Tanzania's Hassan to make history as first female president

Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan and President John Magufuli, pictured in July 2019 as they spoke to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on the phone

Thu, March 18, 2021

Samia Suluhu Hassan is a soft-spoken, Muslim woman thrust from the obscure role of vice president to become Tanzania's first female leader after John Magufuli's sudden death.

Under the constitution, Hassan, the country's 61-year-old vice president, will serve the remainder of Magufuli's second five-year term, which does not expire until 2025.

A former office clerk and development worker, Hassan began her political career in 2000 in her native Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago, before being elected to the national assembly on mainland Tanzania and assigned a senior ministry.

A ruling party stalwart, she rose through the ranks until being picked by Magufuli as his running mate in his first presidential election campaign in 2015.

The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) comfortably won and Hassan made history when sworn-in as the country's first-ever female vice president.

The pair were re-elected last October in a disputed poll the opposition and independent observers said was marred by irregularities.

She would sometimes represent Magufuli on trips abroad but many outside Tanzania had not heard of Hassan until she appeared on national television wearing a black headscarf to announce that Magufuli had died at 61 following a short illness.

In a slow and softly spoken address -- a stark contrast to the thundering rhetoric favoured by her predecessor -- Hassan solemnly declared 14 days of mourning.

She will consult the CCM over the appointing of a new vice president.

- 'Hold your breath' -

Analysts say Hassan will face early pressure from powerful Magufuli allies within the party, who dominate intelligence and other critical aspects of government, and would try and steer her decisions and agenda.

"For those who were kind of expecting a breakaway from the Magufuli way of things I would say hold your breath at the moment," said Thabit Jacob, a researcher at the Roskilde University in Denmark and expert on Tanzania.

"I think she will struggle to build her own base... We shouldn't expect major changes."

Her loyalty to Magufuli, nicknamed the "Bulldozer" for his no-nonsense attitude, was called into doubt in 2016.

Her office was forced to issue a statement denying she had resigned as rumours of a rift grew more persistent, and Hassan hinted at the controversy in a public speech last year.

"When you started working as president, many of us did not understand what you actually wanted. We did not know your direction. But today we all know your ambitions about Tanzania's development," she said in front of Magufuli.

- Getting things done -

Hassan was born on January 27, 1960 in Zanzibar, a former slaving hub and trading outpost in the Indian Ocean.

Then still a Muslim sultanate, Zanzibar did not merge formally with mainland Tanzania for another four years.

Her father was a school teacher and mother a housewife. Hassan graduated from high school but has said publicly that her finishing results were poor, and she took a clerkship in a government office at 17.

By 1988, after undertaking further study, Hassan had risen the ranks to become a development officer in the Zanzibari government.

She was employed as a project manager for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) and later in the 1990s was made executive director of an umbrella body governing non-governmental organisations in Zanzibar.

In 2000, she was nominated by the CCM to a special seat in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives. She then served as a local government minister -- first for youth employment, women and children and then for tourism and trade investment.

In 2010, she was elected to the National Assembly on mainland Tanzania. Then president Jakaya Kikwete appointed her as the Minister of State for Union Affairs.

She holds university qualifications from Tanzania, Britain and United States. The mother of four has spoken publicly to encourage Tanzanian women and girls to pursue their dreams.

"I may look polite, and do not shout when speaking, but the most important thing is that everyone understands what I say and things get done as I say," Hassan said in a speech last year.

Hassan would be the only other current serving female head of state in Africa alongside Ethiopia's President Sahle-Work Zewde, whose role is mainly ceremonial.

str-np/fb/pma



Samia Suluhu Hassan - the woman set to become Tanzania's next president

Thu, March 18, 2021

Samia Suluhu Hassan in October 2015

On Wednesday evening she had the task of announcing to Tanzanians that President John Magufuli had died and now Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan is due to take his place as the country's head of state.

First elected as Magufuli's running mate in 2015, she was re-elected last year along with him and according to the constitution, should serve out the rest of the five-year term in the top job.

She is set to become Africa's only current female political head of government - the Ethiopian presidency is a largely ceremonial role - and join a short list of women on the continent who have made it to the top.

The 61-year-old is affectionately known as Mama Samia - in Tanzanian culture that reflects the respect she is held in, rather than reducing her to a gendered role.

But she was a surprise choice for a running mate in 2015, leaping over several other more prominent politicians in the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power in one form or another since independence in 1961.

First elected to a public office in 2000, she came to national prominence in 2014 as the vice-chairperson of the Constituent Assembly, created to draft a new constitution. There her calm demeanour in managing occasional outbreaks of pandemonium and the way in which she dealt with some of the more outspoken members earned her plaudits.

Samia Suluhu Hassan has served as President Magufuli's deputy since 2015

In terms of personality she strikes a contrast with Magufuli.

