Every day, more than 200 Belgians are diagnosed with cancer. It is for them and to support research into the disease that many organizations, volunteers and supporters have been involved for many years. The foundations were laid 100 years ago with the founding of the Belgian National Cancer League. From there the Cancer Foundation and ‘Kom op tegen Kanker’ grew. To honor their commitment and support all those who fight cancer every day, the Royal Mint of Belgium is issuing a commemorative coin worth 2 euros.
“With commemorative coins, we always honor people, events and organizations that have had a significant impact on our country and its people. This commemorative coin is no different. Because for people facing a cancer diagnosis, it seems like the world suddenly stops spinning. These are our doctors, our researchers, but also thousands of volunteers and supporters who prove to them every day that they are not alone. It is for them that the Royal Mint of Belgium is launching this commemorative coin. »
Vincent Van Peteghem, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, responsible for Coordinating the fight against fraud and the National Lottery
Minister Van Peteghem and Currency Commissioner Giovanni Van de Velde presented the commemorative coin at the closing show of the 1000 km ‘Kom op tegen Kanker’. Like every year, the minister traveled the 1000 km himself, traditionally with a team from his hometown, De Pinte. A team founded around ten years ago in tribute to two people and their fight against cancer. It’s stories like this that inspire thousands of people to get on their bikes every year. For them too, this commemorative coin is a sincere thank you.
Two versions, directly available
This latest 2 euro coin from 2024 is offered to you in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) and in a Proof version. The obverse of the coin features a stylized rainbow at the top, a symbol of hope for a world without cancer, with the mention of the country and the year BE 2024. In the center is the representation of a heartbeat in the form of an awareness ribbon, often pinned to show our solidarity with patients. At the bottom, the bilingual inscription Fight against cancer – Strijd tegen kanker, surrounded by the initials IB of the designer Iris Bruijns, the mark of the commissioner of currencies (an Erlenmeyer flask with a star) and the mark of the Mint Royal Netherlands (the staff of Mercury). As usual, this coincard is available in two languages.
The Proof version comes in a luxury case. Mintage is limited to a maximum of 125,000 and 5,000 coins, respectively. Both versions are also legal tender in all Eurozone countries. By the end of the year, 2 million copies of the coin will also be put into circulation.
About the Royal Mint of Belgium The Royal Mint of Belgium is responsible for ordering Belgian circulation coins, design, quality control and combating counterfeiting. The Royal Mint also represents the Belgian State at the international level. Since the beginning of 2018, the minting and marketing of commemorative coins and medals has been assigned to the Royal Netherlands Mint. The King of the Belgians remains the issuing authority.
The official issues ordered by the Royal Mint of Belgium bear the mark of the Belgian Mint Commissioner, Giovanni Van de Velde, and the mark of the Royal Mint of the Netherlands. The Royal Netherlands Mint is one of the world’s top 5 manufacturers of circulation coins, commemorative coins and collector’s coins. Belgian commemorative coins are available via http://www.herdenkingsmunten.be/fr/.
The modern culturally diversified environment requires information to be shared and understood accurately to avoid misunderstandings. While some individuals speak a language fluently as their mother tongue, others need interpretation to understand what’s being communicated.
Unfortunately, interpreters aren’t the same. Getting better results requires selecting professional consecutive interpreting services to help prevent language barriers that hinder seamless communication, creating costly and undesired outcomes.
If you want to host an event that’s more interactive and engaging, consecutive interpretation does the magic. With this technique, the trained interpreter attentively listens to the speaker through note-taking and translates the message accurately to the audience. There are two types of consecutive interpretations including:
Long consecutive: It’s mainly used for more official engagements that can last up to 5-10 minutes or longer and usually involves taking notes to capture the meaning.
Short consecutive: It takes a more casual approach because the interpretation is limited to fragments of a sentence at a time. Unlike its counterpart, long consecutive, the note-taking technique isn’t used by the interpreter.
Consecutive interpreting is used widely for legal proceedings like arbitrations and hearings where the interpreter listens to the witness and translates.
Benefits of professional consecutive interpretation services
Any interpretation mode is necessary because it enables people speaking in different languages to understand each other. However, depending on the outcome of the speech, consecutive interpreting has more benefits including:
1. More reliable translations
Even if you’re an experienced interpreter, delivering a high-quality simultaneous translation can be challenging. Rushing through the process gives you little time to get the suitable words for effective translation.
Professional consecutive interpreting allows the interpreter to pay more attention to the subject including body language. Plus, there’s enough time to sufficiently prepare and deliver a more reliable and accurate outcome.
2. Increased audience engagement
Sometimes, listening to one person speaking can be boring. In many cases, the audience will lose focus, and it can get worse especially when two people speak simultaneously. However, allowing more time between the speech and translation can significantly enhance the attention levels of your listeners.
In addition, your audience will likely understand the topic better since they can easily compare what’s spoken in both languages.
3. No specialized tools required
In many events like conferences, speakers and the audience use different languages. This may require the organiser to use devices that support parallel communication. Luckily, consecutive interpretation sessions do not need special audio or electronic equipment, making them more affordable.
