth said shehopes to someday meet Regann's family.

Brady Cunningham was born in 2008. His family is from Campbell in southeast Missouri.

Bradyappeared healthy at birth and was not tested for Krabbe Disease.

Ruth said he started having health problems after about a month and a half. Brady went through "a myriad of diagnoses," Ruth recalled, including acid reflux and seizures.

"Finally my daughter took him to Children's Hospital in St. Louis," she said. "They promised her he wouldn't leave without a diagnosis."

Missouri State Rep. Becky Ruth was moved to tears after reading about Regann Moore, a Springfield child whose life was saved thanks to newborn screening for Krabbe Disease. Ruth and her family encouraged Missouri lawmakers to make sure all Missouri babies are tested for the deadly disease after her grandson, Brady, died from it.(Photo: Submitted by Becky Ruth)

Three weeks later, Brady was diagnosed with Krabbe Disease, which rapidly destroys the nervous system.

"We were told there was nothing they could do," she said. "It was one of the worst days of all of our lives."

Brady was 4.5 months old when he was diagnosed. In order for a stem cell donation to have any chance of being effective, babies must have the transplant within the first month of their life.

Regann, the Springfield child, was given a stem cell donation thanks to an umbilical cord donation.

Thediseaseaffects about one in every 100,000 people in the United States.

"They are missing an enzyme that helps keep their nervous system intact," said Dr. Shalini Shenoy, Regann's transplant doctor. "Because this is missing, they have degeneration of the brain and nervous system. And if you let it progress, it is fatal very early."

Without the stem cell donation, babies die within the first few months, Shenoy said.

"You can't change someone's genetic makeup," Shenoy said. "But when you put stem cells into their bone marrow from somebody else who is normal, some of these cells migrate into their brain and into their nervous system and supply what they are lacking themselves."

It takes some time for the transplant to begin working for the transplanted cells to "settle down" and begin making the missing enzyme, Shenoy said.

"Because of that, the earlier you transplant a Krabbe patient, the more you will be able to rescue them," she said. "You want to catch them before too much damage is done. Once there's a lot of nerve damage, it's not reversible. If I saw a Krabbe patient two months after they were born or four months after they were born when they already had major problems, it's unlikely I'd be able to rescue them too much."

Since the screening and the stem cell transplant treatment are both relatively recent medical advancements, Shenoy said it's anybody's guess what the future will hold for children who, like Regann, were successfully treated with a stem cell transplant early on.

Ferrell Moore holds his two-year-old daughter Regann Moore at their home on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Regann has a rare disease known as Krabbe Disease and received a life-saving stem cell donation less than a month after being born.(Photo: Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader)

Regann can't stand on her own or walk yet. But her family is determined to make that happen. She cannot talk but is learning sign language to communicate.

She has regular visits with speech and occupational therapists.

Regann's dad Ferrell Moore got to take her to the circus recently, something the little girl seemed to enjoy.

"She is the joy of my life," Ferrell Moore said. "When I come home, it couldn't be any better to see her and how happy she is to see me."

Read or Share this story: https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2020/03/05/grandma-who-helped-pass-newborn-screening-law-tells-story-bill/4954655002/

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'His legacy lives on': Grandmother who helped create newborn screening law tells history of bill - News-Leader

There was never any doubt that the Rochester Music Hall of Fame class of 2020, with five new names to be celebrated at the April induction concert, would belong to The Dady Brothers.

Few musicians here have been so highly regarded, and for as long, as the traditional folk duo. They played coffeehouses and taverns and shared stages with Pete Seeger, Tommy Makem, The Clancy Brothers and Ani DiFranco. Going back to 1979, John and Joe Dady released 11 albums as a duo, and one solo album a piece.

Although they have been primarily identified with Irish music, and led yearly tours to Ireland, that label does not do justice to The Dadys. They played Celtic, bluegrass, Americana, gospel and Christmas favorites. They performed songs by the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen. They recorded an album of Erie Canal songs, and the soundtrack to a musical about Stephen Foster.

