France is recalling its ambassador to Italy amid mounting tensions relating to yellow vest protesters.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement that the ambassador is being brought back for “consultations”, and urged Italy to return to friendly relations worthy of “our common destiny”.

France’s Foreign Ministry called that an “unacceptable” interference in French democracy, and unprecedented since the two neighbours joined together after World War Two to help create the European Union.

“The campaign for the European elections cannot justify the lack of respect for each people or for their democracy,” Ms von der Muhll said…

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-02-07/france-recalls-ambassador-to-italy-after-yellow-vest-meeting/

Border agents just apprehended convicted child molesters and an MS-13 member at the Texas border where there's no barrier

U.S. Border Patrol agents said Thursday that they apprehended several illegal immigrants at the southern border in Texas, in places where there are no physical barrier walls to deter illegal crossings.

Among those caught crossing into the U.S. were a Mexican man with a previous conviction in Georgia for child molestation, a Honduran man with a record in North Carolina showing a conviction for "Indecent Liberties with Child," and another Honduran male with a Florida record that identified him as a member of the violent MS-13 gang.

The apprehensions occurred in the Rio Grande Valley sector of the southern border on Monday and Tuesday, according to a release by the Border Patrol.

I toured a portion of that sector in January, and agents said that areas that feature a 25-foot barrier of concrete and steel have proven critical in blocking illegal border crossers, forcing them to attempt their crossings in specific areas where they can be apprehended. They've asked for more of the same kind of border wall to fill in the long gaps that current exist.

When President Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday that his proposal is for new barrier that "will be deployed in the areas identified by the border agents as having the greatest need," this is what he meant.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/border-agents-just-apprehended-convicted-child-molesters-and-an-ms-13-member-at-the-texas-border-where-theres-no-barrier

Body building supplement could be bad for the brain

People taking the protein supplement L-norvaline should be aware of its potential for harm, scientists say. L-norvaline is an ingredient widely used in body building supplements and is promoted as a compound that can boost workouts and aid recovery. Similar compounds have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases and a study on human cells, by scientists from the University of Technology Sydney, suggests L-norvaline may also cause damage to brain cells.

The study, published in Toxicology in Vitro showed that even at relatively low concentrations the amino acid L-norvaline could make cells unhealthy and eventually kill them.

Proteins in our diet contain amino acids that are released in our gut and then used by our bodies to build new proteins. L-norvaline is one of hundreds of amino acids that are not normally used to make proteins in humans. In recent years the popularity of dietary supplements to enhance body strength and muscle performance has meant that many now contain lots of unusual amino acids that can do harm.

Lead author of the study Kate Samardzic said that the highest consumption of amino acids is among athletes and bodybuilders.

"Protein requirements are higher in very active individuals and proteins are considered to improve and increase performance. The demand for amino acids in supplements has expanded but in addition to the normal protein-building amino acids other 'non-protein' amino acids are being taken", the UTS School of Life Sciences Ph.D. candidate said.

"Some non-protein amino acids are toxic because they can mimic protein amino acids and deceive the body into making faulty proteins; a property used by some plants to kill predators.

"Some plants can even release non-protein amino acids into the soil to kill other plants so that they can have access to all the nutrients. Chemical warfare among plants is a well known phenomenon. Since there was evidence that L-norvaline has antimicrobial and herbicidal activity we examined its toxicity in human cells," Samardzic said.

This is the first study that investigates the toxicity of L-norvaline in human cells, specifically testing its effect on the health of brain cells arising from its ability to mimic protein amino acids.

Associate Professor Ken Rodgers who led the research said the study revealed that L-norvaline while, it might initially allow cells to produce more energy, after a while the machinery of the cell that generates the energy is damaged. People are taking supplements such as this without really knowing much about what the long-term consequences might be.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-02-body-supplement-bad-brain.html

https://twitter.com/medical_xpress/status/1093556650261254144

New cases of rare cancer caused by breast implants, FDA reports

A type of cancer linked to breast implants has been diagnosed in more women, according to a statement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

On Wednesday, the FDA said the number of cases of women diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) in the United States has increased to 457, up from 414 cases.

Nine women have died from the rare cancer that affects the immune system, a known risk from breast implants that was first reported by the FDA in 2011.

While the slow-growing lymphoma is not breast cancer, it is found around breast implants. Health officials also explained the lymphoma is more likely to occur in women who have implants with a textured coating rather than a smooth coating. Textured implants, which have a rougher outer layer meant to adhere to tissue surrounding them, are typically used in cases where the patient and surgeon do not want the implant to move around within the breast pocket.

To further increase the chances of detecting the disease before it becomes life-threatening, the FDA has issued a letter to health care providers….

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/breast-implants-cancer-risk-fda-lymphoma-lift-texture-chemotherapy-radiation-a8768231.html

Tests suggest scientists achieved first 'in body' gene editing

Scientists think they have achieved the first gene editing inside the body, altering DNA in adults to try to treat a disease, although it's too soon to know if this will help.

Preliminary results suggest that two men with a rare disorder now have a corrective gene at very low levels, which may not be enough to make the therapy a success.

Still, it's a scientific milestone toward one day doctoring DNA to treat many diseases caused by faulty genes.

"This is a first step," said Dr. Joseph Muenzer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who helped test the treatment. "It's just not potent enough."

He gave the results Thursday at a conference in Orlando, Florida, and has consulted for the therapy's maker, California-based Sangamo Therapeutics. Researchers are working on a stronger version of the treatment.

Gene editing is intended as a more precise way to do gene therapy, to disable a bad gene or supply a good one that's missing. Trying it in adults to treat diseases is not controversial and the DNA changes do not pass to future generations, unlike the recent case of a Chinese scientist who claims to have edited twin girls' genes when they were embryos.

Sangamo's studies involve men with Hunter or Hurler syndrome, diseases caused by a missing gene that makes an enzyme to break down certain sugar compounds. Without it, sugars build up and damage organs, often killing people in their teens.

In 2017, Brian Madeux of Arizona became the first person to try it. Through an IV, he received many copies of a corrective gene and an editing tool called zinc finger nucleases to insert it into his DNA.

Results on him and seven other Hunter patients, plus three with Hurler syndrome, suggest the treatment is safe, which was the main goal of these early experiments. Three problems—bronchitis, an irregular heartbeat and a hernia—were deemed due to the diseases, not the treatment.

Tissue samples showed evidence of gene editing at very low levels in two Hunter patients who were given a middle dose but not in one given a low dose. Tests are expected later this year on patients who received the highest dose and on Hurler patients.

Blood tests detected slightly higher levels of the missing enzyme in a few of the Hunter patients but none of them reached normal levels. One patient had a larger increase but also showed signs that his immune system might be attacking the therapy. He was treated for that and symptoms resolved.

More encouraging results were seen in Hurler patients—enzyme levels rose to normal in all three after treatment, tests on certain blood cells showed.

….

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-02-scientists-body-gene.html

https://twitter.com/chrisgeidner/status/1093571063555018755

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1093571830357655552