Instead, the interpreter relies on their language mastery and interpersonal skills. Moreover, the spare time allows for note-taking and reformulating the content for better outcomes.
4. It’s less demanding
Language interpretation usually comes with increased costs. That’s because at least two interpreters may be required for each language. Fortunately, only one consecutive interpreter is enough for a small seminar or training that lasts a few hours, which makes it less costly.
Conclusion
Interpretation is a complex process that helps to bridge language gaps. When done in real-time in a cross-cultural setup, it can be even more challenging. That’s why organisations must engage professional interpreters to ensure the audience receives accurate and reliable interpretation.
The debate is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in collaboration with the European political parties and the European Parliament.
EBU has announced the lead candidates for the Commission presidency who have confirmed their presence at the debate on 23 May:
The candidates will speak in English, and interpretation will be provided in 24 languages.
The debate will be moderated by Martin Řezníček (Czech TV) and Annelies Beck (VRT, Belgium).
The five candidates will debate on several key topics. Questions will be asked by the audience in the plenary chamber, by viewers watching from events organised by Parliament’s Liaison Offices in EU member states, submitted via social media, and by the two moderators. Candidates will also face one-on-one questioning by the moderators in so-called “Spotlight” segments, a new feature in the Eurovision Debate 2024.
Special events to watch the debate live will be organised across the EU by public service media in cooperation with European Parliament Liaison Offices in member states.
On 16 May, media are also invited to attend a draw organised by EBU in the European Parliament in Brussels (Agora TV studio, next to 3rd floor VoxBox, Spinelli building, 16.00). The draw will determine the position of the candidates on the stage for the debate, the first speaker on each topic, and the order of the ‘spotlight’ interviews.
The topics for the debate and an explanation of the rules will also be announced by EBU on 16 May.
How to follow the Eurovision Debate
The programme on 23 May will be broadcast on EbS and EBU with the on-screen nametags of the participants and other essential graphic elements. A clean version of the debate will be available on EbS+ but only for news edits, not for full live broadcast. It will also be streamed on Parliament’s website (Multimedia Centre) and accessible from the EBU distribution platforms. No independent filming of the debate from the chamber will be allowed.
Parliament’s Multimedia Centre will also provide a feed with International Sign Language and velotype (live transcript in English), as well as subtitled versions in the official EU languages on demand once the debate is over. These files will be delivered before 19:00 CET. If you are interested in this format please write to [email protected].
The candidates will arrive at the protocol entrance of the European Parliament at approximately 12:45, when the media can record their doorsteps. Press points will be organised close to the Hemicycle after the event. Both the doorsteps and the press points will be live on EbS and the Multimedia Centre.
Accreditation and access for the Eurovision Debate
All EU inter-institutional accredited media and EP annual media badge holders will have access to Parliament for the debate upon presentation of their badges, without having to request separate accreditation.
All other journalists wishing to attend the debate will have to submit a request for short-term media access via the online accreditation system (JOUREG). If they already have an EP media badge, it will be activated remotely once approved in the registrations portal. If they are not in possession of an EP media badge, once their request is approved in JOUREG, journalists will be able to collect it from the Accreditation Centre in front of Parliament (Esplanade Solidarność, office 01F035).
Media will be able to follow the debate from a limited number of seats reserved for press at the back of the plenary chamber. You can book a seat in the audience via this link, by Thursday 16 May.
If you wish to book other audiovisual services and facilities for the debate, please send an email to [email protected], also by Thursday 16 May.
For graphic press, there will be a photo opportunity in the Hemicycle around 13:45
Access to the carpark on the day of the Eurovision Debate
Media needing a space in Parliament’s carpark will have to reserve their parking slot via the IZIX APP a few days before the event. If journalists do not yet have the App, they can request it from [email protected]
More than 4000 attended the European Psychiatric Congress 2024 in Budapest. New research was presented and discussed. Photo: THIX Photo.
Tens of thousands of Europeans are every month seeking advice on how to discontinue or get off antidepressants outside their regular health services. That’s because doctors are not trained in how to deprescribe antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs research has found. The research suggest that tapering (slowly stopping) has to be done gradually, and at a rate that the individual user can tolerate, and reductions should be made by smaller and smaller amounts. It can take months and even years to get fully off the drugs.
At large international psychiatric congresses it for years has been common to present new studies on psychiatric drugs and discuss why and when to prescribe medications. At this year’s European Psychiatric Congress that was recently held in Budapest, Hungary a so-called State of the Art lecture set a new trend looking at how to properly discontinue or deprescribe psychotropic drugs.
An expert, Dr. Mark Horowitz a Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry at the National Health Service (NHS) in England had been given the task to address the necessary skills and guidelines to supported reduction or discontinuation of psychopharmacological treatment.
The backdrop to this is a scene in which many people cannot come off common antidepressants in the way the official medical guidelines recommend. Studies in Holland found that only some 7% of people could stop in this way and in England they found that 40% of people could stop in this way however with quite pronounced withdrawal effects.
