Study finds hydroxychloroquine delays disability for least treatable form of multiple sclerosis

Research results open door for potential larger scale study of generic drug for MS

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

 

VIDEO: A UCALGARY STUDY HAS FOUND PROMISING RESULTS FOR THE GENERIC DRUG HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WHEN USED TO REDUCE THE WORSENING OF DISABILITY OF PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS), THE LEAST TREATABLE FORM OF THE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE. MS AFFECTS ABOUT 90,000 CANADIANS, ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES IN THE WORLD WITH ABOUT 15 PER CENT OF THOSE DIAGNOSED WITH PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE MS. view more 

CREDIT: HOTCHKISS BRAIN INSTITUTE

A University of Calgary study has found promising results for the generic drug hydroxychloroquine when used to treat the evolution of disability of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the least treatable form of the autoimmune disease. MS affects about 90,000 Canadians with about 15 per cent of those diagnosed with primary progressive MS, one of the highest rates in the world.

Cumming School of Medicine research teams led by Dr. Marcus Koch, MD, PhD, and Dr. Wee Yong, PhD, found hydroxychloroquine helped to slow the worsening of disability during the 18-month study involving participants at the MS clinic in Calgary. The research was published in Annals of Neurology.

“With primary progressive MS, there is no good treatment to stop or reverse the progression of disease. The disability progressively worsens through time,” says Koch a clinician-investigator in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and member of the Hotchkiss Brian Institute (HBI). “Dr. Yong’s research team, with whom we closely collaborate, has been screening a large number of generic drugs over several years and the results with hydroxychloroquine show some promise. Our trial is a preliminary success that needs further research. We hope sharing these results will help inspire that work, specifically larger scale clinical trials into the future.”

The experimental study, known as a single-arm phase II futility trial, followed 35 people between November 2016 and June 2021. Researchers expected to see at least 40 percent, or 14 participants, experience a significant worsening of their walking function, but at the end of the trial only eight participants had worsened. Hydroxychloroquine was generally well-tolerated.

Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malaria medication more commonly used to manage the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune conditions such as lupus. It was chosen because it is widely used in rheumatological diseases and generally well-tolerated.

“Based on research in our lab on models of MS, we predicted that hydroxychloroquine would reduce disability in people living with MS. Calgary has a vibrant bench-to-bedside MS program and the work from Dr. Koch’s trial offers further evidence which we were pleased to see,” says Yong, a professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and HBI member.

The cause of MS remains unknown. It's a disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and is generally long-lasting, often affecting the brain, spinal cord and the optic nerves in your eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance and muscle control, although the effects are different for everyone who has the disease.

The MS Clinical Trials team’s work is supported in part by philanthropic contributions from donors including The Westman Charitable Foundation and the Swartout family. This specific study was also funded through a grant from the MS Translational Clinical Trials Program of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.

Dr. Koch and the research team have been studying the impact of hydroxychloroquine on primary progressive MS for several years and that work continues, including its potential to achieve even greater results as a therapy in combination with select other generic drugs.

Media inquiries

Kyle Marr
Senior Communications Specialist
Cumming School of Medicine
+1.403.473.6049
kyle.marr@ucalgary.ca

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JOURNAL

Annals of Neurology

DOI

10.1002/ana.26239 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Study finds hydroxychloroquine delays disability for least treatable form of multiple sclerosis

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Jan-2022

Unusual team finds gigantic planet hidden in plain sight

Gas giant is much closer to Earth than others like it

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE

 

IMAGE: LICK OBSERVATORY'S AUTOMATED PLANET FINDER, USED TO HELP CALCULATE THE NEW PLANET'S MASS AND ORBIT. view more 

CREDIT: LAURIE HATCH/LICK OBSERVATORY

A UC Riverside astronomer and a group of eagle-eyed citizen scientists have discovered a giant gas planet hidden from view by typical stargazing tools. 

The planet, TOI-2180 b, has the same diameter as Jupiter, but is nearly three times more massive. Researchers also believe it contains 105 times the mass of Earth in elements heavier than helium and hydrogen. Nothing quite like it exists in our solar system. 

Details of the finding have been published in the Astronomical Journal and presented at the American Astronomical Society virtual press event on Jan. 13. 