They sang their own songs as well, often reflecting their love for their home of western New York. John Dady's instrumental, "Little Stream," celebrates the tranquility of fishing, one of his favorite pastimes. Joe Dady's "My Conesus Cabin Home" captured the rustic log house where he lived, and served as a mecca for pilgrimages by local musicians in search of the muse.

So The Dadys' induction at the 7 p.m. April 26 concert at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre was inevitable.

The remainder of the new class, announced Tuesday morning, offer less easy to divine credentials, but nevertheless represent diverse aspects of Rochester's contributions to the arts.

Two inductees, Mick Guzauski and Michael Laiacona, are among the top behind-the-scenes knob twiddlers in the music industry.

Guzauski is a Grammy-winning sound engineer and producer who has worked with many of the biggest names in the industry, including Michael Jackson, Prince and Eric Clapton. As a high school student here, Guzauski worked in a stereo store, buying used equipment that he repaired and installed in a recording studio in the basement of his parents' house.

He began recording with two Eastman School of Music students, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Steve Gadd, before hooking up with Chuck and Gap Mangione. Guzauski followed Chuck Mangione out to Los Angeles to produce Mangione's 1975 album, "Chase the Clouds Away," and he was off and running.

Levin, Gadd, the Mangiones, trumpeter Lew Soloff, the singer-songwriters Don Potter and Bat McGrath and Guzauski were all a part of that amazing scene of the late 1960s and early '70s in Rochester, and all are now in the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.

After helping establish MXR guitar effects pedals as the leading product of its kind, in 1975, Laiacona founded Whirlwind, which provides technology for virtually every concert venue and tour today.

The most recent Super Bowl halftime show was powered by Whirlwind, which Laiacona started on Boxart Street before moving the business to Ling Road in Greece about two decades ago.

Also joining the Hall of Fame is jazz singer Nancy Kelly, a Rochester native who has released six albums and was named "Best Female Jazz Vocalist" twice in the DownBeat magazine readers' poll. She remains a frequent performer in the area.

And the Hall welcomes jazz drummer and percussionist Roy McCurdy, who was born in Rochester and studied at the Eastman School of Music. By age 17, he was playing with Roy Eldridge and Eddie Vinson, and went on to work with Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Each year's list of inductees is shaped by who is available to appear at the induction concert. Big names remain on the list: Soprano Rene Fleming is perhaps the most notable. Significant local rock acts have yet to be acknowledged: The Chesterfield Kings and The Colorblind James Experience. Wang Leehom, a huge film star and musician in Taiwan, was born in Rochester and is a Pittsford Sutherland High School grad.

And there are moments that call for representation in some manner: The Rolling Stones' War Memorial concert that was halted by police out of fear that a riot was breaking out; Red Creek Inn kicking out a young and unknown Irish rock band called U2 that was launching its first American tour here; an unruly Elvis Costello getting thrown out of Scorgie's bar; David Bowie and Iggy Pop getting busted for possession of pot. Clearly, the music industry has issues with Rochester's authority figures.

The previous eight Rochester Music Hall of Fame induction concerts have drawn large audiences, and the musical performances have played a role in those successes. Most notably, there was Paul Simon's surprise appearance for the 2018 induction of Gadd and Levin.

Rochester's Prime Time Funk will once again be the house band, and will back Kelly. McCurdy will play as well, backed by local musicians.

The musical tribute to Laiacona will be by Robin Zander, who is the lead singer of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Cheap Trick, and Grammy-winning guitarist Steve Stevens, perhaps best known as Billy Idol's guitarist and co-songwriter in the MTV era of hair rock. Zander and Stevens will do a handful of Cheap Trick and Idol songs. Other performers, including those for Guzauski's induction, have not yet been announced.

John Dady will also play, joined by musicians from Rochester and New York City. And that moment will almost certainly be the emotional core of the evening, after Joe Dady passed away last year at age 61 from a rare form of leukemia.

