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Scientists Develop Mouse Embryos in a Mechanical Womb

Scientists Grow Mouse Embryos in a Mechanical Womb

The mouse embryos looked completely normal. All of her organs developed as expected, along with her limbs, as well as the circulatory and nervous systems. Their tiny hearts beat at a normal 170 beats per minute.

But these embryos did not grow in a mother mouse. They were developed in an artificial uterus, the first time such a feat has been accomplished, scientists reported on Wednesday.

The experiments at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel should help scientists understand how mammals develop and how gene mutations, nutrients and environmental conditions can affect the fetus. But the work might one day raise profound questions as to whether other animals, even humans, should or could be cultivated outside of a living womb.

In a study published in the journal Nature, Dr. Jacob Hanna, how embryos are removed from the uterus of mice on five days of pregnancy and cultured in an artificial uterus for a further six days.

At this point the embryos were about in the middle of their development; The full gestation is about 20 days. A person at this stage of development would be called a fetus. To date, Dr. Hanna and his colleagues bred more than 1,000 embryos in this way.

“It really is a remarkable achievement,” said Paul Tesar, developmental biologist at Case Western Reserve University’s medical school.

Alexander Meissner, Director for Genome Regulation at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, said that “it is amazing to get this far” and that the study is “an important milestone”.

However, the research has already gone beyond what investigators described in the paper. In an interview, Dr. Hanna, he and his colleagues took fertilized eggs from the fallopian tubes of female mice immediately after fertilization – on day 0 of development – and bred them in the artificial uterus for 11 days.

Until now, researchers in the laboratory have been able to fertilize mammalian eggs and only breed them for a short time. The embryos needed a living womb. “Placental mammals develop trapped in the uterus,” said Dr. Tesar.

This prevented scientists from answering basic questions about the earliest stages of development.

“The holy grail of developmental biology is understanding how a single cell, a fertilized egg, can create all of the specific cell types in the human body and grow into 40 trillion cells,” said Dr. Tesar. “Researchers have always tried to find ways to answer this question.”

The only way to study the development of tissues and organs was to turn to species like worms, frogs, and flies that do not need a uterus, or to remove embryos from the uterus of laboratory animals at different times for insight into development that are more like snapshots than video.

What was needed was a way to get inside the uterus and watch and optimize mammalian development as it happened. For Dr. For Hanna this meant the development of an artificial uterus.

He spent seven years designing a two-part system that included incubators, nutrients, and a ventilation system. The mouse embryos are placed in glass vials in incubators, where they swim in a special nutrient fluid.

The vials are attached to a wheel that rotates slowly to prevent the embryos from sticking to the wall, where they would deform and die. The incubators are connected to a ventilator that supplies oxygen and carbon dioxide to the embryos and controls the concentration of these gases, as well as the gas pressure and flow rate.

On day 11 of development – more than in the middle of a mouse pregnancy – Dr. Hanna and his colleagues took the embryos, only the size of apple seeds, and compared them with those that developed in the uterus of living mice. The scientists found that the laboratory embryos were identical.

At this point, however, the embryos grown in the laboratory had become too large to survive without a blood supply. They had a placenta and a yolk sac, but the nutrient solution that was diffusing to feed them was no longer enough.

Overcoming this hurdle is the next goal, said Dr. Hanna in an interview. He is considering using a fortified nutrient solution or an artificial blood supply that is attached to the embryo’s placenta.

In the meantime, experiments are due. The ability to keep embryos alive and develop mid-pregnancy “is a gold mine for us,” said Dr. Hanna.

The artificial uterus can allow researchers to learn more about why pregnancies lead to miscarriages or why fertilized eggs cannot be implanted. It opens a new window about how gene mutations or deletions affect the development of the fetus. Researchers may be able to watch individual cells migrate towards their ultimate destinations.

The work is “a breakthrough,” said Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, professor of biology and biotechnology at Caltech. It “opens the door to a new era in the study of development in the experimental mouse model.”

A recent development offers another possibility. Researchers created mouse embryos directly from mouse fibroblasts – connective tissue cells – to create early embryos without starting with a fertilized egg.

Combine this development with Dr. Hanna’s work and “now you don’t need mice to study mouse embryo development,” said Dr. Meissner. Scientists can potentially make all the embryos they need from connective tissue.

If scientists could make embryos without fertilizing eggs and study their development without a uterus, said Dr. Meissner: “You can escape the destruction of embryos.” It would not be necessary to fertilize mouse eggs in order to destroy them in the course of the study.

But the work could eventually go beyond mice. Two other articles published in Nature on Wednesday report attempts that are close to creating early human embryos in this way. Of course, said Dr. Meissner, the creation of human embryos is years away – if at all allowed. At present, scientists generally fail to examine human embryos after 14 days of fertilization.

In the future, Dr. Tesar: “It is not unreasonable that we might have the ability to develop a human embryo completely outside of the uterus from conception to birth.”

Of course, even the suggestion of this science fiction scenario will horrify many. But it is early days with no certainty that human fetuses could ever develop completely outside of the womb.

Even if they could, Dr. Tesar: “Whether this is appropriate is a question for ethicists, regulators, and society.”