“TOI-2180 b is such an exciting planet to have found,” said UCR astronomer Paul Dalba, who helped confirm the planet’s existence. “It hits the trifecta of 1) having a several-hundred-day orbit, 2) being relatively close to Earth (379 lightyears is considered close for an exoplanet), and 3) us being able to see it transit in front of its star. It is very rare for astronomers to discover a planet that checks all three of these boxes.”

Dalba also explained that the planet is special because it takes 261 days to complete a journey around its star, a relatively long time compared to many known gas giants outside our solar system. Its relative proximity to Earth and the brightness of the star it orbits also make it likely astronomers will be able to learn more about it. 

In order to locate exoplanets, which orbit stars other than our sun, NASA’s TESS satellite looks at one part of the sky for a month, then moves on. It is searching for dips in brightness that occur when a planet crosses in front of a star. 

“The rule of thumb is that we need to see three ‘dips’ or transits before we believe we’ve found a planet,” Dalba said. A single transit event could be caused by a telescope with a jitter, or a star masquerading as a planet. For these reasons, TESS isn’t focused on these single transit events. However, a small group of citizen scientists is. 

CAPTION

A gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star, which is similar to TOI-2180 b.

CREDIT

NASA

Looking over TESS data, Tom Jacobs, a group member and former U.S. naval officer, saw light dim from the TOI-2180 star, just once. His group alerted Dalba, who specializes in studying planets that take a long time to orbit their stars. 

Using the Lick Observatory’s Automated Planet Finder Telescope, Dalba and his colleagues observed the planet’s gravitational tug on the star, which allowed them to calculate the mass of TOI-2180 b and estimate a range of possibilities for its orbit. 

Hoping to observe a second transit event, Dalba organized a campaign using 14 different telescopes across three continents in the northern hemisphere. Over the course of 11 days in August 2021, the effort resulted in 20,000 images of the TOI-2180 star, though none of them detected the planet with confidence.

However, the campaign did lead the group to estimate that TESS will see the planet transit its star again in February, when they’re planning a follow up study. Funding for Dalba’s research is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

The citizen planet hunters’ group takes publicly available data from NASA satellites like TESS and looks for single transit events. While professional astronomers use algorithms to scan a lot of data automatically, the Visual Survey Group uses a program they created to inspect telescope data by eye. 

“The effort they put in is really important and impressive, because it’s hard to write code that can identify single transit events reliably,” Dalba said. “This is one area where humans are still beating code.”

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JOURNAL

The Astronomical Journal

DOI

10.3847/1538-3881/ac415b 

Climate adaptation increases vulnerability of cocoa farmers, study shows

Sean Kennedy, a professor of urban and regional planning, found that strategies to keep cocoa farmers in place transferred climate-related risks from chocolate manufacturers to the farmers.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEWS BUREAU

 

IMAGE: CLIMATE ADAPTATION BY COCOA FARMERS IN INDONESIA HAS MADE THEM MORE VULNERABLE TO ECONOMIC AND CLIMATIC RISKS, SAYS SEAN KENNEDY, A PROFESSOR OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING. KENNEDY FOUND THAT STRATEGIES TO KEEP COCOA FARMERS IN PLACE TRANSFERRED CLIMATE-RELATED RISKS FROM CHOCOLATE MANUFACTURERS TO THE FARMERS. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY L. BRIAN STAUFFER

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — New research offers an alternative perspective on adaptation to climate threats in Southeast Asia.

Sean Kennedy, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, looked at the ways that small cocoa farmers in Indonesia are adapting to threats from climate change, including prolonged drought. He found that corporations are shaping the behavior of small farmers, fixing their labor in place in a way that alleviates the corporations’ economic displacement but increases the vulnerability of the farmers. He reported his research findings in an article in Annals of the American Association of Geographers.

Recent trends in the Indonesian cocoa sector offer a lens to examine the politics of displacement in the context of socioeconomic and climatic change, Kennedy said. Climate change can result in various forms of displacement, but the consequences of efforts designed to minimize displacement haven’t received the same attention, he said.

The farmers in the region he studied are all smallholder producers, with at least 1 million families engaged in cocoa farming. Cocoa productivity has rapidly declined due to climate change, pests and poor soil health, as well as consumer demands for sustainable cocoa necessitating increased investment in its production. A growing number of smallholders have abandoned cocoa production.