Part of the problem is that doctors often believe that the withdrawal effects are “brief and mild”. And they do not know that withdrawal symptoms may include anxiety, depressed mood, and insomnia. The result is that they often tell their patients using antidepressants that there shouldn’t be a problem with coming off the antidepressant drug, and when the patients do report withdrawal effects they believe these to be the original underlying condition. A very large number of persons are due to this problem diagnosed as having a relapse (a return of someone’s underlying condition) and are being put back on antidepressants, sometimes for years or decades, or even lifelong.
Doctor’s advice unhelpful
The consequence of this is that many people who really want to get off the antidepressants leave their regular healthcare system and seek advice on peer support forums on how to come off their medications. Two peer support websites in English alone has some 900.000 hits a month, and almost half of them are from Europe.
There’s 180,000 people on these sort of websites. The research team of Dr Mark Horowitz surveyed 1,300 of them and found that three quarters of them considered their doctor’s advice was unhelpful. The story of many of them was similar. The most common tapering period that they had been recommended was 2 weeks and 4 weeks exactly like the guidelines of the public agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England responsible for guidance, NICE, recommended, until it was updated recently.
Getting off antidepressants despite the doctors’ reassurances was a nightmare for many. Stories echo each other that the effects were so horrendous that the user had to get back on the antidepressant or otherwise would end up in a terrible state. The result is as many users expressed that “I’ve lost faith in my doctor.”
The underlying problem that has often been neglected is that years of use causes adaptation to the antidepressant drug and this adaptation persists for longer than it takes the drug to be eliminated from the body. That’s what causes withdrawal effects.
“When you stop the drug, let’s say months or years after the patient had been started on drug treatment following a stressful period in their life, the antidepressant is metabolized by the liver and kidneys in a few days or weeks. But what doesn’t change in a few days or weeks is the residual changes to the serotonin receptors and other systems downstream of this,” Dr. Horowitz explains.
In studies on humans, there are changes to the serotonergic system that persists for up to four years after the antidepressants are stopped.
The longer the harder
And the research indicates that the longer people are on the antidepressants, the harder it is to stop and the more severe the withdrawal effects.
For people who are on antidepressants for more than three years, in surveys two thirds are reporting withdrawal symptoms and half of those people are reporting symptoms that are moderately severe or severe.
“You can see clearly the more you’re adapted to a drug, the more difficult it is to stop it,” Dr Mark Horowitz explains.
And it is common as Dr Horowitz noted, “We have conducted a survey, of a group of people who are accessing therapy in the National Health Service (NHS) of England, two-fifths of them who have been on antidepressants have tried to stop and been unable to do so, and that correlated strongly with withdrawal effects.”
To minimize the risk of withdrawal effects, which more than half will experience using the commonly recommended procedures, certain principles about tapering antidepressants have to be known. The research indicates that the best approach to tapering is to perform it gradually (over months or sometimes years), and at a rate that the individual user can tolerate. Furthermore, it has to be done in smaller and smaller amounts.
Why tapering gradually
Dr Horowitz explained how to taper psychiatric drugs properly. Photo: THIX Photo.
Research using PET scanning on persons using different doses of antidepressants showed that the inhibition of the serotonin transporter doesn’t occur as a linear line, but according to a hyperbolic curve. This follows a pharmacological principle known as the law of mass action.
In more regular language, it means that as one adds more and more drug to the body’s system, more and more neurotransmitter receptors are saturated. And so, by the time one reaches a high dose, every extra milligram of drug has less and less incremental effect. And that’s why one get this hyperbola pattern. This pattern is true for all psychiatric drugs.
This explains why users experience problems in the last stages of withdrawing from a drug. Doctors in general practice have come to use an approach of linear decrease, like 20, 15, 10, 5, 0 mg.
Dr Mark Horowitz explains the findings not only from a neurobiological viewpoint, but very much how users have explained it, “going from 20 to 15 milligrams has a very small effect on the brain, 15 to 10 a little bit larger, 10 to 5 larger again, and going from 5 to 0 is like jumping off a cliff. You think you’re down near the bottom, but actually you’ve walked out the eighth story window, in my view.”
The first few milligrams are easy to come off, and the last few milligrams are much harder.
“When doctors don’t understand this relationship, they think people must need the drug because they’ve had huge trouble and they’re pushing people back on it,” Dr Mark Horowitz added.
Based on both neurobiological research and clinical observations it thus makes more pharmacological sense to not reduce drugs by a linear amount of dose, but to reduce drugs by a linear amount of effect on the brain.
The approach of reducing the drug rate so it causes an ‘even effect’ on the brain requires decreasing by smaller and smaller amounts down to tiny final doses. So final reduction from this tiny dose to zero doesn’t cause a bigger change in effect on the brain as previous reductions.
One could approximate this by talking about proportional reduction. So, for example, reducing by about 50 percent at every step, going down from 20 to 10 to 5 to 2.5 to 1.25 to 0.6 approximately causes even changes of effect on the brain. Some people will need even more gradual dose reductions – for example, reducing by 10% of the most recent dose every month, so that the size of the reduction gets smaller as the total dose gets smaller.