Where he appeared impulsive, not afraid to speak off the cuff and let his feelings be known, she is more thoughtful and considered.

She is also said to be a good listener who believes in following the correct procedures.
'Capable leader'

One MP, January Makamba, who worked with her in the vice-president's office, has called her "the most underrated politician in Tanzania".

"I have observed at close quarters her work ethic, decision-making and temperament. She is a very capable leader," he said.

But where this places her in terms of policy is not yet clear. Most significantly she has to decide whether to continue her predecessor's sceptical approach to dealing with coronavirus.

You may also be interested in:


The cautionary tale of the president who denied Covid


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Obituary: Tanzania's 'bulldozer' President John Magufuli


The country that's rejecting the Covid vaccine

There was no doubt that she was loyal to the president but she was not afraid to strike out on her own.

Perhaps the most significant evidence of that was in 2017 when she visited opposition leader Tundu Lissu in hospital in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, after he had survived an assassination attempt.

With people speculating that state agents had been involved, the pictures of the visit sent shockwaves through the country.

Mr Lissu went into exile afterwards - returning briefly to take part in elections last year - but went back to live in Belgium, saying he had received more death threats.
Private person

Despite being vice-president since 2015, and having served as a state minister in the previous government, little is known about Ms Samia's private life.

She was born in January 1960 on Zanzibar - the semi-autonomous islands off the coast of mainland Tanzania. Later she went on to study public administration, first in Tanzania and then as a post-graduate at UK's Manchester University.

In 1978, she married Hafidh Ameir, who is known to be an agricultural academic but has also kept a low profile. Since Ms Samia became vice-president, the two have not been pictured together.

They have four children with one, Mwanu Hafidh Ameir, who is currently a member of Zanzibar House of Representatives.
African female presidents

The role of Ethiopia's President Sahle-Work Zewde is largely ceremonial

1993-1994 - Sylvie Kinigi - caretaker President of Burundi, following the killing of Melchior Ndadaye

2006-2018 - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - elected President of Liberia

2009 - Rose Francine Rogombé - Interim President of Gabon following the death of Omar Bongo

2012 - Monique Ohsan-Bellepeau - Acting President of Mauritius, after the resignation of Sir Anerood Jugnauth

2012-2014 - Joyce Banda - President of Malawi, after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika

2014-2016 - Catherine Samba-Panza - transitional President of Central African Republic, elected by parliament

2015-2018 - Ameenah Gurib-Fakim - President of Mauritius, elected by parliament

2018-present - Sahle-Work Zewde - President of Ethiopia, elected by parliament

Death of Tanzania's Magufuli draws sorrow but ire from some





Tanzania Presidents Death

A man reads a copy of the Daily Nation morning newspaper reporting the death of neighboring Tanzania's President John Magufuli on a street in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 18, 2021. Magufuli, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic whose populist rule often cast his country in a harsh international spotlight, died Wednesday aged 61 of heart failure, it was announced by Vice President Samia Suluhu. Headline in Swahili reads "Goodbye Magufuli." AP Photo/Khalil Senosi


TOM ODULA
Thu, March 18, 2021

NAKURU, Kenya (AP) — News of the death of Tanzania's President John Magufuli drew mixed reactions; sorrow from many but bitterness from a critic who said he suffered during the president's rule which he said shrank the country's democratic space.

Magufuli, one of Africa's most prominent COVID-19 skeptics died of heart failure, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced Wednesday night on national television. Hassan is expected to be sworn in to succeed Magufuli and complete his second five-year term which he had just started after winning elections late last year. She will be Tanzania's first female head of state.

As tributes come in from other African heads of state, Tanzania's opposition leader has been outspoken in his criticism of Magufuli.

“It's poetic justice," opposition leader Tundu Lissu said Thursday of Magufuli's death, alleging that he succumbed to COVID-19.

“President Magufuli defied the world on the struggle against COVID-19. He defied the East African community, he defied all our neighbors. He defied science. He refused to take the basic precautions that people all over the world are being told to take in the fight against COVID-19,” said Lissu, on the Kenya Television Network.

“He did not wear a face mask. He actually denigrated anyone who wore a face mask. He did not believe in vaccines. He did not believe in science. He placed his faith in faith healers and herbal concoctions of dubious medical value.” said Lissu. "And what has happened? He went down with COVID-19. And now they are telling us he had heart disease. It is Corona.”

Lissu, who spoke from exile in Belgium, recalled that in Sept. 2017 Magufuli said those who were opposed to his economic reforms deserved to die. Shortly after that Lissu was shot 16 times and he left the country for Belgium.