Often the goal of climate adaptation is to allow people to stay in place – for instance, building a sea wall to protect against flooding, managing wildfires or increasing a crop’s productivity in response to drought, Kennedy said. However, the cocoa farmers historically have been highly mobile, moving to seek supplemental income from nonagricultural jobs and in response to seasonal variations and climatic disruptions. They also could choose to grow other commodity crops, he said.

But chocolate manufacturers needed farmers to stay in place and continue to produce cocoa beans. Kennedy examined the efforts of Mars Inc. to manage climate-related supply chain risks.

“Like other chocolate manufacturers, for Mars, the combined impact of climate-related productivity declines, increased demand for certified chocolate and the growing unwillingness of smallholder producers to engage in cocoa cultivation have resulted in significant supply threats,” Kennedy wrote.

“’Climate-smart cocoa’ aims to transform and reorient farming systems to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, boost adaptive capacity and improve productivity while supporting incomes.”

The corporation’s strategies included standardization of farming practices and creation of financial dependencies. Mars created training programs that focus on techniques to increase production, including the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Through purchase agreements, cocoa producers were required to participate in training; buy plant stock, fertilizers and pesticides through Mars; and sell their beans to the corporation, bypassing the local traders that in the past had provided supplies and financing arrangements and bought the beans. Credit was provided through microfinance arrangements that used the farmers’ land as collateral.

The result, Kennedy said, is that farmers are beholden financially to the corporation, which dictates production practices. They cannot abandon cocoa production to grow other commodity crops or pursue a different source of income because their assets are tied up in those arrangements.

“When some entity is saying, ‘Here’s a climate-adaptation program intended to keep people in place,’ often staying in place is not the best way to adapt to climate change. People have been adapting to climatic variation for a long time in ways that often involved moving around,” Kennedy said. “Mars has avoided being displaced economically, but it is transferring the risks it faced onto others. Outreach programs that are framed as benefiting small producers are actually benefiting corporate producers, rather than the people on farms growing cocoa.”

The research shows that climate adaptation is not limited to smallholder farmers and their environments, but is part of the global economic landscape, and that corporate sustainability efforts are actually a transfer of risk from the corporations to the producers, Kennedy wrote.

 

Editor’s notes: To contact Sean Kennedy, email seankenn@illinois.edu.

The paper “The power to stay: Climate, cocoa, and the politics of displacement” is available online and from the U. of I. News Bureau.

DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2021.1978839

 

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JOURNAL

Annals of the American Association of Geographers

DOI

10.1080/24694452.2021.1978839 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

The Power to Stay: Climate, Cocoa, and the Politics of Displacement

New USDA grant to support climate resilience planning in Indian Country

“Native Climate” project will build relationships and narrow the climate justice gap in Native American communities of the Intermountain West

Grant and Award Announcement

DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: THE NEW NATIVE CLIMATE PROJECT WILL WORK TO SUPPORT CLIMATE RESILIENCE PLANNING IN INDIAN COUNTRY. GREENHOUSES AT SALISH KOOTENAI COLLEGE (UPPER LEFT), GREY FARRELL NEAR TUBA CITY ON THE NAVAJO RESERVATION (UPPER RIGHT), PYRAMID LAKE (LOWER RIGHT), A SCHOOL BUS ON THE NAVAJO RESERVATION NEAR TUBA CITY (LOWER LEFT) view more 

CREDIT: MAUREEN MCCARTHY/DRI

Reno, Nev. (Jan 13, 2022) – A collaborative team of researchers led by Maureen McCarthy, Ph.D., of DRI has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to support and strengthen the role of USDA Climate Hubs in Indian Country. 

The USDA Climate Hubs work across ten regions of the U.S. to support agricultural producers and professionals by providing science-based, region-specific information about climate change and climate adaptation strategies. The new DRI-led project, titled “Native Climate: Strengthening the role of Climate Hubs in Indian Country,” will support the Climate Hubs by expanding the reach of their services and outreach to Tribal Extension agents, agricultural producers, and youth educators in the Southwest and Northern Plains regions. 

“From heatwaves to extreme winds, droughts, wildfires, and floods, the climate crisis poses huge adaptation challenges to Native American communities in the Intermountain West – and there are huge inequities across the U.S. in providing climate services and resources to Tribes,” said McCarthy, Native Climate program director from DRI. “Many of these communities are incredibly resilient and forward-thinking in terms of finding ways to adapt to this rapidly warming world, and their knowledge of the landscape pre-dates modern science. This project is an amazing opportunity to build connections and sustainable, trusted relationships that support information sharing between Tribal communities, Climate Hubs, Tribal Extension partners, researchers, and educators.”