Caution on withdrawing from psychiatric drugs
In noting this Dr Mark Horowitz cautions, “It is important to say it’s very hard to guess what rate an individual can tolerate. As it’s something that can take two weeks or four years. That’s why it’s very important to take the approach of adjusting to the individual, making small reductions and seeing how they respond before deciding on further steps.”
If withdrawal symptoms become too severe, then the reduction should be halted or the dose increased until symptoms resolve and the reduction should then proceed to a slower pace.
In England the new NICE guidelines, which is not just for psychiatrists, but for GPs, recommends to slowly reduce the dose in a stepwise fashion, at each step prescribing a proportion of the previous dose.
For clinicians not only in England but everywhere there is now extensive guidance available. Dr Mark Horowitz has co-authored the recently published “Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines”. It describes how to safely reduce every antidepressant, benzodiazepine, z-drug and gabapentanoid that’s licensed in Europe and America. The “Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines” can be bought through the medical publisher Wiley and even through Amazon. A forthcoming version of the Guidelines due in 2025 will also include antipsychotic drugs and other psychiatric drug classes.
Most of those uprooted by Israeli military evacuation orders in eastern Rafah have already been displaced from other areas of Gaza; they are now leaving with everything they can carry “in vehicles, trucks, (on) motorbikes and donkey carts”, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
More than 47,500 people are estimated to have left their shelters in Rafah on Wednesday alone, UNRWA said, with some families approaching the agency’s shelters at Tel Sultan as well as Al Mawasi in the west.
The World Food Programme’s (WFP) Director for Palestine Matthew Hollingworth said in a post on X on Thursday that the agency’s main warehouse “is now inaccessible.”
“No aid has entered from southern crossings in two days“, he added. There is only a single bakery still operational while supplies of food will last only one to three days.
In an update, UNRWA noted “an ongoing and significant amount of bombardment” in eastern Rafah early Thursday “and all through the night”.
The development comes as UN humanitarians repeated warnings about the lack of desperately needed aid reaching highly vulnerable people in Gaza despite reports that the Kerem Shalom crossing near Rafah had reopened.
“We are engaging with all involved on the resumption of the entry of goods, including fuel, and so that we can again begin managing incoming supplies,” said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA late Wednesday. “However, the situation remains extremely fluid, and we continue to confront a range of challenges amid active hostilities. We count on cooperation and facilitation to get these crossings operational again since stocks of critical supplies, including fuel, are being depleted by the hour.”
The Kerem Shalom crossing had been closed following a deadly rocket attack claimed by Hamas last weekend. It is next to Rafah, which is the main entry point for aid into Gaza and which was seized on Tuesday by Israeli forces, dashing ceasefire hopes.
Northern aid delays
According to OCHA, more than a quarter of humanitarian missions to northern Gaza in April “were impeded by Israeli authorities, and 10 percent were denied…The UN and humanitarian partners continue efforts to scale up aid operations whenever and wherever possible.”
On Wednesday the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that it had reached Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, “which had been inaccessible for months”.
In a message on X, the agency said that it was ready to scale up food assistance across northern Gaza, “but rolling back six months months of starvation requires steady flows of food supplies. Safe, lasting access needs to be sustained over time.”
Lost time is lost lives: UNICEF chief
In a later statement, the UNICEF chief Catherine Russell, said fuel was urgently needed “to move lifesaving supplies – medicine, treatments for malnutrition, tents and water pipes – as well as staff to reach children and families in need.”
Supplies have been in effect severed she added, threatening to grind all operations to a halt.
“The limited essential infrastructure in Gaza that remains at least partially functional also depends on fuel to provide lifesaving services. This includes the remaining hospitals and primary healthcare centres, water desalination plants and water wells, sewage pumps and solid waste collection – all of which could run out of fuel within days, if not hours.”
“The situation is dire” she warned and if the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings are not reopened “the consequences will be felt almost immediately: life support services for premature babies will lose power; children and families will become dehydrated or consume dangerous water; sewage will overflow and spread disease further. Simply put, lost time will soon become lost lives.”
West Bank violence unabated
As war continues in Gaza, the UN rights office, OHCHR, warned that violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have also increased substantially.
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is acting as if there is an armed conflict in the West Bank,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of the OHCHR office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in an interview with UN News.
Mr. Sunghay explained that the situation in the West Bank was already very dire even before hostilities erupted in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel that left some 1,250 dead and more than 250 taken hostage.
In its latest update on the situation in the West Bank, the UN aid office, OCHA, noted that the Israeli Supreme Court had ruled in favour of the return of 360 Palestinians to their homes in Khirbet Zanouta herding community in Hebron, six months after being displaced by settler attacks.
In the heart of this region a new wave of unrest has emerged, shedding light on the challenges faced by residents in their fight for rights. The streets have become a battleground as members of the Joint Action Committee clash with authorities, including police forces and commandos painting a picture of the situation.
The recent surge in unrest was sparked by a government crackdown on leaders during the night. In response authorities in Pakistan Administered Kashmir have enforced Section 144 to restrict gatherings and announced closures for all institutions on May 10th and 11th. Despite these measures the determination of the people to stand up for their rights remains unwavering.