Lissu returned to Tanzania to challenge Magufuli in the Oct. 2020 elections. He lost to Magufuli in elections marred by violence and widespread allegations of vote-rigging. Government security forces blocked thousands of opposition monitors from observing the polls. Lissu returned to Belgium after criticizing the elections, saying that he was not safe.

Lissu said news of Magufuli’s death did not surprise him as he had received "credible information" since March 7 that the president was gravely ill.

“What surprises me is that his regime continues to lie of the cause of his death and the time he died,” he said.

He said the informed sources who had told him of Magufuli's illness also told him that the president had been dead since March 10.

Magufuli had been missing from public view since Feb 27, when he swore in a new chief secretary after his predecessor died with what many speculate was COVID-19.

For days government officials denied he was ill claiming he was busy and the president is not duty-bound to make public appearances.

"This is the time to open a new chapter in Tanzania, Lissu said, ”Magufuli in the five years he was president caused havoc to our country. There are so many people who have been killed in the five years. There are many people who have been injured, tortured, persecuted. I barely escaped with my life."

“He is dead and this is an opportunity, a rare opportunity, for our country to come together for national reconciliation,” he said.

Fellow African leaders have begun praising Magufuli's leadership.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is also the chairman of the East African Community, announced Kenya will observe seven days of national mourning in which the country's flag will be flown at half-mast.

“In the passing on of President Magufuli, I have lost a friend, a colleague, and a visionary ally whom I worked with closely, particularly on our commitment to forge lasting bonds between Kenya and Tanzania,” Kenyatta said in a live broadcast Thursday.

In Tanzania, eyes turn to succession after president's death


FILE PHOTO: Tanzania's President elect Magufuli addresses members of the ruling CCM at the party's sub-head office on Lumumba road in Dar es Salaam

Thu, March 18, 2021

(Reuters) - Tanzania's leadership faced calls for a smooth succession on Thursday after President John Magufuli, Africa's most vehement coronavirus sceptic, died following an 18-day absence from public life that drew speculation about his health.

An opposition leader urged the immediate swearing in of Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan as successor, saying that would avoid a constitutional vacuum and prevent uncertainty.

But by 2 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), more than 15 hours after Hassan announced Magufuli's death in an address to the nation, there was no official word on plans for her swearing in.

The vice president will address the nation on Friday some time after 9:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) on burial arrangements for Magufuli, government spokesman Hassan Abbasi said on state TV on Thursday evening.

The ruling CCM party called for calm and said there would be a special meeting of its central committee on Saturday.

Magufuli's death, the first of a Tanzanian leader while in office, opens the prospect that the country will gain its first female president.

The constitution says Hassan, 61, should assume the presidency for the remainder of the five-year term that Magufuli began serving last year after winning a second term.

It also states that after consultation with their party, the new president will propose a deputy, the choice to be confirmed by the votes of no less than 50% of the National Assembly.

Speaking on state television late on Wednesday, Hassan said Magufuli, 61, had died from the heart disease that had plagued him for a decade. She said burial arrangements were under way but did not indicate when she would be sworn in.

Abbasi, the government spokesman did not respond to calls and texts seeking comment on succession plans.

Magufuli had not been seen in public since Feb. 27, sparking rumours he had COVID-19. On March 12, officials denied he had fallen ill and on Monday Hassan had urged Tanzanians not to listen to rumours from outside the country.

As late as Wednesday, she sent 'greetings' from Magufuli in a remarks to an audience in the coastal region of Tanga.

"The VP has to be sworn in immediately," opposition leader Zitto Kabwe told Reuters by phone from Dar es Salaam. "The constitution doesn't allow a vacuum ... I will be concerned if the day passes without her being sworn in."

A source who advises businesses operating in Tanzania said “The next 48 hours are crucial ... There is likely to be uncertainty. Some people will want to purge some Magufuli hardliners, but given how he restructured the intelligence services, that is easier said than done.”

OPPOSITION

Nicknamed "The Bulldozer" because of his reputation for pushing through policies despite opposition, Magufuli drew international criticism for his unorthodox and increasingly authoritarian tactics.

Citing Magufuli's opposition to foreign interference and focus on social development, China on Thursday expressed its condolonces over his death, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Canada's Barrick Gold Corp, embroiled for several years of Magufuli's presidency in a tax dispute with the government that was settled last year, said Magufuli saw the value of a thriving mining sector.

The company said the deal it made with his government in which it took stakes in three gold mines, as part of talks related to the tax dispute, should serve as a model for future partnerships between governments and mining companies in Africa.

Thabit Jacob, a Tanzanian scholar at the Roskilde University in Denmark, said there appeared to be a consensus between top political and security figures whom he speaks to about the need for a smooth transition that followed the constitution.

Although Hassan publicly championed Magufuli's leadership style and frequently represented him abroad, she has been more soft spoken and less confrontational than the president.