As Rochester natives, The Dady Brothers estimated they had played 7,000 shows over some 45 years. They ran a few open-mic nights in Rochester, helping young musicians get their feet under their own careers. John played guitar. Joe mastered fiddle, guitar, banjo, tin whistle, harmonica and uilleann pipes. Both men sang as well.

They appeared on many recordings by local players, as well as a compilation album of musicians collaborating with Seeger. They shared a stage with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, The Band's Rick Danko, Arlo Guthrie, Kate Wolf, Johnny Paycheck, Papa John Creech, Jay Unger and Molly Mason and Cherish The Ladies.

As Joe's health deteriorated, John made stem cell donations in the hope of fighting off the leukemia. The procedure failed to halt the disease. Joe Dady died on May 18, in a room with his brother and family members holding his hand.

The following November, a celebration of Joe Dady's life featuring performances of Dady songs and some of Joe's favorite tunes, packed Hochstein Performance Hall. And that emotional yet upbeat evening was a clear reminder that The Dadys had been overlooked by the Rochester Music Hall of Fame for too long.

Tickets start at $31 and are available at rochestermusic.org.

Elsewhere in our Universe

The short version on RUNA: Celtic music. But that's not fair to this quintet, which Golden Link Folk Singing Society is bringing here for a 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, show at Rochester Christian Reformed Church, 2750 Atlantic Ave., Penfield. The music ranges from traditional Irish and Scottish music, jazz, flamenco, blues, Americana roots and a version of Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves." The group even won Best Bluegrass Song at the Independent Music Awards. Only one member of the band is from Ireland, the others are from Canada, New York, Philadelphia and Nashville. Jamieson Irish Dance of Webster also performs. Tickets ($23; $25 at the door; students, $10; children 12 and younger attend for free) are at Bop Shop Records or available through goldenlink.org.

After the Rochester City Ballet was awarded its first-ever gift from the National Endowment for the Arts, it immediately called the Chautauqua Institution's associate artistic director and resident choreographer, Mark Diamond. He created "Moulin d'Paris," opening 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, with productions continuing at 8 p.m. Feb. 29 and 2 p.m. March 1, at Nazareth College's Callahan Theater. The story is taken from an 1848 French novel by Alexander Dumas, with liberties: Set in the Paris cabaret Moulin Rouge in the 1900s, this edgy ballet runs from the traditional to hip-hop and a drag-queen number. Tickets (ranging from $37 to $47) are at rochestercityballet.org.

We're all worried about the future. Now writers can do something about it. For 90 minutes, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, Alison Lyke teaches "Writing the Future," a class about meeting technology head-on in your fiction. It's at the literary center Writers & Books, 740 University Ave. Lyke has published two sci-fi novels, "Honey" and "Forever People," the latter of which explores the digitized afterlife. Lyke will talk about folks such as Kurt Vonnegut and use examples of today's latest technologies as a launching pad to visions of the future. The future, which is almost always a disaster for mankind. Tickets are $25, get them at wab.org.

Shows have been slow to come at the newly reopened Water Street 2020, 204 N. Water St. But for the venerable East Coast groove band Max Creek, now playing into its fourth decade, it's like the club's closing never happened. Always a Water Street favorite, Max Creek has an 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, show at the venue. Tickets ($16 advance with a $5.24 fee, $20 at the door) are available at waterstreet2020.com.

MEE-OWWW! The internet is living proof that people love, love, love cat videos. The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave., offers 72 minutes of cats doing charming things with "CatVideoFest," at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1. See cats too fat to fit through their kitty doors! The cuteness is culled from animation, music videos, proud cat-owner submissions and that raging breeder of low pet self-esteem, the internet. Tickets are $9, with a portion of the proceeds going to Lollypop Farm Humane Society of Greater Rochester.

Jeff Spevak is WXXI's Arts & Life editor and reporter. He can be reached at jspevak@wxxi.org.