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Anxiousness about “return to regular” after pandemic

Anxiety about "return to normal" after pandemic

Als David Dudovitz seine Wohnung in New York verließ, um seine erste Dosis des Covid-19-Impfstoffs zu erhalten, war es erst das vierte Mal seit Beginn der Pandemie, dass er seine Wohnung verlassen hatte

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von David Dudovitz

Als David Dudovitz letzte Woche seine erste Dosis des Covid-19-Impfstoffs wagte, war es erst das vierte Mal seit Beginn der Pandemie, dass er seine Wohnung in New York verlassen hatte, und er wollte kein Risiko eingehen.

Bevor er losfuhr, zog Dudovitz seine N95-Maske, seinen Gesichtsschutz und seine Cargohose mit mehreren Flaschen Händedesinfektionsmittel in den Taschen an. Als er in der Klinik ankam, wartete er draußen, bis sie ihn anriefen. Als er drinnen war, war Dudovitz so besorgt, das Coronavirus der anderen Patienten in der Lobby zu bekommen, dass er in die am weitesten von allen entfernte Ecke ging und eine Plastiktüte herausholte und legte es über seinen Kopf als zusätzlichen Schutz.

“Mehrere Leute hielten mich für verrückt”, sagte Dudovitz. “Ich war nur so verängstigt. Es war nur so stark von Angst … Ich hatte nur das Gefühl, dass ich eine zusätzliche Schicht brauchte.”

Mehr als ein Jahr nach Beginn der Pandemie haben sich die Menschen an das Leben gewöhnt, das sie aufgebaut haben, und an die Routinen, die sie zu Hause in ihren “Covid-Höhlen” isoliert erstellt haben. Aber da immer mehr Amerikaner geimpft werden, die Fallraten sinken und Präsident Biden sich zum Ziel gesetzt hat, dass sich die Amerikaner in kleinen Gruppen versammeln können, um den vierten Juli zu feiern, scheint sich das Ende der Pandemie endlich zu nähern.

Dudovitz ist einer von vielen Amerikanern, die sich nicht auf eine “Rückkehr zur Normalität” freuen. Für einige ist dies auf eine extreme Angst vor der Krankheit zurückzuführen. Für andere geht es um die Angst, die mit der Idee der Wiederakklimatisierung in die Gesellschaft einhergeht. Andere haben inzwischen festgestellt, dass die Pandemie positive Veränderungen in ihrem Leben bewirkt hat, und sie haben Angst, das zu verlieren, was sie gewonnen haben.

“Dieser Moment der Arbeit von zu Hause aus hat die Menschen wirklich verlangsamt. Sie hatten die Möglichkeit, an Dingen zu arbeiten, an denen schwer zu arbeiten ist”, sagte Nakia Hamlett, eine Expertin für psychische Gesundheit und Wellness am Institut für Psychologie des Connecticut College. “Es ist eine Gelegenheit, sich etwas davon noch einmal vorzustellen und zu sehen, was für Sie funktioniert und was vielleicht nicht mehr.”

Die Pandemie hat die Amerikaner bereits geistig belastet. Bis Juni 2020 gaben fast 41% der Erwachsenen in den USA an, mit psychischer Gesundheit oder Substanzkonsum zu kämpfen. 31% berichteten von Symptomen von Angstzuständen oder Depressionen und 26% von Traumata oder einer stressbedingten Störung im Zusammenhang mit der Pandemie. Laut einer Umfrage des wöchentlichen Berichts der Zentren für die Kontrolle und Prävention von Krankheiten über Morbidität und Mortalität.

Marney White, Psychologin und Professorin für öffentliche Gesundheit an der Yale School of Public Health, sagte, dass diejenigen, die Angst haben, wieder in die Gesellschaft einzutreten, wenn sich mehr Dinge wieder öffnen, möglicherweise eine Behandlung zur Verringerung der Angst versuchen möchten, die als “Verblassen” bekannt ist. Dann stellt sich eine Person ganz allmählich ihrer phobischen Situation vor. In diesem Fall möchten die Menschen vielleicht ihre Häuser verlassen, indem sie zuerst spazieren gehen, dann mit anderen geimpften Personen ein Treffen im Freien machen, mit einer Maske irgendwo drinnen hingehen und so weiter, sagte White.

“Sie können sich weiterhin annähernd normalisieren, indem sie schrittweise Schritte unternehmen”, so White sagte. “Sobald Sie sich wieder an eine Einstellung gewöhnt haben, können Sie den nächsten Schritt zur nächsten Einstellung machen.”

“Ich kann sehen, dass es wie eine PTBS-Sache ist”

In New York hat sich Dudovitz auf seine Wohnung verlassen, um sich vor der realen Welt zu schützen. Seine Angst vor dem Coronavirus beruht darauf, dass er ein Hochrisikoperson mit schlechtem Asthma ist. Vor den Covid-Sperren erlebte Dudovitz einen Blick auf das Coronavirus, als er so stark an der Grippe erkrankte, dass er ins Krankenhaus musste. Während dieser traumatischen Erfahrung hatte Dudovitz massive Körperschmerzen, eine Herzfrequenz von 140 Schlägen pro Minute und konnte nicht atmen.

“Ich dachte, wenn die Grippe mir das angetan hat, möchte ich nicht mit Covid herumspielen”, sagte Dudovitz. “Also bin ich im Grunde religiös drinnen geblieben.”

