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Virulent Newcastle Disease Last Modified: Jun 6, 2018 Print Virulent Newcastle Disease (vND), formerly known as Exotic Newcastle Disease is a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting the respiratory, nervous and digestive systems of birds and poultry. The disease is so virulent that many birds and poultry die without showing any clinical signs. vND is not a food safety concern. No human cases of Newcastle disease have ever occurred from eating poultry products. Properly cooked poultry products are safe to eat. In very rare instances people working directly with sick birds can become infected with mild symptoms. vND has not been found in commercial poultry in the U.S. since 2003. Since May 18, USDA has confirmed several cases of vND in backyard birds in California: Date Confirmed State County Types of Birds May 17, 2018 California Los Angeles Backyard exhibition chickens May 24, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition mixed species birds May 26, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens May 26, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens May 26, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens May 26, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens May 30, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens May 30, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens May 30, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens June 1, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens June 4, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens June 5, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens June 5, 2018 California San Bernardino Backyard exhibition chickens How You Can Help It is essential that all bird owners follow good biosecurity practices to help protect their birds from infectious diseases. These simple steps include: Washing hands and scrubbing boots before and after entering an area with birds; Cleaning and disinfecting tires and equipment before moving them off the property; and Isolating any birds returning from shows for 30 days before placing them with the rest of the flock. All bird owners should report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials, either through their state veterinarian or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian-influenza-disease/vnd/!ut/p/z1/04_iUlDg4tKPAFJABpSA0fpReYllmemJJZn5eYk5-hH6kVFm8X6Gzu4GFiaGPu6uLoYGjh6Wnt4e5mYG7mam-l5gjQj9IBPw64iA6oAqh1P6kUZFvs6-6fpRBYklGbqZeWn5-hFleSn6BdlRkQDKFRsj/

APHIS has reported an outbreak of virulent Newcastle Disease in Southern California via press releases and audio files. The first case was at a Los Angeles County exhibition, although the site of infection is unclear. Subsequently 12 additional backyard farms in southwestern San Bernardino County have been confirmed. Several countries have banned import of poultry products, largely from the above two counties. Sequence analysis indicates the outbreaks are most closely related to virus from a 2002/2003 outbreak in Southern California, with additional cases in backyard farms in Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. That outbreak was related to outbreaks in Mexico and Central America. OIE reports have not been filed because the USDA does not consider chickens on backyard farms as poultry (and poultry infected with virulent Newcastle Disease require an immediate notification.

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Tonight at 10 PM EDT Dr. Henry Niman PhD The Exploding Field Of Personal DNA Collecting, Using