Tensions escalated dramatically in Dadyal when protesters echoing the passion of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) supporters detained an Assistant Commissioner and subjected him to assault. This act of resistance is. Underscores the seated frustration among individuals and their readiness to take action to address their grievances.
The government’s response has been severe with police resorting to tactics such, as baton charges and tear gas to disperse protestors. The recent events have had repercussions with many protestors sustaining injuries. Tragically a student lost their life after being exposed to gas highlighting the cost of this conflict.
In response, to these incidents the JAAC has declared a shutdown set to begin tomorrow further heightening tensions in the region. The situation in Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK remains precarious. The impending strike is expected to escalate the confrontation between demonstrators and authorities.
The unrest has now spread to parts of PoK with protests erupting in Samahni, Sehansa, Mirpur, Rawalakot, Khuiratta, Tattapani and Hattian Bala. While demonstrations in Kotli, Bagh and Muzaffarabad have not garnered media attention. Raising concerns about censorship and suppression by those in power.
Residents of PoK are grappling with issues such as electricity bills, lack of wheat subsidies and shortages of necessities like flour. They are also worried about their rights regarding resources and government oversight on projects as encroachment on land by the Pakistani military. These ongoing protests stem from these grievances as people call for fairer resource distribution and protection of their rights. Despite facing intimidation, from authorities residents of PoK persist in voicing their dissent. The People’s Rights Day was joyously celebrated on February 5 2024 followed by the Youm e Majammat on March 5 to express discontent, over delays in meeting the demands of JAAC. The march, dubbed as the “People’s Rights Long March” by JAAC is scheduled for May 11 2024. To ensure its effectiveness all JAAC members are engaged in campaigns within their regions. However in response the state government has requested troops from the Central Armed Forces and Punjab Police to be deployed with an approach sparking tension throughout PoK.
On International Labor Day the women’s wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples National Party (JKPNP) organized a protest rally in Bagh and encouraged local residents to join them in Muzaffarabad on May 11. Protest gatherings took place on May 6 in Rawalakot, Hazira, Bhimber, Kotli, Thorat, Poonch and Haveli regions. A torch lit rally was also conducted that day to show opposition against security forces attempting to impede the march.
Residents of PoK assembled near Mangla Dam. Pledged their commitment to ensuring the success of the march. Their unwavering determination, during times reflects the resilience and courage of Kashmiri people. The situation, in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PoK) is a reminder of the tensions in the region particularly in Kashmir, where the quest for self-determination and basic human rights continues. The area grapples with challenges leaving its residents without rights and liberties.
The crackdown on dissent and the use of force against protestors violate rights. Call for unequivocal condemnation. People in PoK should be able to voice their concerns without fear of reprisal while holding onto hopes for a future.
The crackdown on leaders and the presence of security forces to suppress demonstrations are developments. These actions blatantly disregard the people’s rights in Kashmir seeking to silence their demands. It is imperative for the global community not to turn an eye to the plight of those in PoK but rather offer support. Encouraging governments to uphold rights and engage in dialogues is essential for resolving the Kashmir conflict.
The people of PoK have shown unwavering commitment to freedom and self-determination displaying resilience and a universal quest for justice and equality. It is crucial that the international community listens to their pleas and takes measures to safeguard the aspirations of Kashmiri individuals. The situation in PoK acts as a reflection of tensions prevailing in Kashmir, where endeavors, toward self-determination and human rights endure. It is crucial for the international community to closely observe the developments that encourage Pakistan to respect the rights of the Kashmiris while engaging in discussions, for a lasting solution. The use of force and suppression of dissent against protesters are violations of rights that should be condemned.
The people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) should be able to voice their concerns without fear of retaliation and their aspirations for a future should be recognized. The fight for self-governance and basic freedoms reflects humanitys pursuit of freedom and justice. It is important for countries to support the people of PoK in safeguarding their visions for the future from being stifled by the strategies employed by the government.
The global community cannot ignore these human rights violations. It is time to take steps and hold accountable those responsible, for actions. The world must rally behind the residents of PoK ensuring that their voices are heard their rights protected and their dreams of a future realized.
Some genes are known to drive cancer, and astonishing new research shows why: Mutations in the noncoding regions become functional, altering the abundance of messenger RNA, or mRNA, and potentially facilitating cell proliferation. Even more surprising, the number of mutations in these regions can predict patient survival time for certain types of cancer.
Most genes are a sequence of DNA that holds the recipes for producing proteins. Proteins, in turn, are chains of amino acids that the body uses to send signals between cells, build and repair tissues, and for countless other functions necessary for life. Within these genes, certain areas are directly translated into proteins, whereas others, referred to as noncoding regions, do not directly contribute to protein production.
But these silent, noncoding regions are far from lazy. They act much like a basketball coach during a game, directing the active regions of the gene to either enhance or suppress their expression, thus playing a crucial regulatory role.
Mutations in these noncoding areas are relatively common, yet they were once thought to have minimal impact on an organism’s functions because they don’t alter a protein’s recipe. But what happens to their regulatory duties when a mutation occurs?