Obwohl Dudovitz seine erste Dosis des Covid-Impfstoffs erhalten hatte, sagte er, er fühle sich jetzt tatsächlich weniger wohl. Er befürchtet, dass einige Leute den Impfstoff bekommen und mit einem falschen Sicherheitsgefühl weitermachen werden, was möglicherweise zu einem weiteren Anstieg der Krankheit führen wird.

Dudovitz sagte, er glaube nicht, dass er sich wohl genug fühlen werde, um seine Wohnung zu verlassen, bis eine Autoritätsperson wie der Chefarzt des Weißen Hauses, Dr. Anthony Fauci, bekannt gibt, dass die USA endlich die Herdenimmunität erreicht haben.

“Covid ist unsichtbar”, sagte Dudovitz. “Es dauert zwei Wochen, um herauszufinden, ob es steigt, und es kann einfach so von null auf 60 steigen.”

In San Francisco hat die Lehrerin Sara Stiles den größten Teil der Pandemie mit ihrem Verlobten im Haus verbracht.

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Sara Stiles

In San Francisco hat die Lehrerin Sara Stiles den größten Teil der Pandemie mit ihrem Verlobten im Haus verbracht. Die beiden fanden innerhalb der Wände ihrer Wohnung Glück miteinander und verlobten sich, nachdem die Quarantäne begonnen hatte.

Seitdem sind die beiden durch virtuelle Treffpunkte und Telefonanrufe mit Freunden und Familie verbunden. Stiles sagte, dass sie jeden Tag versuchen, draußen spazieren zu gehen, aber da sie so besorgt ist, mit anderen in Kontakt zu kommen, warten sie normalerweise, bis es dunkel ist und nur wenige Leute draußen sind. Selbst dann, wenn sie gehen und jemanden auf dem Bürgersteig sehen, auf dem sie sich befinden, werden Stiles und ihr Partner die Straße überqueren, um ihnen auszuweichen.

“Früher ging ich in den Park, trug eine Maske und hielt mich von Menschen fern, aber man kann ihnen nicht ausweichen”, sagte sie. “Jemand wird hinter dir herlaufen und sie waren nur zwei Fuß entfernt und das war nicht distanziert, und deshalb habe ich irgendwie aufgegeben.”

Stiles sagte, es sei nicht nur ihre Angst vor Covid, die sie so vorsichtig gemacht habe. Die beiden haben das Glück, remote zu arbeiten, und sehen es als ihre Verantwortung an, wachsam zu bleiben.

Das Paar hat die erste Dosis des Impfstoffs erhalten, aber als mehr ihrer Kollegen Pläne für Versammlungen im Freien schmieden, macht sich Stiles Sorgen darüber, wie und wann es sicher ist und ob sie zu solchen Veranstaltungen gehen soll.

“Es gibt ein unangenehmes Gespräch, bei dem dich jemand einlädt, etwas zu tun, und dann sagst du: ‘Fühle ich mich wohl?’ und wenn nicht, wie erkläre ich es, ohne zu klingen, als wäre ich sehr vorsichtig oder ich möchte sie einfach nicht sehen “, sagte Stiles.

Neben Covid hat Stiles auch Angst vor dem Fahren, und als die Schulen wieder geöffnet werden, sagte sie, dass es “eine seltsame Anpassung” sein wird, zur Arbeit zu fahren und in einem Gebäude mit so vielen Menschen zu sein.

“Selbst wenn Covid ausgerottet wird, kann ich sehen, dass es wie eine PTBS-Sache ist”, sagte Stiles.

Für Lise Feng aus Los Gatos, Kalifornien, war die Pandemie eine einsame Erfahrung.

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Lise Feng

Für Lise Feng aus Los Gatos, Kalifornien, war die Pandemie eine einsame Erfahrung. Sie hat darüber geschrieben, während der Pandemie Single zu sein, und hat sich nur ein paar Mal mit Freunden und Angehörigen getroffen – im Freien und mit Masken -, einschließlich des chinesischen Neujahrs auf der Terrasse ihrer Mutter. Das einzige Mal, dass sie Essen bestellt hat, war, nachdem ihr eine Grubhub-Karte geschenkt wurde, die sie nicht verschwenden wollte.

Obwohl sie glückliche Stunden mit Freunden und die spontanen Begegnungen mit den Unternehmern des Silicon Valley verpasst, hat sie keine Eile, sich wieder zu integrieren. Tatsächlich wünscht sie sich, mehr Menschen hätten so ernsthaft eingesperrt wie sie.

“Wenn wir alle versuchen würden, sicherer zu sein, als das Ganze begann, wären wir möglicherweise bereits aus dem Lockdown”, sagte sie.

Aber selbst mit dem Ende der Pandemie am Horizont ist Feng nach wie vor unter Quarantäne gestellt und geht kein Risiko ein.

“Es geht nicht nur darum, mich zu beschützen, sondern auch um die Gemeinschaft”, sagte sie.

Festhalten an positiven Veränderungen

Ryan Ferguson aus North Richland Hills, Texas, freut sich auf einige Dinge. Vor allem kann er es kaum erwarten, wieder ins Kino zu gehen oder in einem Sushi-Restaurant zu Abend zu essen. Er ist aber auch besorgt darüber, die Fortschritte zu unterbrechen, die er mit seiner Gesundheit gemacht hat.

