Rhia's Kitchen

Monday, March 2, 2020

What is oat milk? And is it healthy?

What is oat milk? And is it healthy?

How is this nondairy milk made? And is it good for you?

Sunday, March 1, 2020

New story in Health from Time: Chinese Biotech Company Censured for Claiming It Could Make Experimental Coronavirus Drug

A Chinese biotech company which claimed to be able to manufacture an experimental drug from Gilead Sciences with the potential to treat the novel coronavirus, was censured for disclosing inaccurate information.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange said in an statement Sunday that BrightGene Bio-Medical Technology has not gained approval from China’s drug regulator to make the drug known as remdesivir, which is seen as the leading candidate in the race to find a treatment for the virus that’s now sickened over 88,000 and killed over 3,000.

BrightGene also has not been licensed by the patent owner — Gilead — to make the drug, nor has it obtained “the relevant qualifications” for mass production of the therapy, said the stock exchange. Shares fell by the daily limit of 20% intraday on Monday.

Gilead’s experimental drug, which has not been licensed or approved for use anywhere in the world, is being tested in clinical trials at hospitals in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, as well as in other Asian nations.

BrightGene’s announcement on Feb. 12 that it had managed to manufacture remdesivir in mass quantities garnered global headlines and sent its stock up nearly 60% last month to touch a record high. The stock exchange’s reprimand comes as concerns grow that researchers and drugmakers in China and elsewhere are seizing on the global panic around the growing epidemic to get attention for less-than-credible scientific work.

BrightGene, for example, had only been able to make remdesivir in a small quantity for clinical research and not commercial production and its elision of this difference led to the spread of “unclear, inaccurate information,” said the stock exchange.

BrightGene’s board secretary Wang Zhengye, who gave interviews to local media outlets saying the company’s drug is not for just for laboratory use but for mass production, was also reprimanded by the exchange.

With the virus now being reported in over 65 countries, exuberance among investors and medical companies around the development of treatments and vaccines is running the risk of becoming irrational and diverting resources from the most crucial scientific work.

Raised Concerns

Nearly 300 clinical trials have been registered in China so far to study the efficacy of various coronavirus treatments from Gilead’s remdesivir and AbbVie Inc.’s anti-HIV therapy Kaletra, to traditional Chinese medicine and even soy milk.

The design and execution of some of these trials have raised concerns among scientists, according to an article published last week in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology.

The surge of trials has also led to a scramble for patients as test subjects, thus potentially delaying the progress of serious research that could lead to the discovery of effective therapies.

World Health Organization assistant director-general Bruce Aylward called for researchers to prioritize the most promising studies last week and said that Chinese researchers are facing difficulty recruiting enough patients into trials for remdesivir, which he said is the only drug that may be effective.

“We are doing lots of other studies with things that are less promising,” he said.

New story in Health from Time: High-Profile Houston Energy Summit Canceled Over COVID-19 Concerns

(HOUSTON) — The organizers of a high-profile energy summit held annually in Houston announced Sunday they have canceled this year’s gathering due to concerns over the new coronavirus that has killed thousands of people worldwide.

The CERAWeek conference is typically attended by more than 4,000 individuals, including energy industry executives, political leaders and reporters. It had been scheduled for March 9-13 and delegates from over 80 countries had been expected to attend.

But IHS Markit, the energy data firm that organizes the event, said it decided to cancel CERAWeek “reluctantly and after deep consideration.”

“Over the last few days concern has mounted rapidly about the COVID-19 coronavirus. The World Health Organization raised the threat level on Friday, the U.S. government canceled a summit meeting scheduled in Las Vegas, an increasing number of companies are instituting travel bans and restrictions, border health checks are becoming more restrictive and there is growing concern about large conferences with people coming from different parts of the world,” IHS Markit said in a statement.

The firm said it had spent the past few weeks focused on safety measures, including setting up medical partnership with one of Houston’s leading hospitals and consulting with experts on infectious disease. But the firm decided the conference — one of the most important annual gatherings for the U.S. energy industry — could not go forward.

“Our number one concern is the health and safety of delegates and speakers, our partners, our colleagues and vendors,” IHS Markit said.

CERAWeek joins other international conferences, including the Mobile World Congress in Spain, that have been canceled amid fears of the virus.

The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 87,000 people globally and caused nearly 3,000 deaths. The first U.S. death was reported on Saturday.

New story in Health from Time: COVID-19 Fears Shut Down Paris’ Louvre Museum

(PARIS) — The spreading coronavirus epidemic shut down France’s Louvre Museum on Sunday, with workers who guard its trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the museum’s flow of visitors from around the world.

“We are very worried because we have visitors from everywhere,” said Andre Sacristin, a Louvre employee and union representative for its staffers.

“The risk is very, very, very great,” he said in a phone interview. While there are no known virus infections among the museum’s 2,300 workers, “it’s only a question of time,” he said.

A short statement from the Louvre said a staff meeting about virus prevention efforts stopped the museum from opening as scheduled Sunday morning. Would-be visitors were still waiting to get inside on Sunday afternoon.

The shutdown followed a government decision Saturday to ban indoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people.

Sacristin said that new measure exacerbated the fears of Louvre workers that they might be in danger of contamination, because the museum welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each day. Also worrying staffers is that museum workers from northern Italy are now visiting the Louvre. They have come to collect works by Leonardo da Vinci that were loaned for a major exhibition, he said.

A meeting about virus prevention is scheduled for Monday between union representatives and the museum management, said Sacristin, who will be taking part.

He said museum visitors should be subjected to health checks to protect staffers and that if cases of coronavirus contamination are confirmed “then the museum should be closed.”

Workers have asked for masks to be distributed but so far have been given only an alcohol-based solution to disinfect their hands, he said.

“That didn’t please us at all,” he said.

Louvre workers first held their own meeting on Sunday morning and then demanded talks with the museum management, he said, and some staffers were refusing to work because they fear contamination.

If you're not making Garlic Parm Salmon this week...

Make your weeknight chicken sing! 🎶

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Hi Friends! Lena here with 5 delicious recipes to start March off right.

On Monday, we're keeping things simple with this delicious Garlic Parmesan Salmon. Pro tip: buy more salmon than you need and bring the leftovers to work for lunch—it's surprisingly delicious cold! Tuesday we're whipping up some loaded Bacon & Spinach Stuffed Chicken. We're not gonna lie… this is basically an excuse to eat spinach artichoke dip for dinner. Don't judge us. 😂 When Wednesday rolls around, we're keeping things light with these cheesy, herby Zucchini Bites. We love them dipped in marinara or ranch, and served with a side salad for some freshness. Thursday we're treating ourselves to some Smothered Cube Steak—it's basically the definition of comfort food. Finally, when we've made it to Friday, we're diving head first into this Avgolemono Soup. For those who aren't familiar, this ultra-creamy Greek soup is filled with chicken, veggies, and rice, but surprisingly, no cream! It's basically a hug in a bowl, and we're making double so we can have it all weekend long. Happy cooking!