Researchers at UCLA now have an answer. Mutations in these noncoding areas are relatively common, yet they were once thought to have minimal impact on an organism’s functions because they don’t alter a protein’s recipe. But researchers at UCLA made an important discovery: These mutations lead to production of abnormal amounts of mRNA. mRNA serves as the DNA’s courier, carrying the blueprint for protein production from the cell nucleus to the cytoplasm, where proteins are synthesized.
When mutations cause changes in mRNA levels, it can lead to either an excess or deficit in protein production, akin to the culinary disaster of mistaking a teaspoon for a cup of salt in a recipe. Because cancer involves the unchecked growth of cells, the abundance of mRNA might activate — or fail to inhibit — proliferation of cells, ultimately leading to tumors and cancer.
The researchers made this discovery by synthesizing thousands of mutations into fully functioning DNA reporters — a kind of gene that helps scientists study what a gene expresses — which they put into cells, then analyzed the resulting alterations in mRNA abundance. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
“Predicting the outcomes of mutations in protein-coding regions is relatively straightforward, but understanding the functions of mutations in noncoding regions presents a significant challenge,” said corresponding author Xinshu “Grace” Xiao, a UCLA professor of integrative biology and physiology. “We designed a high throughput experiment capable of simultaneously assessing a vast array of mutations.”
Some noncoding mutations are so rare they occur in only a few individuals. Plus, every person has their own unique mutations. Rare mutations are challenging to study because their scarcity means they are hard to obtain in statistically meaningful quantities.
“We focused on these poorly understood rare mutations because with our method, we could generate any number of them, offering an unprecedented opportunity to figure out what they do,” Xiao said.
This exploration led to a completely unforeseen discovery: Many of the rare, functional mutations were associated with genes linked to cancer pathways.
This finding shifted the research to the singling out of genes known to drive cancer. These notorious cancer driver genes have many somatic mutations — acquired over the course of the individual’s life rather than through inheritance — in noncoding regions that aren’t understood. The team repeated their experiments, this time testing 11,929 somatic mutations in 166 cancer driver genes.
They discovered that a large fraction — 33% — of somatic mutations in noncoding regions of 155 of the 166 tested cancer driver genes can change mRNA abundance. But Xiao’s group didn’t stop there. They combed a cancer database to find patients who had these mRNA-modulating rare mutations and found many. Turning over this stone revealed an even bigger surprise.
“The number of functional mutations in untranslated regions can predict patient survival for certain cancer types,” said Ting Fu, the first author of the article and a postdoctoral scholar in Xiao’s lab. “We called this metric ‘untranslated tumor mutation burden’ or uTMB and found particularly striking the association between uTMB and lung squamous cell carcinoma as well as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.”
This insight opens up new avenues for the development of prognostic testing tools. By calculating uTMB for individual patients, health care professionals could gain valuable predictions regarding survival outcomes to guide selection of the most effective treatment options.
The findings also signal a promising new direction for research into the gene regulation mechanisms implicated in cancer. Understanding how these mutations influence mRNA abundance — and by extension, protein production — could shed light on the intricate processes that drive cancer progression.
“Our next objective is to unravel the precise regulatory mechanisms by which these mutations function in cancer cells. Given their impact on mRNA levels, the underlying mechanisms could hold critical importance for the advancement of cancer treatment,” Xiao said.
This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
In a recent statement, PiS Vice-President Beata Szydło expressed strong criticism of the European Union’s influence over Polish sovereignty and domestic policies, particularly under the leadership of Donald Tusk. Szydło’s comments come at a critical time as Poland faces significant political and economic decisions influenced by EU directives.
“Recognizing the primacy of European law over Polish law means that the Polish Constitution, the Polish Parliament, and Polish legislation do not matter,” Szydło stated, suggesting that all critical decisions for Poland are being made in Brussels, not Warsaw. She accused Tusk’s government of committing to EU supremacy, which she described as an act detrimental to the state and a betrayal of Poland.
Szydło highlighted the economic implications of EU policies on Poland, especially the Green Deal, which she claims has led to increased energy costs, threatening the livelihood of Polish industries and agriculture. “The media are reporting new waves of group layoffs… Entire plants are being liquidated,” she remarked, attributing these economic hardships to the rising energy costs driven by EU regulations.
The Vice-President also voiced concerns over the potential loss of financial independence if Poland were to adopt the euro, noting that neighboring countries like Slovakia and Lithuania benefit from Poland’s strong trade and competitive prices due to the zloty.
With the European Economic Congress in Katowice as a backdrop, Szydło criticized the EU’s centralization efforts, which could lead to unfavorable decisions such as adopting the euro. “This is very bad information,” she commented, especially as such discussions coincide with the visit of Ursula von der Leyen to Poland, suggesting a deeper integration of Poland into the EU framework.
Furthermore, Szydło accused the current government of saying what Poles want to hear, particularly before elections, without the intention of following through. She cited previous discrepancies between pre-election promises and post-election actions, such as the raising of the retirement age.
In response to these challenges, Szydło called for a strong representation of the Law and Justice (PiS) party in the upcoming European Parliament elections. “We have to go to the elections and stop the crazy Green Deal. How? By simply electing Law and Justice candidates because we will never agree to such solutions being pushed further,” she urged.