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The Dady Brothers, four others get their Rochester Music Hall of Fame call - WXXI News

A YOUNG leukaemia survivor has finally met the donor who saved his life.

She travelled from Germany to see Alfie Commons, four, who is fully recovered from his bone marrow transplant.

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Christin Bouvier, 34, had been unable to meet Alfie, of Toton, Notts, before due to strict privacy laws governing stem cell donors.

But the teacher came face to face with Alfie and mum Lorna, 40, on Wednesday.

Lorna said: The meet up was just amazing, it was everything we could have possibly dreamed of there were lots of hugs and tears.

We owe so much to Christin, words of thanks will never feel enough. Shes a really lovely person!

Christin, who lives in Scherwin, said: I was very nervous and shaking at first and when we finally met we cried a lot and hugged.

Alfie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia aged just seven months.

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Three rounds of chemotherapy failed and older brother Billy, now nine, wasnt a donor match.

So his family turned to the worldwide register.

Christin had been on the register for blood cancer charity DKMS since 2010.

She said: When they told me that the recipient was a baby I just cried.

When I found out Alfie was responding to treatment, so many tears of joy ran down my face.

Alfie got the all-clear in 2017, allowing Lorna and Christin to communicate anonymously via DKMS.

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Two years later, Lorna was also able to send videos and pictures before a meeting was arranged.

Christin added: It was always a dream to meet Lorna and Alfie. So far, this is the best thing that I have done in my entire life.

And Lorna added: I want more people to become donors theres a match out there for everyone.

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Brit boy, 4, who survived leukaemia finally meets the German blood marrow donor who saved his life - The Sun

It is not uncommon to stumble upon live videos while scrolling through Facebook. And for the hundreds of people who follow Army wife Sofia de Falco who is an adjunct professor of Italian language and literature it is not uncommon to come across her videos where she is smiling and dancing, uplifting them with a joyful and serene expression on her face. As the hundreds of comments on her posts highlight, Sofia is a source of inspiration and a true beacon of light to many.

But in those videos, Sofia is in a hospital room, wearing a shirt that lightly uncovers the right side of her chest, revealing the central venous catheter that feeds her chemotherapy medicine directly into her bloodstream.

In February 2019, Sofia was diagnosed with lymphoma. "I found a lump in my groin," Sofia said. "But I didn't give it much thought because it wasn't the first time. I always had them removed and nothing suspicious ever came of it."

During her Christmas vacation in Naples, Italy where she is originally from Sofia developed a dry and irritating cough. "I decided to go to a local doctor and see if there was anything he could do." After the doctor dismissed her because he couldn't find anything wrong, Sofia made a follow-up appointment with her PCM in Virginia, where she and her family are stationed.

"As I was leaving my PCM's office," Sofia said, "I turned around and told him about the lump in my groin, which had grown in size by then." The doctor had Sofia lie down, checked the lump and told her to see a hematologist and a surgeon. Although he didn't explicitly verbalize it at the time, the doctor suspected Sofia had lymphoma.

He was right. "Since February 2019, I have been going through countless tests and surgical procedures," Sofia revealed. After being told the first round of chemotherapy which she faced in "warrior mode," she said had worked and she was clear, in November 2019 Sofia's positive attitude and bright outlook on life was put to the test again. "The cancer came back," she said. "And this time, I have to fight even harder." Sofia will have to undergo a stem cell transplant and several rounds of high-dose chemotherapy.

Yet, she dances. As if those tubes were not attached to her body. As if the machine next to her was not feeding her chemo medicine. As if she didn't suffer from nausea and migraines. She dances as if she were by the beach in downtown Naples, with a bright sun glittering over the Mediterranean Sea in the background, its warm rays caressing her exposed skin.

"I dance on it," she said. "Dancing makes me happy, so I know it's what I'm supposed to do. My body feels so much better after I get up and start dancing, just like one, two, three, four," she said snapping her fingers as if following the rhythm of an imaginary song.