Ferguson war Fakultätsmitglied eines Community College und war es gewohnt, vor den Sperren Mittagessen im Büro zu besorgen. Während der Pandemie sagte Ferguson jedoch, er habe gesünder gegessen und sei mehr denn je gelaufen. Er hat jetzt Zeit, lange Spaziergänge zu machen und jede seiner Mahlzeiten zu kochen, um mehr Kontrolle darüber zu erlangen, was in seinen Körper fließt. Seit Juni 2020 hat Ferguson mindestens 95 Pfund abgenommen und er sagte, er schlafe jetzt besser.

Ryan Ferguson aus North Richland Hills, Texas, ist besorgt darüber, wie sich eine Rückkehr zur Normalität auf die Fortschritte auswirken kann, die er mit seiner Gesundheit erzielt hat.

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Ryan Ferguson

“Ich würde es hassen, fünf Tage die Woche wieder zur Arbeit zu gehen und das zu verlieren”, sagte Ferguson. “Ich bin nur nervös, dass ich diese positiven Veränderungen nicht aufrechterhalten kann.”

Natalie Bartels in San Diego sieht sich in einer ähnlichen Situation. Bartels war nüchtern, seit sie beschlossen hat, am “trockenen Januar” teilzunehmen, einer Praxis, bei der die Menschen im ersten Monat des Jahres auf Alkohol verzichten.

“Ich bin eine Person, die alles oder nichts ist, und ich habe beschlossen, dass es einfach nichts sein wird”, sagte sie. “Aus gesundheitlichen Gründen und weil ich mich besser fühle, wenn ich die Entscheidungen, die ich treffe, kontrollieren kann.”

Bartels sagte, der Mangel an Abendessen und Partys während der Pandemie habe ihr geholfen, die Nüchternheit aufrechtzuerhalten. Aber als die Wiedereröffnungen näher rückt, sagte Bartels, sie freue sich nicht auf die Erwartung, dass die Leute loslassen wollen.

“Ich fürchte mich auch vor den Stereotypen, die es bei Menschen gibt, die nicht trinken”, sagte Bartels. “Ich habe bisher nur einen Splitter erlebt und in größerem Maßstab wird es frustrierend sein, den Leuten zu erklären, warum ich nicht einfach so etwas trinken oder feiern möchte wie früher.”

Natalie Bartels sagte, sie habe den Mangel an Abendessen und Partys aufgrund der Pandemie als hilfreich für die Aufrechterhaltung ihrer Nüchternheit empfunden.

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Natalie Bartels

Obwohl Katrina Madrinan seit Dezember 2019 nicht mehr in ihrer Heimatstadt Houston war, konnte sie ihre Abende in San Francisco damit verbringen, sich wieder mit ihren texanischen Freunden zu verbinden, indem sie Online-Spiele spielte.

Madrinan sagte, sie freue sich darauf, ihre Impfstoffe zu erhalten, damit sie und ihr Freund wieder auf Reisen gehen können, aber während der Pandemie habe sie es aus verschiedenen Gründen genossen, von zu Hause aus arbeiten zu können. Durch die Fernarbeit konnte sie tagsüber Aufgaben erledigen und ihre Abende völlig frei machen, um mit ihrem Freund und ihrem Hund Poncho – und virtuell mit ihren Freunden – abzuhängen.

“Ich hoffe, dass wir auch nach Covid noch zusammen spielen”, sagte sie. “Ich sehe es nicht wirklich als einen Weg, um sicherzustellen, dass ich nicht entlarvt werde. Ich habe nur Spaß, es ist nur eine lustige Sache, mit meinen Freunden zu tun.”

Obwohl Katrina Madrinan seit Dezember 2019 nicht mehr in ihrer Heimatstadt Houston war, konnte sie ihre Abende in San Francisco damit verbringen, sich wieder mit ihren texanischen Freunden zu verbinden, indem sie Online-Spiele spielte.

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Katrina Madrinan

Darüber hinaus sagte Madrinan, sie sei dankbar, dass sie aus der Ferne gearbeitet habe, da dadurch ein Teil der toxischen Denkweise, die mit der Arbeit in der Werbebranche einhergeht, beseitigt worden sei. Sie macht sich keine Sorgen mehr darüber, übermäßig wettbewerbsfähig zu sein, um eine Auszeichnung zu gewinnen, sondern konzentriert sich eher auf die Aspekte ihres Jobs, die ihr Spaß machen, wie die Kreativität. Und wenn die Arbeit erledigt ist, schließt sie einfach ihren Laptop und konzentriert sich auf ihr persönliches Leben.

“In der Lage zu sein, von zu Hause aus zu arbeiten … es hat mich nur dazu gebracht, mich von dieser Denkweise zu lösen und mich daran zu erinnern, dass dies nur ein Job ist”, sagte Madrinan. “Ich denke, wir werden wie immer fern sein, und ich bin sehr aufgeregt darüber.”

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The Pandemic and the Limits of Science

The Pandemic and the Limits of Science

Most striking, however, are the key lessons he has learned from his pandemic, which apply all too well to ours. First, respiratory diseases are highly contagious, and even the most common ones require attention. Second, the burden of preventing their spread rests heavily on the individual. These three create the overriding challenge: “Public indifference,” wrote Soper. “People don’t appreciate the risks they are taking.”