Szydło also discussed the direct impact of EU policies on Polish citizens, mentioning the Building Directive which will require costly renovations to meet new EU standards. “People are terrified,” she said, explaining the financial burden faced by those needing to upgrade their homes and heating systems without support from the EU.
As Poland navigates these complex political and economic waters, Szydło’s call to action underscores a growing debate within the country about the future direction of its relationship with the European Union. With the European Parliament elections on the horizon, her remarks set the stage for a pivotal moment in Poland’s political landscape.
Equestrian Art MATA: Ancestral heritage and centuries-old traditions, under the sign“MATA, an ancestral intangible heritage and a space for cultural exchange of humanity”
Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the MATA International Riding Festival returns in a new edition from May 17 to 19, 2024, in Zniyed village, commune of Larbaa de Ayacha, provincial district of Moulay Abdessalam Ben Machich, province of Larache, Region of Tangier Tetoun Alhociema.
This year’s edition is organized in a special context consisting of the consecration of the integration of the MATA intangible heritage into the World Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).
In this national context, the President of the MATA International Equestrian Festival said that this consecration has been achieved thanks to the Patronage of His Majesty the King during all editions of the festival, and that the safeguarding of Morocco’s intangible heritage, including the MATA festival, has materialized under the aegis of His Majesty the King affirming in his directives that:
” [..] Culture is not only the expression of a creative genius. It is also a reflection of the civilizational dynamics that saw its birth. It is, even more, a vital necessity of our daily lives. A viaticum for the soul and the spirit, culture builds a bridge between the past and the present and allows individuals to be anchored to their social environment. [..]»
Excerpt from the message of His Majesty King Mohammed IV addressed to the participants in the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
The safeguarding of the MATA heritage is also a continuation of the important process initiated by Hadj Mohamed Baraka, Dean of the Alamiyine Chorfas, and the late Sidi Abdelhadi Baraka Naquib of Alamiyine Chorfas.
The President of the festival, Mr. Nabil BARAKA, stressed that the integration of the MATA intangible heritage into the ICESCO list on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco is a great historical event, achieved thanks to the Royal High Patronage, as well as the support of the festival’s partners in its various cultural, economic and social spaces and is a well-deserved consecration of the MATA riders and the JEBALA regions who have made this rich ancestral cultural heritage shine and varied.
The president of the festival also highlighted the distinction recently awarded in Seville, Spain, to the Mata International Horse Riding Festival, namely the prize of the Spanish historian, politician and writer Emilio Castellar, this recognition was awarded by the great efforts made by the festival to promote the rapprochement of cultures between civilizations and nations. The award was received by Mrs. Nabila Baraka, President of the Alamia Association, in the presence of major personalities and international organizations as a recognition of the cultural and national achievements of the late Sidi Abdelhadi Baraka, Dean of the Alamiyine chorfas.
He also emphasized the attachment to the spiritual tradition that the festival perpetuates for the Chorfas Alamiyines and the followers of the Tarika Machichiya Chadiliya, encouraging the men of thought, religion, culture, art and politics, present at this festival, to spread the values bequeathed by the great Quotb Moulay Abdeslam Ibn Machich in the world, while inviting a prayer for peace, in the zones of conflict and war, especially between Palestinians and Israelis, Ukrainians and Russians, while affirming that the Chorfas Alamiyines and the followers of the Tarika Machichiya Chadiliya, are under the guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful.
The president of the MATA International Horse Riding Festival also indicated that the program of this year’s edition will be rich in competitions, and performances of MATA horses and riders, in addition to the organization of an international conference under the theme:
“Mata, space for the cultural exchange of humanity”, supervised by researchers from various international and national organizations, to celebrate a heritage that has become a prerogative of the enhancement of dialogue between cultures and civilizations in all corners of the world. He stressed, to this end, the strengthening of ties between Africa and Europe, thanks to the geographical and historical junctions between Morocco and Spain, and between the rest of the world, noting the essential role played by the various press organizations that honor the festival spaces with their presence.
Mrs. Nabila Baraka, president of the Alamia Laaroussia Association for Social and Cultural Action, said that the MATA festival is organized in a context of debate around the Moudawana, and consecrates the role of the Moroccan woman who was and will remain active in society, thus highlighting the role of women in the JEBALA tribes in the celebration of this ancestral Moroccan heritage in all MATA spaces. The festival is also an opportunity to discover the strong links between the northern region and the Moroccan Sahrawi tribes permanently invited to the festival, and represented by cultural and media organizations, and cooperatives of local products and crafts.
The last 2023 edition had recorded, according to the president of the MATA international festival, a great success at all levels, cultural, social, and economic, and saw the participation of more than 300,000 people between national and international visitors, the competition attracted more than 300 riders from different Jebala tribes, and 80 agricultural and industrial cooperatives exhibited their local products to visitors, in addition to an evening of traditional Moroccan music animated by the artists: Bachir El Attar, Faisal Saghir, Ikram El Abdia, Lemsari, and Iman El Hajeb, and the actors Hassan and Mohsin. During this evening, a tribute was paid to the great art artist Jebli El Hajji Srifi, as well as other cultural personalities.