Magufuli was a vocal COVID-19 sceptic who urged Tanzanians to shun mask-wearing and denounced vaccines as a Western conspiracy, frustrating the World Health Organization.

Some people stood on street corners in the downtown area reading newspapers including a headline blaring "Grief" and wept. As has been the case throughout the pandemic in Tanzania, many people were not wearing face masks.

(Reporting by Nairobi newsroom, Writing by Elias Biryabarema and Maggie Fick, Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Maclean)

Tanzania's 'Bulldozer' president and COVID-19 sceptic dies


FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Tanzania's President elect Magufuli salutes members of the ruling CCM at the party's sub-head office on Lumumba road in Dar es Salaam

Wed, March 17, 2021

Tanzania's President John Magufuli, admired by followers for his hostility to corruption and waste but regarded by foes as an irascible authoritarian intolerant of dissent and sceptical about COVID-19, has died aged 61.

He was nicknamed "The Bulldozer" for his fondness for massive public works and a reputation for pushing through policies despite opposition - a hard-charging leadership style that won support from many Tanzanians.

But he also attracted criticism at home and abroad for what opponents saw as his eccentric handling of the coronavirus pandemic.


Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Wednesday he had died of heart illness, days after officials denied he had fallen ill amid rumours that he had contracted COVID-19.

Mangufuli decried lockdowns, was sceptical of COVID-19 drugs and suggested vaccines may be part of a foreign plot to steal Africa's wealth.

"Vaccines are not good. If they were, then the white man would have brought vaccines for HIV/AIDS," he said. "Tanzanians should be careful with these imported things. You should not think that they love you a lot. This nation is rich, Africa is rich, everyone wants some of it."

The government stopped reporting statistics for new cases and deaths in May last year when it had registered 509 cases and 21 deaths. Magufuli had questioned coronavirus testing kits - which he said had returned positive results on a goat and pawpaw fruit. He declared the pandemic over and reopened the economy.

But the death in February of a senior politician from the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar raised concerns about a hidden pandemic running amok in the East African nation.

Magufuli's approach caused alarm at the World Health Organization, prompting its head to implore Tanzania to improve public health measures, prepare to distribute vaccines and start reporting coronavirus cases and sharing data.

QUICK RISE TO INFLUENCE

Born in the village of Chato in the Geita region of northwestern Tanzania, Magufuli was first elected to parliament in 1995 from his home constituency.

A former chemistry teacher, he quickly climbed the political ladder and served in various cabinet roles, including as minister of works, before he won the presidency in 2015.

During his first presidential campaign he captured headlines by doing push-ups at a rally to demonstrate his physical fitness for office. His cost-cutting including cancelling independence day festivities and restricting foreign travel by officials.

He was re-elected for a second term in 2020, winning 84% of the vote in a ballot the opposition said was marred by irregularities and whose results it rejected.

Upon re-election, he promised to build on his agenda of fighting corruption and reducing wasteful public spending, moves which won him praise in his first term.

Magufuli, in no-nonsense style, would make unannounced inspection visits to government departments, and once sacked senior managers at Tanzania's main public hospital, saying they were not delivering. He also purged thousands of "ghost workers" from the government, and reduced his own salary as part of spending cuts. https://reut.rs/2NHdzmc

He was tough on businesses when he thought they were under-paying taxes. In 2017, his government accused gold producer Acacia Mining of evading taxes and under-declaring exports, hitting it with a $190 billion tax bill. https://www.reuters.com/article/acacia-mining-tanzania-idUSL5N1KF5CE

Barrick Gold Corp, which owned the majority of Acacia and eventually bought it out, agreed to pay Tanzania $300 million to settle tax and other disputes.

Critics said Magufuli had presided over a deterioration of the political scene, after his administration arrested opposition leaders, suspended some newspapers and restricted political rallies. The government denies suppressing dissent.

Among those critics is opposition leader Tundu Lissu, shot 16 times by unknown gunmen in the administrative capital Dodoma in September 2017.

He accused the state of trying to kill him, which the government denied. Magufuli condemned the shooting and ordered security forces to investigate, but no one has been arrested. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tanzania-politics-idUSKCN24S15Z

On the economic front, he embarked on ambitious infrastructure projects in the hope of supercharging East Africa's third largest economy.

These included a railway, a hydropower project and the revival of state carrier Air Tanzania, spending billions of dollars in the process.

(Reporting by Nairobi newsroom; editing by William Maclean)

 

US and Canada setting up for showdown with 'murder hornets' as 2021 nesting season starts

Dustin Barnes

USA TODAY 3/18/2021

2020 is over, but many of the nightmares it brought upon us still remain. Exhibit A: The "murder hornet."