"Dancing is a way for me to keep away the pain, the sorrow and the negative thoughts," she admitted. "I believe that it is possible to defeat this beast because I believe in the power of hope."

And as her hundreds of followers are inspired by her inner strength that shines through her smile, and as the stunned nurses watch her from outside her hospital room while she dances through chemo, she laughs out loud confessing, "You know, I'm actually really bad at dancing!"

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Army spouse dances her way through chemotherapy - We Are The Mighty

TLC dropped the first preview trailer for the fourth season of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days this week, and among the six new couples featured is the franchises first same-sex relationship. After striking up a relationship on social media, 29-year-old Stephanie Matto from Yonkers, New York is flying to Australia to meet her 24-year-old girlfriend, Erika Owens.

In addition to coming out to her family, Stephanie is also taking a huge risk making the trip because she suffers from a life-threatening illness that means a common cold can kill me. But, Stephanie is a popular YouTuber with a long resume of view-grabbing antics, so how much (if any) of her story is just a stunt to get on the show?

Stephanie Matto is better known by her YouTube name Stepanka. Stepankas YouTube channel has been around for at least six years, and she has amassed just under 350,000 subscribers. Scrolling through her channel will reveal a cacophony of clickbaity thumbnails with titles like I Lost My Virginity AGAIN! My Pooping Routine! and Finally Releasing My Nudes! If you go solely by her video titles, it seems Stephanie breaks up once a month and always has a crazy story to go with it. She also buys A LOT of bikinis and lingerie, and tries it ALL on for her viewers. (And looks great while doing it!)

Looking through Stephanies channel will also turn up the video I Was in Love With a Girl | My First Bisexual Experience uploaded in June of 2016. Hmmmmmm

Here is a screen shot of a sampling of Stepanka video thumbnails:

If youre curious as to why Stephanie opted to go with the Czech version of her name, other than it seeming a bit sexier, it appears as though her mother is from the Czech Republic. Stephanies mom Magda graduated from the Palackeho University in Olomouc, Czech Republic in 1984. Stephanies dad was a lifelong resident of Connecticut before passing away in 2013 at just 57 years of age. (Stephanie has several videos about the passing of her father.) Its unclear if Stephanies mother come to the United States on a K-1 spousal visa.

So, is Stephanie and her Australian girlfriend Erikas relationship just a stunt to get on the show? Obviously I cannot know for sure, but I can say with absolute confidence that it is something Stephanie would do. And Im not alone in that opinion.

After Stephanie revealed to her fans that she was going to be dating Erika on the new season of Before the 90 Days, one fan responded by writing: So this is real? I thought it was just a spoof you cleverly put together. Stephanie assured him (and us): Its real!!!

Another fan responded with excitement: Omg yassss! I knew youd be back on reality TV. Cant wait to watch!

Wait, what?!

Stephanie has quite an extensive resume outside of her YouTube channel. She published a book titled Mean Boys & Memories: A Compilation of My Most Outrageous, Hideous, and Embarrassing Stories that is currently available on Amazon. She has also appeared on Nickelodeon and MTV, according to her Backstage profile. That profile also mentions an untitled reality series for ABC Family in which Stephanie played herself.

Here is Stephanies brief About Me from her profile that focuses on her acting background, but once again mentions reality TV:

Stephanie Matto is a young actress, having worked Nickelodeons hit series All That. She is a creative and unique comedian with an extensive training background in acting techniques, dance, acting for camera, and voice production/speech. She has done TV work, film work, as well as reality TV.

I did some digging and I did find a bankruptcy lawsuit involving a third party company that mentions Stephanie being attached to an untitled relationship program in October of 2010. Its unclear if that is the same show as referenced in Stephanies bio.

Stephanie was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2016, a rare bone marrow disorder that is often fatal. Here is information on aplastic anemia from the Mayo Clinic:

Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells. Aplastic anemia leaves you feeling fatigued and with a higher risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding.