Native Climate will address long-standing issues related to climate injustice in Indian Country through culturally-appropriate information sharing and by increasing the representation of Native American Tribal members in climate-related research and outreach positions. The project team includes researchers, Tribal Extension educators, and Climate Hub leaders from DRI, the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, the University of Arizona, the University of Montana (UM), and the Southwest and Northern Plains Climate Hubs. 

The project supports the hiring of several Native Climate Fellows, who will work directly with the Southwest and Northern Plains Climate Hubs in coordinating climate data needs, extending outreach to agricultural producers, and sharing youth climate education materials. One Native Climate Data Fellow will be stationed in the Montana Climate Office (MCO) at UM. A second Native Climate Agricultural Producer Fellow will work through UNR-Extension, and a third Native Climate Youth Education Fellow will be hired by DRI. 

DRI’s Native Climate Youth Education Fellow will work with mentor Meghan Collins, M.S., to continue growing an existing Teaching Native Waters Community of Practice, which fosters communication between educators, FRTEP agents, and scientists. This Fellow will also work with the Climate Hubs and other NIFA project teams to adapt climate education resources to be place-based and culturally relevant.

“Educators, scientists, decision-makers, and leaders all have important knowledge to bring to the table," said Collins, assistant research scientist at DRI. “This community of practice creates spaces for us to listen, respond, and innovate. Together, we are seeking solutions that engage youth in closing the gap in climate justice.”

The project will also create a new student internship program for Native Climate Reporters at DRI, which will support three or more Native students a year studying communications, journalism, agriculture, or STEM. The interns will report on stories about climate impacts and adaptation by tribes in their regions, and gain experience developing and producing multi-media communications, with mentorship from Native Climate Communications Coordinator Kelsey Fitzgerald, M.A. 

“Only a very small percentage of journalists at U.S. news organizations are Native people, which has a huge impact on the news coverage we see or don’t see about climate change and other challenges being addressed by Tribal communities,” said Fitzgerald, senior communications official at DRI. “We are so excited to be able to provide this opportunity for Native students interested in climate reporting to develop their communications experience and skills so that they can play an active role in providing more accurate news coverage and telling the stories that are important to their regions.”

Other components of the project include a “Native Climate Toolkit” – a web-based interactive resource clearinghouse, and impact reporting and alert tools. A Native Climate Advisory Group will help the team engage tribes in the region, leverage resources from partner organizations, and conduct culturally-respectful project evaluation.

Native Climate builds on partnerships established under previous USDA-funded projects Native Waters on Arid Lands, the COVID CARE Toolkit Project, All Climate is Local virtual conference, and Teaching Native Waters. Native Climate will begin in March 2022 and run through March 2027. 

More information: 

To view the award announcement from USDA, please visit: https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/01/12/usda-invests-9m-expand-reach-and-increase-adoption-climate-smart

 

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About DRI

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a recognized world leader in basic and applied environmental research. Committed to scientific excellence and integrity, DRI faculty, students who work alongside them, and staff have developed scientific knowledge and innovative technologies in research projects around the globe. Since 1959, DRI’s research has advanced scientific knowledge on topics ranging from humans’ impact on the environment to the environment’s impact on humans. DRI’s impactful science and inspiring solutions support Nevada’s diverse economy, provide science-based educational opportunities, and inform policymakers, business leaders, and community members. With campuses in Las Vegas and Reno, DRI serves as the non-profit research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education. For more information, please visit www.dri.edu.

Compost is a major source of pathogenic aspergillus spores

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY

Washington, D.C. – January 13. 2022 – Fourteen percent of Aspergillus fumigatus isolates cultured from garden soils were resistant to an agricultural triazole antifungal drug, tebuconazole. Tebuconazole resistance confers resistance to medical triazoles that are used to treat aspergillosis, a lung infection that can be serious, which results from inhalation of A. fumigatus spores. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.  

In the study, which was lead author Jennifer Shelton’s Ph.D. thesis, she and her collaborators found that compost and compost-enriched soils contain high concentrations of A. fumigatus spores.  

“The research suggests that handling compost presents a public health risk when individuals are exposed to large numbers of aerosolized spores and raises questions of whether compost bags should carry additional health warnings, whether compost should be sterilized before shipping, and whether individuals should be advised to wear face masks when handling compost,” said Shelton.  