Scientists from Washington, British Columbia and U.S. federal agencies joined forces in a virtual press conference Wednesday to declare open season on the Asian giant hornet, an invasive species that was first found in the U.S. and Canada in 2019.

The agencies are collaborating on their plans to track, trap and eradicate any Asian giant hornets they find in 2021. 

The joint announcement comes as the predatory insects are setting up nests this spring.

"They start to emerge as early this time of year. And any queen that's detected by the public and taken out of commission takes out a potential nest,"  said Sven-Erik Spichiger, an entomologist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. "This is not a species, the (Asian giant hornet), that we want to tolerate here in the United States."

There were 31 confirmed sightings of the hornets last year in Washington, half of which came from public tips, Spichiger said. "That does not count the some 500 specimens involved in the first nest eradication" in October 2020.

'Got there just in the nick of time':200 queens were in first 'murder hornet' nest. But there could be more out there

In British Columbia, Canada, six hornet sightings were confirmed in 2020, all coming from public reports, said Paul van Westendorp, with the province's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.

"There are three major issues here," van Westendorp said. "The first one is public health and public exposure," including potential exposure to pets, wildlife and livestock animals. 

These hornets are also recognized as a "serious honeybee predator," van Westendorp said. And they can impose ecological pressure on local habitats since they go after prey of all kinds. 

Asian giant hornets can destroy entire hives of honeybees, critical to crops like raspberries and blueberries because they provide needed pollination.

'Got 'em':Nest of 'murder hornets' taken down in Washington state to protect honeybees

The insects are the world's largest hornet and can grow up to 2 inches long. Terrifying in appearance, their stings could also deliver a potentially deadly venom, especially for those who are allergic or if someone were to stumble upon a nest and sustain multiple stings, Spichiger said in 2020. The stings can cause necrosis and lead to organ failure, he added.

Times this year when nature was all 2020:Murder hornets, infected mink, curious penguins

John Bacon and Ryan W. Miller contributed to this report.

VIDEO Murder hornets in US and Canada tracked by scientists (usatoday.com)

Outrage as 172 Republicans vote to oppose Violence Against Women Act

Maroosha Muzaffar
Thu, March 18, 2021

Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) , one of the lead sponsors of VAWA(Getty Images)

One day after seven women were killed in attacks across three massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia, the US House of Representatives voted to reauthorise the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The act, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), “creates and supports comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.”

The act was originally authored by the now-president Joe Biden, but had lapsed two years ago.

Representatives voted 244 to 172 in favour of the bill, largely along party lines, though 29 Republicans joined the Democrats in supporting its passage.

NNEDV, in a press release, said that it “applauds the bill’s lead sponsors, Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and all those who voted for VAWA’s passage.”

Deborah Vagins, president of NNEDV, said it was a vote “to support survivors... that both maintains established protections and resources and expands VAWA to address ongoing gaps in the law”.

“The pandemic continues to reveal deep racial and gender inequalities that impact survivors’ lives and jeopardise their safety,” she added. The VAWA addresses the needs of historically marginalised survivors in a number of critical ways, she said.

According to The Hill, among other things, the act will end the so-called “boyfriend loophole”, where spouses convicted of domestic violence are banned from owning guns but non-married partners and ex-partners are not.

Ms Vagins said the bill “builds on the progress that has been made for survivors, but acknowledges there is much more to be done to prevent violence, address abuse, and ensure safety. The bill takes a comprehensive approach, addressing the complex realities of survivors’ lives. We celebrate the House bill and urge the Senate to swiftly pass it.”

One user on Twitter also thanked lawmakers who voted for the VAWA reauthorisation. “My daughter’s ex-husband was financially abusive to her during their marriage. She’s fortunate that she had a godfather & extended family who could support her as she left the marriage. Obviously, not all women are that blessed. So, TY for your advocacy,” she said.

While the bill’s passage in the House was celebrated, there was also a widespread reaction to the fact that so many lawmakers chose to vote against the bill.

One social media, Jake Lobin, whose bio identifies him as a “devout Democrat”, tweeted” “172 Republicans voted against renewing the Violence Against Women Act today because they see no problem with violence against women.”

Another user blasted the Republicans for having “no redeeming qualities”, and others accused the party of not caring for the safety of women in the country.

Many also celebrated the reauthorisation of VAWA.



President Biden welcomed the bill’s passage, adding: “I urge the Senate to follow their lead to renew and strengthen this landmark law.

“Writing and passing VAWA is one of the legislative accomplishments of which I’m most proud. VAWA has transformed the way our country responds to violence against women,” he said.

Many also celebrated the reauthorisation of VAWA.

Study explores how environmental exposures before conception may impact fetal development

VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Research News

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (March 16, 2021) -- Older age at the time of conception and alcohol consumption during pregnancy have long been known to impact fetal development.