After more than a hundred years of medical advancement, the same obstacle remains. It is the duty of leadership, not science, to protect its citizens from indifference. Of course, indifference doesn’t quite capture the reality of why we found it so difficult not to gather inside or without a mask. This pandemic may also have revealed the power of our species’ desire for communication. We need each other, even against common sense and well-founded advice in the field of public health.

A week before “Lessons” appeared in 1919, Soper published another article in the New York Medical Journal in which he spoke out in favor of an international health commission. “It should not be left to the vagaries of chance to encourage or sustain the progression of these forms of diseases that are neglected and become pestilence,” he argued. He envisioned a supranational agency tasked with investigating and reporting the progress of dangerous diseases – “a vibrant, efficient, energetic institution with real powers and capable of doing great things.”

He got his wish. Soper modeled his vision on the model of the International Bureau of Public Health, which was founded in Paris in 1908 and later, just two months before his death, became part of the United Nations World Health Organization, which was founded in April 1948. But the WHO couldn’t contain Covid-19 either. Preventing the next pandemic requires far more coordination and planning within and between governments than it did this time, let alone a century ago.

“Let’s hope the nations recognize the need” and “begin the work that so urgently needs to be done,” wrote Soper in 1919. Let’s hope that before the next pandemic we have done more than just hope.

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Fauci says variant from U.Okay. doubtless accounts for as much as 30% of U.S. infections

Fauci says variant from U.K. likely accounts for up to 30% of U.S. infections

The highly contagious variant, first identified in the UK, is likely to account for up to 30% of Covid-19 infections in the US, said White House chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Friday.

The variant, named B.1.1.7, has been reported in at least 94 countries and discovered in 50 US jurisdictions, Fauci said during a White House press conference about the pandemic, adding that the numbers are likely to rise.

The UK first identified strain B.1.1.7 last fall, which appears to be spreading more easily and faster than other variants. It has since spread around the world, including the United States, Fauci said. US researchers had identified 5,567 cases through genetic sequencing by Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. US health officials say the variant could become the dominant strain in the US by the end of this month or early April.

New variants are particularly a problem for public health officials as they could become more resistant to antibody treatments and vaccines. High-level health officials, including Fauci, have urged Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible. They say that if the virus cannot infect hosts and cannot replicate, the virus cannot mutate.

Public health officials and Americans can counter the variant by doing two things, Fauci said. “Get as many people to be vaccinated as quickly and as quickly as possible with a vaccine that we know will work against this variant and, ultimately, to implement the public health measures we have been talking about all this time have … masking, physical distancing and avoidance of congregational attitudes, especially indoors. “

A study recently published in the British Medical Journal found the variant was associated with a 64% higher risk of dying from Covid-19 than previous strains. Researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol analyzed data from more than 100,000 patients in the UK between October 1 and January 28.

“We’re in a position right now where we have a plateau of around 53,000 cases a day,” said Fauci. “The concern is that there are a number of states, cities, and regions across the country that are withdrawing some of the mitigation methods we talked about: withdrawing mask mandates, withdrawing from essentially non-public health interventions.”

Fauci’s comments on B.1.1.7 come a day after he argued over masks at a hearing with Republican Senator Rand Paul.

Paul claimed people shouldn’t wear masks after vaccination as the chance of getting Covid-19 is “practically 0%”. “Isn’t it just theater?” The Kentucky junior senator, an ophthalmologist, asked during a hearing on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

In response, Fauci said the emergence of new, highly contagious variants poses a threat to people with antibodies. “I can only say that masks are no theater,” said Fauci. “I totally disagree with you.”

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John Magufuli, Tanzania Chief Who Performed Down Covid, Dies at 61

John Magufuli, Tanzania Leader Who Played Down Covid, Dies at 61

NAIROBI, Kenya – President John Magufuli of Tanzania, a populist leader who downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and diverted his country from democratic ideals, died on Wednesday in the port city of Dar es Salaam. He was 61 years old.

Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said in a short televised address that Mr Magufuli died of heart complications while being treated at Mzena Hospital. The announcement followed more than a week of intense speculation that Mr Magufuli was seriously ill with Covid-19 – reports that senior government officials had repeatedly denied.

Ms. Hassan did not disclose Mr. Magufuli’s underlying condition, but said he had suffered from chronic atrial fibrillation for more than a decade. She announced 14 days of national mourning and said flags would be flown nationwide on half employees.

Under the Tanzanian Constitution, Ms. Hassan will be sworn in as President to serve the remainder of the five-year term that Mr. Magufuli began when he won re-election last October. The move will make her the first female leader in Tanzania.

Mr. Magufuli, a trained chemist, was first elected on an anti-corruption platform in October 2015. He was initially praised for his efforts to strengthen the economy, curb wasteful spending, and improve Tanzania’s infrastructure.

But the Führer, popularly known as “the Bulldozer”, was soon accused of silencing dissent, suppressing freedom of expression and association, and enforcing laws that strengthened his Party of Revolution’s influence in power.

This was a sharp departure from the policies of its two immediate predecessors, who had promoted their East African nation as a peaceful, business-friendly democracy.