A rare and serious condition, aplastic anemia can develop at any age. Aplastic anemia may occur suddenly, or it can occur slowly and get worse over a long period of time. Treatment for aplastic anemia may include medications, blood transfusions or a stem cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant.

Stephanies diagnosis made headlines last year, including an article by The Daily Mail. Heres Stephanie looking back on her symptoms just prior to being diagnosed:

Every single time my body would brush against anything or even carrying my bag would result in a bruise. Someone could put their hand on my arm and within an hour Id have a bruise in the shape of fingerprints.

The most intense bruise I got was when I was carrying shopping bags home one day and a few hours later I looked at my hands and they were a sea of blue-green. It looked as if all the veins in my hands had burst out blood.

After her diagnosis, Stephanie began having blood transfusions every other day. She was in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant, but there was no match for her on the registry. With no known cure for her condition, doctors told Stephanie about a new treatment in which horse proteins are injected into a patient to help induce an auto-immune reaction in the body and stop the immune system from attacking blood cells, reports The Daily Mail.

Soon after her diagnosis, Stephanie launched a GoFundMe campaign which managed to exceed her goal of $10,000. From the campaign:

Hey guys,

Just last week I was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a severe blood disorder that causes your bone marrow to fail and not produce enough white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. I will be needing a bone marrow transplant, and until I get one I will be on a course of intense drugs similiar to what chemo-patients receive. When I heard the news, I was in disbelief. I have always eaten healthy and led an active lifestyle. Literally, in the matter of less than a week, my whole life has been turned upside-down. I am devastated. It is going to be a daily struggle, and in addition to that, I have run into issues with insurance. I have state insurance which only covers so much, and am now in the process of trying to get new insurance in the state of NY. During that gap, I am paying for treatments out of pocket. It is my goal to raise enough to get me through the next month or so without the proper insurance I need. Your help means the world to me, and thank you for your support during my difficult time.

If you cannot donate at this time, I completely understand, but please consider joining the national bone marrow donor registry. It may not save my life, but could save someone elses.

The treatment Stephanie received worked well enough that she was declared in remission six months later. Unfortunately, a few months down the line my blood levels went downhill again, Stephanie recalls to The Daily Mail. I felt like I was back to square one when I needed to get a blood transfusion again after being transfusion free for four months.

Stephanie returned to Maryland in September of last year where doctors offered another round of the immunosuppressive treatment.

In August of this year, Stephanie described herself as being in partial remission. Im on a very high dose of immunosuppressive therapy, which means my t-cells are very low, she said in a youTube video. Also, I have a very suppressed immune system in general, so my white blood cell count is not that of a normal persons, so I get sick very, very easily.

With my health condition, a common cold can kill me, Stephanie says in the Before the 90 Days Season 4 preview trailer. As sensational as that may sound, it isnt untrue.

You can follow along with Stephanie and Erikas international relationship journey when Before the 90 Days returns to TLC on Sunday, February 23 at 8/7c. I will wrap up with the trailer and some sexy snaps of Stephanie from her Instagram account:

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com

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Before the 90 Days Stephanie is YouTuber Stepanka. Is she really ill & bi? - Starcasm

2. Transplant Cells, Not Organs TED Talk

Dr. Susan Lim is a pioneering surgeon who performed Asias first successful liver transplant in 1990. In this stem cells TED Talk at the INK conference, Dr. Lim explores the moralconcern of using transplants and discusses transplanting cells instead of organs.

In this stem cell video, she said that before she performed the successful liver transplant, she underwent transplantation training under two pioneering surgeons. Her instructors were Thomas Starzl and Roy Calne, a physician who performed the worlds first successful liver transplant and the first surgeon who did the same procedure in the UK, respectively. The patient who underwent a successful liver transplant is the longest surviving cadaveric liver transplant in Asia to date.