Now, a new report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests older age and alcohol consumption in the year leading up to conception also may have an impact by epigenetically altering a specific gene during development of human eggs, or oocytes.

Although the study did not determine the ultimate physical effects of this change, it provides important insights into the intricate relationship between environmental exposures, genetic regulation and human development.

"While the outcome of the change isn't clear, our findings give us a valuable look into how environmental factors affect gene regulation through epigenetics and imprinting," said Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon), Van Andel Institute chief scientific officer and the study's senior author. "A better understanding of these complex processes further our understanding of health and disease and -- one day -- may be the foundation for new disease prevention measures."

Today's study centers on a gene called nc886, which is one of about 100 "imprinted" genes that pass from the mother to the fetus. Imprinted genes retain important chemical tags applied by either the mother or the father before conception. The result is an "epigenetic memory" through which non-genetic information, such as maternal age, may flow directly from parent to offspring. To date, nc886 is the only known imprinted gene that exhibits variation in the likelihood of imprinting based on maternal factors.

Using data from 1,100 mother-child pairs from South Africa, Jones and colleagues found the imprinting of nc886 was increased in older mothers but decreased in mothers who drank alcohol the year before conception. The team also investigated cigarette smoking but found no impact on imprinting of nc886.

A 2018 study published by Jones and his collaborators demonstrated that failure to imprint nc886 was associated with higher body mass in children at five years of age. Research by other groups also have linked failure to imprint nc886 with increased survival in people with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive type of blood cancer. Most recently, a group in Taiwan found that lack of imprinting on nc886 may reduce response to an anti-diabetic drug.

###

Authors include Brittany L. Carpenter, Ph.D., Tanaka K. Remba, Stacey L. Thomas, Ph.D., Zachary Madaj, M.S., and Rochelle L. Tiedemann, Ph.D., of VAI; and Lucy T. Brink, M.Sc., and Hein J. Odendaal, M.B.Ch.B., F.C.O.G.(S.A.), M.Med., M.D., F.R.C.O.G., of Stellenbosch University. The VAI Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core contributed to this work. Blood spot and cord blood samples were provided by the Prenatal Alcohol and SIDS and Stillbirth Network.

Research reported in this publication was supported by Van Andel Institute and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number F32GM129987 (Carpenter). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

The Safe Passage Study, which provided access to samples and drinking and smoking data, was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders under award numbers U01 HD055154, U01 HD045935, U01 HD055155, U01 HD045991 and U01 AA016501 (Odendaal).

ABOUT VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE

Van Andel Institute (VAI) is committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations through cutting edge biomedical research and innovative educational offerings. Established in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1996 by the Van Andel family, VAI is now home to more than 400 scientists, educators and support staff, who work with a growing number of national and international collaborators to foster discovery. The Institute's scientists study the origins of cancer, Parkinson's and other diseases and translate their findings into breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies. Our educators develop inquiry-based approaches for K-12 education to help students and teachers prepare the next generation of problem-solvers, while our Graduate School offers a rigorous, research-intensive Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. Learn more at vai.org.

How sperm remember

Discovery identifies non-DNA mechanism involved in transmitting paternal experience to offspring

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

It has long been understood that a parent's DNA is the principal determinant of health and disease in offspring. Yet inheritance via DNA is only part of the story; a father's lifestyle such as diet, being overweight and stress levels have been linked to health consequences for his offspring. This occurs through the epigenome - heritable biochemical marks associated with the DNA and proteins that bind it. But how the information is transmitted at fertilization along with the exact mechanisms and molecules in sperm that are involved in this process has been unclear until now.

A new study from McGill, published recently in Developmental Cell, has made a significant advance in the field by identifying how environmental information is transmitted by non-DNA molecules in the sperm. It is a discovery that advances scientific understanding of the heredity of paternal life experiences and potentially opens new avenues for studying disease transmission and prevention.

A paradigm shift in understanding of heredity

"The big breakthrough with this study is that it has identified a non-DNA based means by which sperm remember a father's environment (diet) and transmit that information to the embryo," says Sarah Kimmins, PhD, the senior author on the study and the Canada Research Chair in Epigenetics, Reproduction and Development. The paper builds on 15 years of research from her group. "It is remarkable, as it presents a major shift from what is known about heritability and disease from being solely DNA-based, to one that now includes sperm proteins. This study opens the door to the possibility that the key to understanding and preventing certain diseases could involve proteins in sperm."

"When we first started seeing the results, it was exciting, because no one has been able to track how those heritable environmental signatures are transmitted from the sperm to the embryo before," adds PhD candidate Ariane Lismer, the first author on the paper. "It was especially rewarding because it was very challenging to work at the molecular level of the embryo, just because you have so few cells available for epigenomic analysis. It is only thanks to new technology and epigenetic tools that we were able to arrive at these results."