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NIH seeks health data of 1 million people, with genetic privacy suddenly an issue 4:38 NIH Director Francis Collins describes 'All of Us' research program (Washington Post Live) By Lenny Bernstein May 1 Email the author The National Institutes of Health on Tuesday announced the launch of its attempt to enroll 1 million people in a landmark research effort aimed at developing “personalized” methods of prevention, treatment and care for a wide variety of diseases. The “All of Us” recruitment effort begins Sunday with community events in seven sites around the country, where people will be encouraged to sign up for the mammoth research project. Its goal is to supplement and in some cases replace the need to repeatedly recruit human subjects for research by providing a huge database of health and lifestyle information for scientists to plumb. The effort comes during a time of intense interest in data privacy. Authorities recently revealed that they had used DNA retrieved from a crime scene and GEDmatch, a website of genetic information, to find and arrest the man suspected to be the Golden State Killer, who terrorized Californians with a series of rapes and homicides in the 1970s and 1980s. But NIH Director Francis Collins and the project’s director, Eric Dishman, said volunteers’ personal data will be carefully shielded. They noted that Congress expanded protections for federally funded research in the two-year-old 21st Century Cures Act, with an eye on this type of project. They said the information is off limits to subpoenas and search warrants via “certificates of confidentiality” given to each subject. The rules protect researchers from being forced to release identifying information in judicial proceedings. “This is something we thought about,” Collins said. “We knew this was going to be an issue in getting people comfortable.” Tiffany Li, a lawyer and resident fellow at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project, said she is cautious about claims that any database can be completely shielded from access by law enforcement. She noted provisions of the USA Patriot Act that allow access to some health information in intelligence matters. “I would argue that there probably is some way to access the data,” Li said. Additional privacy protections included inviting hackers to try to breach the database where the information will be stored, Dishman said, although he acknowledged that no database is 100 percent safe from intrusion. Personalized medicine, also known as “precision medicine,” is a relatively new approach to treatment that uses genetic and other information to develop therapies targeted at individuals rather than groups of people. It has been most helpful so far in treating some cancers, because gene sequencing has allowed scientists to develop treatments based on genetic mutations found in tumor cells rather than on the part of the body where tumors emerge. Dishman said he is alive today because such an effort saved him from a rare form of kidney cancer. Collins and others have long theorized that there are many more applications for the approach. After President Barack Obama announced the initiative in his 2015 State of the Union address, NIH began testing the program in 2016. In the test phase of what Collins said is “among the most ambitious research efforts” ever undertaken, NIH recruited 45,000 people, 27,000 of whom completed all the surveys, supplied information such as height and weight, and gave blood and urine samples. That total is short of the 79,000 Collins said NIH hoped to recruit in 2016. The project leaders say they hope to reach its goal of 1 million enrolled in five or six years. Information culled from the project will be available at three levels: some to the general public, some under more tightly controlled circumstances to researchers because of the risk of identifying people participating in the trial, and the rest under the tightest control because of that risk. Participants in the study will have access to their information at all times. Organizers are recruiting only adults but hope to include children later. The officials who briefed reporters Tuesday emphasized the goal of including people from varying races, ethnic groups, education levels and socioeconomic groups, as well as people with physical and mental disabilities and differing access to care. Dara Richardson-Heron, the project’s chief engagement officer, called the study a rare opportunity to address the historical disparity in care between whites and racial minorities, as well as a chance to bring underrepresented groups into clinical research, where subjects have long been mostly white and male. Read more The Health 202: NIH wants 1 million to sign up for new pool of gene data What is “personalized medicine”? To find alleged Golden State Killer, authorities turned to genetic data 26 Comments https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nih-seeks-health-data-of-1-million-people-with-genetic-privacy-suddenly-an-issue/2018/05/01/cb38a588-4d4b-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0752054bc4c5