During his first term in office, Mr Magufuli’s government banned opposition rallies, revoked licenses from non-governmental organizations, and introduced laws that critics said suppressed independent reporting. He also said that pregnant girls are not allowed to go to school.

Right-wing groups accused his government of failing to conduct a credible investigation into the murders, kidnappings and persecution of journalists criticizing the government and opposition officials.

When Mr Magufuli was seeking a second term last fall, the authorities made it difficult for the opposition parties to campaign, froze the bank accounts of civil society groups, refused accreditation to election observers and journalists and refused to allow opposition representatives to polling stations.

Updated

March 19, 2021, 8:12 p.m. ET

At least 10 people were killed on election day when violence broke out in the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar after citizens said they saw soldiers casting marked ballots.

Mr Magufuli won this election with 84 percent of the vote on charges of widespread fraud and irregularities. Tundu Lissu, the main opposition candidate who ran against him, was accused of trying to overthrow the government and had to leave the country. He remains in exile in Belgium.

Last year, Mr Magufuli was heavily criticized at home and abroad for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He railed against masks and social distancing, promoted unproven remedies as cures, and said God helped the country eradicate the virus.

Tanzania has not disclosed any data on the coronavirus to the World Health Organization since April, reporting only 509 cases and 21 deaths, numbers that have been widely viewed with skepticism.

When the global introduction of vaccines began, Mr Magufuli stopped the Ministry of Health from securing doses for Tanzania.

“Vaccines don’t work,” he said in a speech to a maskless crowd in late January. “If the white man could develop vaccinations, vaccines against AIDS would have been brought. Vaccines against tuberculosis would have made it a thing of the past. Vaccines against malaria would have been found. Cancer vaccines would have been found. “

Such statements have been condemned by both the World Health Organization and the Roman Catholic Church in Tanzania. Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, urged the Tanzanian government to prepare the infrastructure for the distribution of the cans, and wrote on Twitter: “Science shows that #VaccinesWork.”

In February, the US Embassy in Tanzania warned of a “significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases”, saying that “limited hospital capacity across Tanzania could lead to life-threatening delays in emergency medical care”.

Mr Magufuli’s death came just days after speculation that he was sick with the virus. Rumors began to swirl after the opposition person in exile, Mr Lissu, said the president had Covid-19 and was being treated at a hospital in neighboring Kenya.

Mr Lissu asked the authorities to reveal the whereabouts of the president, who had not been seen publicly for almost two weeks. Mr. Magufuli did not attend a virtual summit for leaders of the East African regional bloc on February 27.

Tanzanian officials rejected the speculation, saying that Mr. Magufuli was working as usual.

After the death of Mr Magufuli was announced on Wednesday, the leader of the opposition party, Act Wazalendo, urged Tanzanians to show “patience and understanding” as the country undergoes a critical transition period.

“This is an unprecedented moment,” said opposition party leader Zitto Kabwe in a statement, “one that will undoubtedly move us all in a very personal way.”

John Pombe Joseph Magufuli was born on October 29, 1959 in the Chato district in what is now northwestern Tanzania and was then known as Tanganyika. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Dar es Salaam and a PhD in chemistry from the same university in 2009, as stated on the website of the President’s Office.

Before he became president, he was a member of the Tanzanian parliament and held a number of cabinet positions. He developed a reputation for fighting corruption while serving in cabinet positions including Minister for Land, Fisheries and Public Works.

Mr. Magufuli is survived by his wife, Janet, an elementary school teacher; and two children.

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Mother and father wired, some turned to drug, alcohol: CDC

Parents stressed out, some turned to drug, alcohol: CDC

A student raises her hand in her virtual classroom at Roxbury YMCA in Boston on September 21, 2020.

Suzanne Kreiter | Boston Globe | Getty Images

Parents with children stuck at home during the pandemic will tell you how stressed they are, but now the CDC has scientific evidence that virtual schooling is taking a real physical and emotional toll – by turning some parents into drugs and alcohol drifts to cope with it.

The results, released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggest that virtual learning “carries more risks than face-to-face teaching regarding the mental and emotional health of children and parents, as well as some health benefits Behaviors “.

Schools throughout the spring closed quickly last spring as the coronavirus spread rapidly across the US, forcing millions of students and their parents to unexpectedly grapple with online learning year-round. While some states have made extensive efforts to get children back into class, others have struggled to respond to safety concerns from parents and educators.

Increased stress

The CDC surveyed 1,290 parents or guardians of school-age children up to 12 years of age between October and November. Among the participants, 45.7% said that their children had received virtual lessons, 30.9% in person, and 23.4% of the children took part in a hybrid teaching program.

Overall, almost half (46.6%) of all parents reported increased stress, 16.5% said they consumed more drugs or alcohol, and 17.7% said that they had trouble sleeping due to the pandemic, among other things. Researchers found that across the board, children with children in full-time or part-time virtual learning programs had higher levels of suffering than parents with children in school.

More than half (54%) of parents with children stuck in a virtual school said they experienced increased emotional distress, 16.4% said they were increasingly using drugs or alcohol, and 21.6% said they were having trouble sleeping at night. These problems were less common among parents with children who attended school in person. Only 38.4% of these parents said they were more stressed, 13.7% said they used drugs or alcohol, and 12.9% said they had trouble sleeping at night.