Changes in sperm proteins affect offspring

To determine how information that affects development gets passed on to embryos, the researchers manipulated the sperm epigenome by feeding male mice a folate deficient diet and then tracing the effects on particular groups of molecules in proteins associated with DNA.

They found that diet-induced changes to a certain group of molecules (methyl groups), associated with histone proteins, (which are critical in packing DNA into cells), led to alterations in gene expression in embryos and birth defects of the spine and skull. What was remarkable was that the changes to the methyl groups on the histones in sperm were transmitted at fertilization and remained in the developing embryo.

"Our next steps will be to determine if these harmful changes induced in the sperm proteins (histones) can be repaired. We have exciting new work that suggest that this is indeed the case," adds Kimmins. "The hope offered by this work is that by expanding our understanding of what is inherited beyond just the DNA, there are now potentially new avenues for disease prevention which will lead to healthier children and adults."

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To read: "Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation in sperm is transmitted to the embryo and associated with diet-induced phenotypes in the offspring" by Ariane Lismer et al in Developmental Cell
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2021.01.01

The research was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research

In women, higher body fat may protect against heart disease death, study shows

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - LOS ANGELES HEALTH SCIENCES

Research News

 

FINDINGS

A new UCLA study shows that while men and women who have high muscle mass are less likely to die from heart disease, it also appears that women who have higher levels of body fat -- regardless of their muscle mass -- have a greater degree of protection than women with less fat.

The researchers analyzed national health survey data collected over a 15-year period and found that heart disease-related death in women with high muscle mass and high body fat was 42% lower than in a comparison group of women with low muscle mass and low body fat. However, women who had high muscle mass and low body fat did not appear have a significant advantage over the comparison group.

Among men, on the other hand, while having high muscle mass and high body fat decreased their risk by 26% (compared to those with low muscle mass and low body fat), having high muscle mass and low body fat decreased their risk by 60%.

BACKGROUND

The American Heart Association estimates that 5 million men and 3 million women have heart attacks annually. Yet despite this wide gender gap and an overall decrease in heart attack-related deaths for both men and women over the past 50 years, an equal number of men and women still die from heart disease.

In addition, mortality among women over those five decades has fallen at a slower rate than for men, and the incidence of heart attacks appears to be increasing among women between the ages of 35 and 54. Recent research has also found that women have significantly higher levels of risk factors associated with adverse heart disease than men.

METHOD

The researchers analyzed body composition data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 and cardiovascular disease data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2014. They evaluated 11,463 individuals aged 20 and older, who were then divided into four body-composition groups: low muscle mass and low body fat, low muscle and high fat, high muscle and low fat, and high muscle and high fat. Heart disease-related mortality rates where then calculated for each of these groups.

IMPACT

The findings highlight the importance of recognizing physiological differences between women and men when considering body composition and the risk of death from heart disease, particularly when it comes to how differences in body fat may modify that risk.

The research also underscores the need to develop sex?appropriate guidelines with respect to exercise and nutrition as preventive strategies against the development of cardiovascular disease. Even with the current emphasis by health experts on reducing fat to lower disease risk, it may be important for women to focus more on building muscle mass than losing weight, the study authors say.

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by Enrique Rivero

AUTHORS

Study authors included Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, Dr. Tamara Horwich, Dr. Marcella Calfon Press, Jeff Gornbein and Dr. Karol Watson, all of UCLA.

JOURNAL

The study is published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Heart Association.

FUNDING

The study was funded by the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Health Program.

Electromagnetic fields hinder spread of breast cancer, study shows

Lab tests suggest the fields interfere with the inner workings of cancer cells

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Electricity may slow - and in some cases, stop - the speed at which breast cancer cells spread through the body, a new study indicates.

The research also found that electromagnetic fields might hinder the amount of breast cancer cells that spread. The findings, published recently in the journal Bioelectricity, suggest that electromagnetic fields might be a useful tool in fighting cancers that are highly metastatic, which means they are likely to spread to other parts of the body, the authors said.

"We think we can hinder metastasis by applying these fields, but we also think it may be possible to even destroy tumors using this approach," said Vish Subramaniam, senior author of the paper and former professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at The Ohio State University. Subramaniam retired from Ohio State in December.

"That is unclear at this stage, but we are working on understanding that - how big should the electromagnetic field be, how close should it be to the tumor? Those are the next questions we hope to answer."

The study is among the first to show that electromagnetic fields could slow or stop certain processes of a cancer cell's metabolism, impairing its ability to spread. The electromagnetic fields did not have a similar effect on normal breast cells.

Travis Jones, lead author of the paper and a researcher at Ohio State, compared the effects to what might happen if something interfered with a group running together down a path.