 A novel aspect of this study is that the soil samples—509 of them—were collected from their gardens by 249 citizen scientists whom Shelton enlisted in this effort via social media and through the Aspergillosis Trust, a charity raising awareness of the problem. The samples were all collected on the same day, June 21, 2019. From these, the investigators cultured 5,174 isolates of A. fumigatus. Many of these A. fumigatus isolates contained polymorphisms in the cyp51A gene, which is frequently associated with triazole-resistance. Soil samples containing compost were significantly more likely to grow tebuconazole-resistant A. fumigatus strains than those that did not, and compost samples grew significantly higher numbers of A. fumigatus than other soil samples.  

The study was motivated by a growing number of cases caused by triazole resistant A. fumigatus spores in the UK, said Shelton, who conducted the research at Imperial College London and UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. “An estimated 185,000-plus people in the UK live with aspergillosis, with conditions ranging from severe hypersensitization, “fungal asthma,” and chronic colonization or invasion of the lungs that can disseminate to other organs including the brain,” said Shelton. “Chronic forms of aspergillosis are life-limiting and difficult to treat, and invasive infections have mortality rates of between 40 and 70 percent, and higher if infected with triazole resistant A. fumigatus.” 

People normally inhale spores from the environment, including those of A. fumigatus. Those with weak immunity, due to immune-suppressing drugs, conditions such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, or lung damage from infection by tuberculosis, COVID-19, severe influenza or smoking, are especially vulnerable, but even those without predisposing conditions can develop aspergillosis if they inhale sufficient numbers of spores.  

“Our research suggests that handling compost and compost-enriched soils exposes individuals to large numbers of spores and that behavioral changes on their part, and action taken by the composting industry could reduce these exposures,” said Shelton.  

###

The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of 30,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.

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JOURNAL

Applied and Environmental Microbiology

DOI

10.1128/AEM.02061-21 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Citizen-science surveillance of triazole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in UK residential garden soils

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Jan-2022

Disclaimer: AAAS and

$10M project aims for more pest-resilient food options in Asia

Grant and Award Announcement

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: A FARMER HARVESTS BT EGGPLANT IN BANGLADESH IN 2018. view more 

CREDIT: ARIF HOSSAIN

ITHACA, N.Y. – A new Cornell University-led project will accelerate the application of a proven biotechnology to enhance food and nutritional security in Bangladesh and the Philippines while protecting the health of farmers and the environment.

The Feed the Future Insect-Resistant Eggplant Partnership is funded by a five-year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative. The new award will continue efforts to introduce genetically engineered (GE) eggplant varieties that are resistant to devastating insect infestations and can reduce or eliminate the need for harmful pesticides.

The multifaceted project takes up the complex challenge of science and policy. The work will empower scientists in Bangladesh and the Philippines to develop new, locally adapted varieties of eggplant while engaging with policymakers on clear regulatory pathways for their release.

The goal, according to project director Maricelis Acevedo, research professor of global development, is a more prosperous, food-secure and gender-equitable future for Bangladesh and the Philippines.

“Crop pests and pathogens are a threat to food security and the environmental sustainability of food systems globally,” Acevedo said. “Sustainable agricultural practices are essential to food production, and scientists and local regulatory agencies must work in tandem to produce food crops that are better and safer for the environment and people.”

Based in Cornell’s Department of Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the Feed the Future Insect-Resistant Eggplant Partnership combines expertise in agricultural and social sciences to achieve equitable socioeconomic results. As part of the project, the Alliance for Science – based at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) – and Farming Future Bangladesh will address misconceptions about safety, and build a scientifically rigorous link between biotech crops and nutritional security.

Additionally, Hale Ann Tufan, research professor of global development, will study whether biotechnology products equitably benefit women, men and young people within households that adopt them in Bangladesh. Looking beyond household-level income benefits, the study will examine how gender norms and intrahousehold dynamics specifically shape positive or negative outcomes for women and youth.

Eggplant is rich in fiber and antioxidants and is one of the most popular vegetables in Bangladesh. Farmers growing eggplant must contend with continuous threats from insects, the most damaging of which is the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB). Larvae feed on young and maturing fruit, rendering infested eggplant inedible.