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 NIH announces national enrollment date for All of Us Research Program to advance precision medicine Events planned across the country to engage diverse communities. The All of Us Research Program aims to engage a diverse community of participants from across the United States. NIH On May 6, the National Institutes of Health will open national enrollment for the All of Us Research Program(link is external), a momentous effort to advance individualized prevention, treatment and care for people of all backgrounds. People ages 18 and older, regardless of health status, will be able to enroll. The official launch date will be marked by community events(link is external) in seven cities across the country as well as an online event. Volunteers will join more than 25,000 participants already enrolled in All of Us as part of a year-long beta test to prepare for the program’s national launch. The overall aim is to enroll 1 million or more volunteers and oversample communities that have been underrepresented in research to make the program the largest, most diverse resource of its kind. “All of Us is an ambitious project that has the potential to revolutionize how we study disease and medicine,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said. “NIH’s unprecedented effort will lay the scientific foundation for a new era of personalized, highly effective health care. We look forward to working with people of all backgrounds to take this major step forward for our nation’s health.” Precision medicine is an emerging approach to disease treatment and prevention that considers differences in people’s lifestyles, environments and biological makeup, including genes. With eyeglasses and hearing aids, we have long had customized solutions to individual needs. More recently, treating certain types of cancer is now possible with therapies targeted to patients’ DNA. Still, there are many unanswered questions leaving individuals, their families, their communities and the health care community without good options. “The All of Us Research Program is an opportunity for individuals from all walks of life to be represented in research and pioneer the next era of medicine,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. “The time is now to transform how we conduct research — with participants as partners — to shed new light on how to stay healthy and manage disease in more personalized ways. This is what we can accomplish through All of Us.” By partnering with 1 million diverse people who share information about themselves over many years, the All of UsResearch Program will enable research to more precisely prevent and treat a variety of health conditions. “All of us are unique, but today we live mostly in an era of ‘one-size-fits-all’ medicine,” said Eric Dishman, director of the All of Us Research Program. “I’m alive today because of precision medicine and I think everyone deserves that same opportunity no matter the color of your skin, your economic status, your age or your sex or gender. In other words, it will truly take all of us.” All of Us seeks to transform the relationship between researchers and participants, bringing them together as partners to inform the program’s directions, goals and responsible return of research information. These efforts include building trust among populations historically underrepresented in research. Participants will be able to access their own health information, summary data about the entire participant community and information about studies and findings that come from All of Us. “Building a diverse participant community will be vital to the success of All of Us, so we can address the many pressing health conditions that disproportionately affect underrepresented communities,” said Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D., chief engagement officer of the All of Us Research Program. “The All of Us Research Program has the potential to help researchers better understand and begin chipping away at health disparities so that everyone can benefit from better health, better health care and exciting new breakthroughs.” Participants are asked to share different types of health and lifestyle information, including online surveys and data from electronic health records (EHRs), which will continue to be collected over the course of the program. The surveys will cover a range of topics to learn more about participants’ overall health and habits and where they live and work. The EHR data will offer useful information related to medical histories, side effects and treatment effectiveness. At different times over the coming months and years, some participants will be asked to visit a local partner site to provide blood and urine samples and to have basic physical measurements taken, such as height and weight. To ensure that the program gathers information from all types of people, especially those who have been underrepresented in research, not everyone will be asked to give physical measures and samples. In the future, participants may be invited to share data through wearable devices and to join follow-up research studies, including clinical trials. NIH has funded more than 100 organizations(link is external) from community groups to health centers, academic medical centers and private companies to carry out the program. These organizations have collaborated to develop the program’s protocol and technology systems, to engage diverse communities, to enroll participants and to securely gather and store participants’ information and biological samples for use in research. In future phases of the program, children will be able to enroll and the program will add more data types, such as genetic data. In addition, data from the program will be broadly accessible for research purposes. Ultimately, the All of Us Research Program will be a rich and open data resource for traditional academic researchers as well as citizen scientists — and everyone in between. Community-based launch events On the program’s May 6 launch date, the All of Us Research Program will host special events(link is external) in diverse communities around the country, including: Birmingham, Alabama Chicago Detroit Kansas City, Missouri Nashville, Tennessee New York City Pasco, Washington People also may take part in social media activities (#JoinAllofUs) or tune in at https://Launch.JoinAllofUs.org(link is external) to watch speakers across the country talk about precision medicine and the power of volunteering for research. To learn more about the program and how to join, please visit www.JoinAllofUs.org(link is external). “All of Us” is a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). Additional Media Resources: What partners are saying about the All of Us Research Program Multimedia: Sound Bites, Images, B-Roll and Videos All of Us Research Program backgrounder All of Us news release – Spanish About the All of Us Research Program: The mission of the All of Us Research Program is to accelerate health research and medical breakthroughs, enabling individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all of us. The program will partner with one million or more people across the United States to build the most diverse biomedical data resource of its kind, to help researchers gain better insights into the biological, environmental, and behavioral factors that influence health. For more information, visit www.JoinAllofUs.org(link is external) and www.allofus.nih.gov. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov. NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health® ### https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-announces-national-enrollment-date-all-us-research-program-advance-precision-medicine

NIH launches "All of Us" program to enroll one million diverse US citizens including under-represented populations to create personalized medical applications and interventions. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-announces-national-enrollment-date-all-us-research-program-advance-precision-medicine

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Tonight Midnight EDT Dr. Henry Niman Is The CA Zodiak Killer Next To Be Found Via Personal DNA?