The effect, Subramaniam said, is that some of the cancer cells slow down when confronted with electromagnetic fields.

"It makes some of them stop for a little while before they start to move, slowly, again," he said. "As a group, they appear to have split up. So how quickly the whole group is moving and for how long they are moving becomes affected."

The electromagnetic fields are applied to cancerous cells without touching them, said Jonathan Song, co-author of the paper, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State and co-director of Ohio State's Center for Cancer Engineering.

Song compared the cancer cells with cars. Each cell's metabolism acts as fuel to move the cells around the body, similar to the way gasoline moves vehicles.

"Take away the fuel, and the car cannot move anymore," Song said.

The work was performed on isolated human breast cancer cells in a lab and has not been tested clinically.

The electromagnetic fields appear to work to slow cancer cells' metabolism selectively by changing the electrical fields inside an individual cell. Accessing the internal workings of the cell, without having to actually touch the cell via surgery or another more invasive procedure, is new to the study of how cancer metastasizes, Subramaniam said.

"Now that we know this, we can start to answer other questions, too," Subramaniam said. "How do we affect the metabolism to the point that we not only make it not move but we choke it, we completely starve it. Or can we slow it down to the point where it will always remain weak?"

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This research is an extension of two previous pioneering studies, published in 2015 and 2019, that showed electromagnetic fields could hinder breast cancer metastasis. (Read an Ohio State News story about the 2019 study here.)

Other Ohio State researchers who authored this study include Kirti Kaul, Ayush Garg and Ramesh Ganju.

Exposure to common chemical during pregnancy may reduce protection against breast cancer

UMass Amherst research suggests propylparaben is an endocrine disruptor

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST

Research News

 

IMAGE: SENIOR AUTHOR LAURA VANDENBERG IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE UMASS AMHERST SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SCIENCES. view more 

CREDIT: UMASS AMHERST

Low doses of propylparaben - a chemical preservative found in food, drugs and cosmetics - can alter pregnancy-related changes in the breast in ways that may lessen the protection against breast cancer that pregnancy hormones normally convey, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research.

The findings, published March 16 in the journal Endocrinology, suggest that propylparaben is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that interferes with the actions of hormones, says environmental health scientist Laura Vandenberg, the study's senior author. Endocrine disruptors can affect organs sensitive to hormones, including the mammary gland in the breast that produces milk.

"We found that propylparaben disrupts the mammary gland of mice at exposure levels that have previously been considered safe based on results from industry-sponsored studies. We also saw effects of propylparaben after doses many times lower, which are more reflective of human intake," Vandenberg says. "Although our study did not evaluate breast cancer risk, these changes in the mammary tissue are involved in mitigating cancer risk in women."

Hormones produced during pregnancy not only allow breast tissue to produce milk for the infant, but also are partly responsible for a reduced risk of breast cancer in women who give birth at a younger age.

The researchers, including co-lead author Joshua Mogus, a Ph.D. student in Vandenberg's lab, tested whether propylparaben exposure during the vulnerable period of pregnancy and breastfeeding adversely alters the reorganization of the mammary gland. They examined the mothers' mammary glands five weeks after they exposed the female mice to environmentally doses of propylparaben during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Compared with pregnant mice that had not received propylparaben, the exposed mice had mammary gland changes not typical of pregnancy, the researchers report. These mice had increased rates of cell proliferation, which Vandenberg says is a possible risk factor for breast cancer. They also had less-dense epithelial structures, fewer immune cell types and thinner periductal collagen, the connective tissue in the mammary gland.

"Some of these changes may be consistent with a loss of the protective effects that are typically associated with pregnancy," says Mogus, who was chosen to present the research, deemed "particularly newsworthy" by the Endocrine Society, at the international group's virtual annual meeting, ENDO 2021, beginning March 20.

Mogus says future studies should address whether pregnant females exposed to propylparaben are actually more susceptible to breast cancer. "Because pregnant women are exposed to propylparaben in many personal care products and foods, it is possible that they are at risk," Mogus says, adding that pregnant and breastfeeding women should try to avoid using products containing propylparaben and other parabens.

"This chemical is so widely used, it may be impossible to avoid entirely," Mogus adds. "It is critical that relevant public health agencies address endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a matter of policy."

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This research received funding from the University of Massachusetts Commonwealth Honors College Grant, the Endocrine Society's Summer Research Fellowship and the National Institutes of Health.

Other study co-authors are Charlotte LaPlante, Ruby Bansal, Klara Matouskova, Shannon Silva, Elizabeth Daniele, Mary Hagen and Karen Dunphy, all of UMass Amherst; Benjamin Schneider and Sallie Schneider of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.; and D. Joseph Jerry of UMass Amherst's Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute in Springfield.

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