Substance use

Increased substance use was most common among parents with children in hybrid learning programs – where students were virtual on some days and in class on other days – with 20.5% reporting increased use, researchers found.

Parents with children in virtual learning programs had also most likely lost their jobs, worried about job stability, faced childcare challenges, and experienced conflicts between their work and their children.

Virtual learning was also more difficult for students, researchers found.

More than half (62.9%) of parents with children who study from home stated that their children did less sport, 58% stated that they spent less time outdoors, 86.2% stated spending less time hanging out with friends in person, and 24.9% said their children’s mental or emotional health had deteriorated.

The results, which researchers said represent the broader US population, said virtual classes are more common among racial and ethnic minority parents. Further research is needed to determine whether distance learning has a disproportionately negative impact on these groups.

Disrupt services

“The pandemic disrupts many school-based services, increases parental responsibility and stress, and potentially affects the long-term health outcomes of parents and children,” wrote Jorge Verlenden, lead author of the study.

The CDC’s findings come because President Joe Biden makes reopening schools for personal learning a top priority for the first 100 days of his term in office.

On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will invest $ 10 billion from the recently passed stimulus package in Covid-19 tests for schools starting in April.

New school advice

Almost half of the K-12 students study in person five days a week, while another 30% go to school personally at least part of the time. This comes from recent data from Burbio, a service tracking plans to open schools. Almost 21% of students still only study online.

The CDC updated its safety guidelines for reopening schools on Friday and reduced its social distancing recommendations from 6 feet to 3 feet in most cases while everyone is wearing masks.

“CDC is committed to being at the forefront of science and to update our guidelines as new information becomes available,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in a statement. “Through safe, face-to-face tuition, our children gain access to vital social and mental health services that prepare them for the future, in addition to the education they need to be successful.”

Biden has urged states to allow all educators to be approved for vaccines by the end of March. Regarding the students, White House chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Wednesday that high school students might have access to a shot before the fall school year, while younger elementary school-aged students will likely have to wait until the first quarter of 2022.

– CNBC’s Will Feuer contributed to this report.

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Greg Steltenpohl, Pioneer in Plant-Based mostly Drinks, Dies at 67

Greg Steltenpohl, Pioneer in Plant-Based Drinks, Dies at 67

“Steve encouraged him to think outside the box and see the moment as an opportunity for innovation and progressive thinking rather than a failure,” said Eli Steltenpohl. “That certainly gave my father the fire he needed to get through.”

Odwalla never fully recovered. With the company on the verge of bankruptcy, its founders had to sell a majority stake in private equity firms.

The Coca-Cola Company acquired Odwalla in 2001 for $ 181 million and closed it last year. In doing so, Coke cited the need for business efficiency and a consumer preference for less sugary beverages, although Steltenpohl told The Times in 2016 that Coke had never maximized the brand’s potential.

“My father didn’t imagine that for Odwalla,” said his son. “But that made the success of Califia all the sweeter.”

In 2010, Mr. Steltenpohl planned to found another juice company, but changed gear when he saw the coming wave of non-dairy milk alternatives made from nuts, coconut, oats and soy. While he was recovering from his liver transplant, the hospital gave him a protein drink; he found it so uncomfortable, he told the Times, that he was inspired to do better and he was soon producing premium almond milk, ready-to-drink coffee and barista blends.

He named the new company after Queen Califia, a character in a 16th century Spanish novel who became the spirit of colonial California. After learning hard lessons from Odwalla, he insisted on strict quality control, less sugar and more nutrition, and an independent ethos. Until 2017, California’s bottled coffee was number 1 in the United States.

Greg Andrew Steltenpohl was born on October 20, 1954 in Homestead, Florida. His mother, Benita (Desjardins) Steltenpohl, was a culinary entrepreneur and cook. His father Jerome was a civil engineer who moved the family to Southern California in the 1950s, where he worked for defense companies. Greg grew up in the San Bernardino area.

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CDC shortens social distancing pointers for faculties to three ft with masks

CDC shortens social distancing guidelines for schools to 3 feet with masks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised their guidelines on social distancing in schools on Friday, stating that most students can now sit 3 feet apart instead of 6 feet while wearing masks.

The recommendation applies to all K-12 students regardless of whether community transmission is low, moderate, or significant, according to the CDC.

In communities with high transmission rates, the CDC recommends that middle and high school students stay at least three feet apart if schools cannot keep students and teachers in assigned groups. In elementary schools, where younger children have been shown to have a lower risk of transmitting the virus than teenagers, children wearing masks can stay 3 feet away safely, the agency said.

The CDC said it continues to recommend a separation of at least 6 feet between adults in schools, as well as between adults and students. It is also recommended that you maintain a social distance of 6 feet in public areas, while dining, during indoor activities such as tape exercises and sports, and in environments outside of the classroom.

“CDC strives to be at the forefront of science and to update our guidelines as new information becomes available,” said the agency’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, in a statement. “Through safe, face-to-face tuition, our children gain access to vital social and mental health services that prepare them for the future, in addition to the education they need to be successful.”

The updated guidelines from the federal health authorities come from a study published last week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases that suggested public schools could be safely reopened as long as children are 3 feet apart and other mitigation measures, such as wearing of masks to be enforced.