Bt eggplant contains genes from the common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which is also widely used in organic agriculture. Studies show Bt is harmless to mammals, soil organisms and beneficial insects, but toxic to harmful insect pests. Rigorous safety trials have proven Bt eggplant to be an effective means for controlling EFSB without the need for pesticides.

The first genetically engineered food crop approved in South Asia, Bt eggplant has grown dramatically in popularity by farmers since it was introduced in 2014. Studies have shown that farmers in Bangladesh who switched to Bt eggplant increased yields 51% and net revenues 128%, while reducing pesticide costs 38% and reported pesticide poisonings 12%.

Despite these successes, biotechnology development and adoption remain a contentious issue. Local partnerships in the private and public sectors will help achieve sustainability of the technologies and engage directly with farmers and policymakers in Bangladesh and the Philippines.

“Farmers are demanding more resilient crops that are higher yielding and safer for them to farm and consume,” Acevedo said. “Bt eggplant delivers on all these fronts.”

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

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Report analyzes record-high fertilizer prices

Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center projects 80% increase in 2022

Written by Blair Fannin

Farmers and economists are wringing their hands on how to get a handle on record-high fertilizer prices heading into the 2022 crop year, and a new report compiled by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University suggests prices may not be done going up due to several factors.

Fertilizer prices have reached record highs and a new report by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University indicates they may go much higher in 2022. (Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications photo by Blair Fannin)

Joe Outlaw, Ph.D., co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, told farmers at the Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco that fertilizer prices could escalate as much as 80% this year as supply and demand gyrate at never-before-seen levels.

A recently completed AFPC report, which analyzed the economic impacts of higher fertilizer prices on 64 representative farms, was compiled from a study initially requested by U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La. Outlaw said producers are not only experiencing sticker shock, but may see product shortages.

“Coupled with current COVID supply chain issues, this will further stress the production environment for agriculture across the country,” Outlaw said.

The fertilizer report is the most recent in a series of analyses by AFPC, which has previously released impact reports on supply disruptions to the U.S. cattle market and proposed estate tax legislation.

Rocketing fertilizer prices

The AFPC report found that as the nation continues to maneuver through supply chain disruptions and agricultural input availability, there are impacts on both fertilizer availability and costs. Last August, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute in Missouri projected only a 10% increase in fertilizer prices in its forecast model, but recent spot prices have forecasts reaching as high as 80% more for the 2022 planting season.

Anhydrous ammonia increased by as much as $688 per ton or $86,000 per 1,000-acre AFPC representative farm through October 2021. The AFPC representative farms are from across the country and are used to calculate and project potential implications on future production.

Joe Outlaw, Ph.D., co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, visits with Kaitlynn Hughes, a scholarship recipient from Royse City High School and her family at the Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Blair Fannin)

“The current farm safety net is not designed to address these types of rapid production cost increases, which will continue to be a growing concern for farmers across the country, creating an emerging need for assistance,” Outlaw said.

The report found that the largest whole-farm impact would fall on AFPC’s feed-grain farms at an average of $128,000 per farm and the largest per acre impact would hit AFPC’s rice farms at $62.04 per acre.

AFPC economists went back to the 1980s, finding that fertilizer prices typically tend to rise as corn revenues increase.

Grain market, production implications

Jason Johnson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist, Stephenville, said during the Blacklands Income Growth conference that grain farmers really need to do some crop budget forecasting for 2022.

Grain farmers will not only have to cope with record-high fertilizer prices, but also price support pressure from carryover supplies of grain coupled with drought in some of the major wheat production areas.

“If fertilizer prices are way up, how can you (as a farmer) reduce costs?” Johnson said. “Make sure you are not wasting fertilizer and that you are being very strategic in your crop management planning.”

With higher fertilizer prices, Johnson said farmers are going to have to be increasingly mindful of their crop production budgets. He also suggested that to cope with inflation, grain farmers should consider putting some of their cash to work such as buying input needs ahead of time.

“Also, when was the last time you we had an increasing interest-rate environment?” Johnson said. “What about experiencing four interest rate hikes within a year? Do you have anything financed with a variable interest rate? 2022 is going to be an increasing rate environment. How is that going to impact your operation and net revenue?”

He said farmers can counter with locking in future contracts by selling a portion of their crop throughout the year.

“Pencil out your cost exposure,” Johnson said. “Look at what your costs are going to be in relation to relative profit. Crop budget forecasting can be used to your advantage.”