DNA match sought to Zodiac Killer after break in Golden State Killer case By ASSOCIATED PRESS MAY 03, 2018 | 6:25 PM | SAN FRANCISCO Detectives are trying to get a DNA profile on the Zodiac Killer to track him down using the same family-tree tracing technology investigators used in the Golden State Killer case. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) Northern California detectives still trying to identify the infamous Zodiac Killer, who targeted victims in the late 1960s and taunted investigators with letters, say they hope to try the same DNA tracing technology recently used to arrest a suspect in another string of cold-case serial slayings — those blamed on the Golden State Killer. But first they have to get a better DNA profile. Several months ago, the Vallejo Police Department sent two letters written by the Zodiac Killer to a private lab in hopes of finding his DNA on the back of the stamps or envelope flaps that may have been licked. They are expecting results soon. "They were confident they would be able to get something off it," Vallejo police Det. Terry Poyser told the Sacramento Bee. Poyser said he hopes a full DNA profile will be found that will enable detectives to try the same DNA sleuthing techniques that were used to arrest Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. last month. Authorities suspect he committed at least 12 slayings and 46 rapes in California between 1976 and 1986. Investigators uploaded DNA collected at one of the crime scenes to an open-source genealogical website and found a partial match to a distant relative of DeAngelo's. From there, they constructed a family tree dating back several generations before they zeroed in on DeAngelo. Some privacy advocates say they are concerned with the process and worry about future abuses, but detectives investigating the Zodiac Killer say they hope the technique will help solve one of the most vexing cold cases in the country. "That's a great idea," said Gary Harmor, founder and director of the Serological Research Institute, a private DNA lab. "I think we'll see more investigations use this technique." Detectives in Southern California are testing DNA collected from a double-killing and rape to see if they can be tied to DeAngelo. Another man, Craig Coley, was recently cleared of those crimes after spending 38 years in prison in the slaying of a 24-year-old college student and her 4-year-old son in 1978. The Zodiac Killer fatally stabbed or shot to death five people in Northern California in 1968 and 1969, then sent taunting letters and cryptograms to the police and newspapers. The Vallejo police are the lead investigators because the first two victims were killed there. The suspect was dubbed the Zodiac Killer because some of the cryptograms included astrological symbols and references. Various pieces of evidence, including a rope used to tie a victim as well as the letters, have been tested unsuccessfully for the killer's DNA profile. Poyser said recent advances in DNA testing prompted investigators to seek a match on two of the killer's letters. Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan said the samples were sent to the lab as a matter of routine. Sampayan, a former homicide detective, said police submit samples every couple of years in hopes that advances in DNA testing will finally yield a profile detectives can use. "It was coincidental," Sampayan said of the new DNA test occurring at the same time as the breakthrough in the Golden State Killer case. "There will come a time when we get a match," he said. The 2007 movie "Zodiac," starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., renewed widespread interest in a case that has always had a cult following of amateur detectives and cryptographers who sought to crack the killer's code. One of those amateur sleuths, Tom Voigt, said the key to solving the Zodiac killings is mimicking the Golden State Killer investigation, which included forming a full-time task force dedicated to the case and exploiting publicly accessible DNA databases. Voigt said the Zodiac case was being investigated part time by a Police Department in a city that filed for municipal bankruptcy. "There's a formula to follow," Voigt said. "And it's to simply copy what happened to the Golden State Killer." http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-zodiac-killer-golden-state-20180503-story.html

Following the success of the identification of the Golden State Killer via matches with relatives in a genealogy database, GEDmatch, California law enforcement is targeting the 1960's Zodiac Killer using similar approaches.

MONDAY Dr Henry Niman PhD Genetics Leads To Arrest Of CA Serial Killer

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MONDAY Dr Henry Niman PhD Genetics Leads To Arrest Of CA Serial Killer

Genealogy site traps alleged Golden State Killer — how your DNA could be used against you

Golden State Killer was identified after tracing DNA via personalized DNA kits and the database at GEDmatch.

Dr Henry Niman PhD23andme Received FDA ApprovalFor 3 BRCA Tests

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1 hr interview tonight 11 EDT on implications of FDA approval of BRCA1 and BRCA2 markers.