Dr. Lim also stated the fact: Not all patients on the transplant wait list are so fortunate. The truth is, there are just simply not enough organ donors to go around. As the demand for organ donors continues to rise, in large part due to the aging population, the supply has remained relatively constant.

When she was obtaining organs from executed prisoners, Dr. Lim was troubled that the retrieval was at least as morally controversial as the harvesting of stem cells from human embryos. But, later on, in her years of practice, concepts of transplantations shifted from whole organs to cells. In 1988 at the University of Minnesota, she participated in a small series of whole organ pancreas transplants and witnessed the technical difficulty of the procedure that inspired her to shift from the whole organ to cell transplant.

The observation was that stem cells could give rise to different cell types, such as heart, liver, and pancreatic islet cells. She then focused her research on stem cells as a possible source of cell transplants. Although embryonic stem cells have occupied center stage because they are pluripotent stem cells, in which they have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types, the moral controversy surrounding this stem cell type is the fact that these are derived from five-day-old human embryos.

She then inspired her lab to focus on what she thought was the most non-controversial stem cell type: adipose tissue or fat. Fat-derived stem cells are adult stem cells found in the blood, bone marrow, fat, skin, and other organs. According to her, fat is one of the best sources of adult stem cells. Her team focuses on converting fat cells and reprogramming them into youthful cells, then to more specialized ones, which can be used as cell transplants. If their research is successful, it may reduce the need forhuman embryos.

Scientists are finding more ways to enhance the bodys ability to heal itself through stem cells. When the organs or tissues are injured, the bone marrow allows stem cells to enter into the bodys circulation.They access the damaged organs through the bloodstream,to produce growth factors and repair damaged tissues.

Stem cells may also be used as building blocks to repair the damaged liver. They are useful for heart diseaseas well, to deliver growth factors and repair heart muscles.

Heres the full stem cells video of Dr. Lim that has gotten over 1 million views on YouTube:

Lawrence Goldstein, a distinguished professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Department of Neurosciences at UCSD School of Medicine and the director of the UCSD Stem Cell Program, discusses the basic principles of stem cells. He examines the promise they offer and how they can be safely and effectively employed.

Goldstein started with how stem cells function as small businesses in the human body. They have different jobs, such as being specialized or differentiated, like pancreatic cells for insulin, and heart cells for pumping blood. The reason for stem cells thats relevant to human diseases is that many types of illnesses are caused by the breakdowns of cells. These cells can either be alive but damaged, or die and are lost.

Stem cells are promising because they are biological raw materials to replace damaged cells and organs. They are also tools for understanding and combating diseases and for testing and developing new drugs. Stem cell treatments are a biological technology that offers broad applications for treating diseases.

Achieving an effective cell replacement therapy requires having more than just a basic understanding of which cells are defective or dying. For example, in Type I diabetes, it should be understood that theres a reason why the cells that make insulin die. The reason for this is because Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease, where the immune system acts out of control and attacks cells within the pancreas.

Replacing cells in the pancreas with stem cells does not completely treat the type I diabetic patient, because the immune system may attack the pancreas again. There needs to be a protective mechanism that somehow shields the pancreas from immune system attacks.

Heres the incredible stem cell video by UCTV that has over 139 thousand views:

Each stem cell video explains the importance of stem cell transplantation for treating disease or injury. While the therapeutic potential of stem cells is still being explored, one thing is certain:the future of stem cells in medicine is promising.

If you found this blog valuable, subscribe to BioInformantsstem cell industry updates.

As thefirst and only market research firmto specialize in the stem cell industry, BioInformant research is cited byThe Wall Street Journal, Xconomy, AABB, andVogue Magazine.Bringing youbreaking news on a daily basis, we encourage you to join more than half a million loyal readers, including physicians, scientists, executives, and investors.

Which stem cells video above is most interesting to you? Tell us in the comments below.

Up Next: Hematopoietic Stem Cells: What Diseases Can these Stem Cells Treat?

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Stem Cells Video | Top 3 Stem Cell Videos on YouTube