Some schools had complained that following a 6-foot rule was not feasible. The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics both have a social distance of 3 feet.

Walensky told lawmakers on Wednesday that the CDC was working on updated guidelines for schools. The Chief Medical Officer of the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that curtailed social guidelines were “likely” to happen. He was also asked about the study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases on Sunday.

“What the CDC wants to do is they want to collect data, and if the data shows that there is an ability to be 3 feet, they will act on it,” Fauci told CNN. “I can assure you that, within a reasonable time, they will, quite reasonably, issue guidelines that are consistent with the data they have.”

President Joe Biden has made the safe reopening of the country’s schools for personal learning a focus of his first 100 days in office. Some parents have had to stay home to watch their children instead of going to work.

New data from the CDC, released Thursday, suggests that virtual learning “carries more risks than face-to-face teaching in terms of the mental and emotional health of children and parents, as well as some health-promoting behaviors.”

The CDC surveyed 1,290 parents or guardians of school-age children up to 12 years of age between October and November. Overall, almost half (46.6%) of all parents reported increased stress, 16.5% said they consumed more drugs or alcohol, and 17.7% said that they had trouble sleeping due to the pandemic, among other things. Researchers found that across the board, children with children in full-time or part-time virtual learning programs had higher levels of suffering than parents with children in school.

The government has announced that it will invest $ 10 billion from the recently passed stimulus package in Covid-19 tests for schools to accelerate the return of personal learning across the country. The money will be used in part to provide diagnostic tests for symptomatic teachers, staff, and students, as well as those who have no symptoms but may have been exposed to an infectious person.

The CDC came under scrutiny last month after Walensky stated teachers do not need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before schools can safely reopen. The White House fell back on Walensky’s comments, and Biden later urged states to prioritize vaccination of teachers and school staff.

“Let me be clear, we can reopen schools if the right steps are taken before staff are vaccinated,” Biden said at the White House on March 2. “But time and again we have heard from educators and parents who are concerned about it.”

– CNBC’s Will Feuer contributed to this report.

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How one can Rejoice the Spring Holidays Safely With Your Household

How to Celebrate the Spring Holidays Safely With Your Family

Suppose there are two healthy families of four. If the children are not vaccinated in any household but all the adults are vaccinated, you can consider inviting people out while the windows are open and everyone is wearing masks, said Dr. Asaf Bitton, a family doctor who runs a public health research laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. If the children were not vaccinated in any household and only a group of adults were vaccinated, he and other experts said meeting outdoors with masks and distancing would be safest.

You may also be wondering if your unvaccinated kids can finally get a hug and kiss from their healthy, vaccinated grandma. Experts differed on this issue. But in general, a hug or kiss is probably okay if everyone is healthy and you want to take some risk.

“The likelihood that my child will transmit a virus that will cause serious illnesses to my vaccinated parents is very, very small,” said Dr. Barocas.

It is also unlikely that a vaccinated adult will transmit the virus to a child. However, the experts advised doing what feels right for you and your family.

“I think anyone attending this visit needs to understand that we are balancing risks and benefits,” said Dr. Adam Ratner, director of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at NYU Langone’s Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital. But, he added, when the grandparents are vaccinated, “I hug and kiss.”

Jennifer Rogers, 46, a Philadelphia lawyer, said her husband and two children, 8 and 11, will celebrate Easter by visiting their parents’ home for several hours. You are planning an outdoor Easter egg hunt and you hit a piñata shaped like a coronavirus. But the children to whom Mrs. Rogers’ sister and her sister’s son will come will all wear masks. Ms. Rogers and her husband are both vaccinated, but they plan to wear masks as well, as their family will recently have returned from a vacation in Florida.

“It still feels like a loss, like it’s not the same as it used to be,” said Ms. Rogers, whose family usually stays with their parents during the holidays.

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Europe’s third coronavirus wave has arrived

Europe's third coronavirus wave has arrived

Traffic runs along the Champs-Elysee avenue near the Arc de Triomph in Paris, France on Friday March 19, 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron lockdowns several regions, including the Paris area, and slows the country’s economic recovery as it battles to contain a third wave of the coronavirus epidemic. Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

LONDON – Warnings of an exponential increase in infections in Germany and another month-long lockdown in Paris have underscored the dire situation across Europe as the coronavirus rises again.

The variant first discovered in Great Britain is seen as the reason for the new tip. The strain is reported to be much more virulent than the original.

The French capital and the northern parts of the country will be locked again on Friday, although schools and important shops remain open.

The seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in the country rose to over 25,000 this week for the first time since November.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a loosening of the locks in March. At that point, the number of infections per 100,000 people over seven days was 65.

But that number is now at 96 and there are real fears that infections at Easter might mirror what they were at Christmas.

“The increasing number of cases could mean that we will not be able to take any further opening steps in the coming weeks,” said Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn at a press conference on Friday, according to Reuters.

“On the contrary, we may even have to go backwards.”

In Poland, according to Reuters, there was also a huge increase in infections with around 52% of new cases related to the variant from Great Britain.

The total number of cases for the country that was advanced was 2 million as of Friday, 25,998 in the last 24 hours.

– CNBC’s Bryn Bache contributed to this article.