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Georgia Tech to launch collaborative effort to advance indoor air quality research and development

New global consortium, including charter member Global Plasma Solutions, will accelerate the development of stronger industry standards, promoting research, scholarship, and responsible innovation

Business Announcement

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has announced a new collaborative effort to advance the science of electronic indoor air cleaning technology.

Georgia Tech will lead the new global Consortium for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) which will provide an academic platform to drive responsible innovation in advanced air cleaning technology, accelerate the development and promotion of national testing standards, and drive further research and scholarship in the field.

Georgia Tech will name a senior interdisciplinary faculty member to serve as a termed professor for the consortium and its related activities. This faculty member will bring together the necessary expertise from relevant fields across Georgia Tech.

To help promote scholarship in the area of IAQ, indoor air quality leader Global Plasma Solutions (GPS) – a charter member of the consortium – will create and fund the GPS Fellowship program for IAQ to support academic opportunities for graduate students that will include two student research scholarships and the GPS Termed Professorship.

Additionally, and separately, GPS will support and fund the GPS Ionization Initiative, a significant, multi-year sponsored research program that will be managed through the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC). 

“The pandemic has rightfully trained a spotlight on the vital importance of indoor air quality. It is a complex challenge that must be met with scientific facts and a clear look at the many factors that are necessary to address this multi-layered challenge, said Chaouki Adballah, Georgia Tech’s executive vice president for research. “Georgia Tech is delighted to lead the charge with our Consortium partner, and we are grateful for Global Plasma Solutions’ support in this collaborative effort.”

About Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 44,000 students representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.

As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.

About Global Plasma Solutions

Founded in 2008, Global Plasma Solutions (GPS) is a leader in indoor air quality, with over 30 patents and 250,000 installations worldwide since its founding.  More information about GPS can be found at www.globalplasmasolutions.com.

One in 10 people may still be infectious for COVID after 10 days, new research indicates

One in 10 people may have clinically relevant levels of potentially infectious SARS-CoV-2 past the 10 day quarantine period, according to new research.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

One in 10 people may have clinically relevant levels of potentially infectious SARS-CoV-2 past the 10 day quarantine period, according to new research.

The study, led by the University of Exeter and funded by Animal Free Research UK, used a newly adapted test which can detect whether the virus was potentially still active. It was applied to samples from 176 people in Exeter who had tested positive on standard PCR tests.

The study, published in the  international Journal of Infectious Diseases found that 13 per cent of people still exhibited clinically-relevant levels of virus after 10 days, meaning they could potentially still be infectious. Some people retained these levels for up to 68 days. The authors believe this new test should be applied in settings where people are vulnerable, to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Professor Lorna Harries, of the University of Exeter Medical School, oversaw the study. She said: “While this is a relatively small study, our results suggest that potentially active virus may sometimes persist beyond a 10 day period, and could pose a potential risk of onward transmission. Furthermore, there was nothing clinically remarkable about these people, which means we wouldn’t be able to predict who they are”.

Conventional PCR tests work by testing for the presence of viral fragments. While they can tell if someone has recently had the virus, they cannot detect whether it is still active, and the person is infectious. The test used in the latest study however gives a positive result only when the virus is active and potentially capable of onward transmission.

Lead author Merlin Davies, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “In some settings, such as people returning to care homes after illness, People continuing to be infectious after ten days could pose a serious public health risk. We may need to ensure people in those setting have a negative active virus test to ensure people are no longer infectious. We now want to conduct larger trials to investigate this further.”

Animal Free Research UK CEO, Carla Owen, said:  “The University of Exeter team’s discovery is exciting and potentially very important. Once more, it shows how focusing exclusively on human biology during medical research can produce results that are more reliable and more likely to benefit humans and animals.   

“Pioneering animal free work is providing the best chance of not only defeating Covid 19 but also finding better treatments for all human diseases.

 “The results also send a loud and clear message to the Government to better fund modern medical research and make the UK a world leader in cutting edge, kinder science.”  

The research is a collaboration between the University of Exeter Medical School, the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and the NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility.

The paper is entitled ‘Persistence of clinically-relevant levels of SARS-CoV2 envelope gene subgenomic RNAs in non-immunocompromised individuals’, and is published in the international Journal of Infectious Diseases.

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JOURNAL

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Persistence of clinically-relevant levels of SARS-CoV2 envelope gene subgenomic RNAs in non-immunocompromised individuals