23andMe Granted First FDA Authorization for Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Test on Cancer Risk March 6, 2018 Authorization allows 23andMe to report on BRCA1- and BRCA2-related genetic risk for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer Mountain View, California – March 6, 2018 – 23andMe, Inc., the leading personal genetics company, today received the first-ever FDA authorization for a direct-to-consumer genetic test for cancer risk. The authorization allows 23andMe to provide customers, without a prescription, information on three genetic variants found on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes known to be associated with higher risk for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. “Being the first and only direct-to-consumer genetics company to receive FDA authorization to test for cancer risk without a prescription is a major milestone for 23andMe and for the consumer,” said Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe CEO and co-founder. “We believe it’s important for consumers to have direct and affordable access to this potentially life-saving information. We will continue pioneering a path for greater access to health information, and promoting a more consumer-driven, preventative approach to health care.” 23andMe will report on three variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes associated with a significantly higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer in women, and breast cancer in men. The variants may also be associated with an increased risk for certain other cancers. These variants are most prevalent in those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and have been observed at much lower rates in other ethnicities. About 1 in 40 individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent has one of these three variants. Women with one of these variants have a 45-85% chance of developing breast cancer by age 70. “This authorization is incredibly valuable for those who might not be aware of their Ashkenazi Jewish descent or aren’t familiar with their family history of cancer,” said Wojcicki. “But it’s important to understand that the majority of cancer is not hereditary, our test does not account for all genetic variants that can cause a higher risk of cancer, and people should continue with their recommended cancer screenings.” New and existing 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service customers that were genotyped on the company’s most recent platforms will have access to this report in the coming weeks. As with select other Genetic Health Risk reports, customers must specifically choose for themselves if and when they want to receive this information. The report also includes an education module to ensure customers are fully informed on what they can learn from this report and how to use the results. The 23andMe Personal Genome Service® submission for the BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) Genetic Health Risk Report was extensively evaluated through the FDA de novo classification pathway, a regulatory process enabling classification and authorization for novel moderate-risk medical devices (FDA authorization # DEN170046). As part of the review process in order to establish safety and effectiveness for this authorization, 23andMe demonstrated a high level of accuracy (greater than 99% concordance to Sanger sequencing) and precision (demonstrated by studies yielding greater than 99% reproducibility and repeatability). The 23andMe BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) Genetic Health Risk Report utilizes the same informational concepts previously demonstrated in studies submitted to the FDA for its Genetic Health Risk reports which were shown to have 90% or greater overall user comprehension in a demographically diverse population study. Current clinical guidelines for genetic risk evaluation are based primarily on personal and/or family history of certain cancers. However, a perspective by Mary Claire-King, Ph.D. (who received the Lasker award in 2014 in recognition of her pioneering discovery of the BRCA1 gene) published in The Journal of the American Medical Association has argued for broader access, citing a study where “50 percent of families found to harbor BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations had no history of breast or ovarian cancer that would have triggered clinical attention.” (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1902783) Consistent with those previous findings, 23andMe found that of those BRCA carriers who gave family medical history, about half reported no history of cancer in first-degree relatives. 23andMe has also observed that many of its customers for whom Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry was detected, did not self report any Jewish ancestry. These individuals might fall outside the guidelines of clinical testing. With this authorization, 23andMe continues to pioneer consumer access to genetic information, and remains the only company able to offer genetic health risk reports without a prescription. This authorization is the third de novo authorization granted by the FDA to 23andMe. In February 2015, 23andMe was granted authorization by the FDA to market the first direct-to-consumer genetic test for Bloom Syndrome under the de novo pathway which has since enabled the company to bring 40+ carrier status reports directly to customers. These reports convey risk for diseases that may be passed to offspring. In April 2017, 23andMe was granted authorization by the FDA to market the first direct-to-consumer genetic health risk reports, to date the Company has launched 9 reports for a variety of genetic health risks. The intended use of 23andMe BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) Genetic Health Risk Report: Indications for Use: The 23andMe Personal Genome Service (PGS) uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in genomic DNA isolated from human saliva collected from individuals ≥ 18 years with the Oragene Dx model OGD500.001 for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks, including the 23andMe PGS Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants). The 23andMe PGS Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) is indicated for reporting of the 185delAG and 5382insC variants in the BRCA1 gene and the 6174delT variant in the BRCA2 gene. The report describes if a woman is at increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, and if a man is at increased risk of developing breast cancer or may be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The three variants included in this report are most common in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and do not represent the majority of the BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in the general population. The test report does not describe a person’s overall risk of developing any type of cancer, and the absence of a variant tested does not rule out the presence of other variants that may be cancer-related. This test is not a substitute for visits to a healthcare provider for recommended screenings or appropriate follow-up and should not be used to determine any treatments. About 23andMe 23andMe, Inc. is the leading consumer genetics and research company. Founded in 2006, the mission of the company is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. The company was named by MIT Technology Review in its “50 Smartest Companies, 2017” list, and featured as Fast Company's #2 Most Innovative Health Company in 2018. 23andMe has millions of customers worldwide, with more than 80 percent of customers consented to participate in research. 23andMe, Inc. is located in Mountain View, CA. More information is available at www.23andMe.com. https://mediacenter.23andme.com/press-releases/23andme-granted-first-fda-authorization-direct-consumer-genetic-test-cancer-risk/