“MATA”, a World Heritage Site
All around the Jbel Allam, the peasants welcomed spring by playing a particularly original game that calls on the courage, skill, flexibility, delicacy, intelligence and finesse of those who devote themselves to it. It is a game where horse and rider, in perfect symbiosis, celebrate a legendary complicity and above all the ancestral culture of an extraordinary region. The “jbalas” have named this game “MATA”.
Even today, the tradition is jealously guarded by the tribes of Bni Arous and the rules of the game are scrupulously respected. After the sifting of the wheat fields, first in the village of Aznid, then in others later, young girls and women of the tribe to whom this operation is entrusted accompany it with their songs, their youyous and their famous ‘iyou’, to the sound of ghaitas and drums specific to the region. It is these same women who make, with the help of reeds and fabrics, the doll that will be fought over by the bravest riders of the Jebala country, a region where the art of riding horses, raising them and training them is a strong cultural specificity. Riders who participate in the “MATA” game must ride bareback, dressed in the ancestral jellabas and amamas. According to oral tradition, the winner of the game “MATA” is the one who, using his skill and boldness, will be able to snatch the doll from the other riders and carry it away. A supreme reward was then awarded to him: He was married to the most beautiful girl of the tribe.
The game “MATA” is probably inspired by Bouzkachi, a similar but more violent game, imported, according to legend, by Moulay Abdeslam lbn Mashich during his visit to Ibn Boukhari. . The bouzkachi practiced in Afghanistan is about the corpse of a goat that the riders fight over in brutal jousts that leave many injured.
This annual event celebrates an ancestral culture through which is expressed the rehabilitated sense of honor, the rooted faith, patriotism as a Sufi school and spiritual and universal values; all the humanist heritage bequeathed by the great Quotb Moulay Abdeslam Ibn Mashich to the Chorfas Alamiyines, to the Tarika Mashichiya Shadhiliya and to the inhabitants of this exceptional region.
The MATA International Riding Festival in its 12th edition from 17 to 19 May 2024 5
Port-au-Prince has been in the grip of armed groups for several years now, and roughly two months ago they launched coordinated attacks which paralyzed the metropolitan area.
Since then, UNICEF, alongside the National Directorate for Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) and partners, has provided more than 2.6 million litres of safe drinking water to children and families across 20 sites housing those displaced.
The recent escalation of violence has compounded the already dire situation faced by children and families, who already lack essential support and facilities.
The current rainy season has only added to their plight, leading to major flooding in lowland areas of the capital and the resurgence of cholera cases in Cité Soleil, an extremely impoverished neighbourhood.
“With no drinking quality water and adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities, displaced children are exposed to water-borne diseases, more specifically to a widespread cholera outbreak” said Ruben Um Bayiha, Chief of UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Programme.
‘Navigating a war zone’
Furthermore, he said “operating in such an insecure and volatile environment is akin to navigating a war zone every day.”
Despite the challenges, UNICEF and partners are stepping up efforts to protect children and families and provide the lifesaving support they desperately need, he stressed.
Supporting displaced families
UNICEF leads WASH response in Haiti, providing over half of overall support, ensuring safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services at all displacement sites.
Initiatives include trucking water, treating piped water, repairing water supply and sanitation systems, building temporary latrines, providing essential hygiene items, and delivering hygiene messages.
UNICEF said its WASH efforts “yielded significant outcomes” during March, with over 700,000 gallons (2.66 million litres) of chlorinated water distributed to displaced families and children.
Collaborative efforts with partners such as the aid organizations Solidarités International, ORRAH, and ACTED, have ensured that essential needs were met even in the most challenging circumstances.
Furthermore, UNICEF and partners have distributed hygiene kits to almost 11,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) across six sites.
A schoolgirl in Port-au-Prince holds up a sign in French which reads ‘peace’.
‘Crisis will worsen’
UNICEF has also prioritized improving sanitary conditions in the high-risk IDP sites, including removing and safely disposing about 78 cubic metres of fecal sludge from three sites accommodating roughly 7,000 people.
Mr. Um Bayiha upheld the agency’s commitment to addressing evolving needs, particularly as the region braces for the upcoming hurricane season.
Yet, he warned that “this crisis will worsen unless the response is scaled up urgently,” underscoring the need for funding.
UNICEF aims to support more than 884,000 people across Haiti this year to access quality water for drinking and domestic needs, as well as appropriate sanitation services and critical WASH supplies.
Thousands receive meals
Meanwhile, UN humanitarians and partners been supporting people affected by recent gang clashes in Delmas commune in Port-au-Prince.
Meals, shelter and other supplies have been provided todisplaced persons and the host community, and the hope is that assistance will ramp up as soon as security allows.
This week, the World Food Programme distributed food to 264,000 schoolchildren and more than 5,600 displaced people in the capital.
WFP also distributed food in Cité Soleil, reaching some 26,000 people this week.
Teams have reached more than 680,000 people since the beginning of March and provided more than 800,000 hot meals to more than 94,000 displaced people in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
WFP has also distributed school meals to more than 330,000 school children across Haiti.
