24-10-2021

SuNdAy, oCToBEr 24, 2021
5
Biobanking to unfold
universal health benefits
SANJEET BAgCChI
Increasing the availability of
high-quality biological samples
through biobanks has the
potential to advance global
health research and speed up
progress towards Sustainable
Development Goals such as
achieving universal health
coverage, a UN science summit
has heard.
Biobanking is the process by
which samples of bodily fluid or
tissue are collected, annotated,
stored and redistributed for
research to improve
understanding of health and
diseases. The COVID-19
pandemic underlined the value
of this gathering and processing
of samples and related data, as
scientists scrambled to develop
effective vaccines and
treatments.
"Biobanking is central in
supporting SDG3 - good health
and well-being - by supporting
the discovery of new
treatments for the great
healthcare challenges," said
virologist Zisis Kozlakidis, one
of the speakers at the online
Science Summit, held during
the United Nations General
Assembly in New York.
Developed in 2015 by the UN
member states, the SDGs are "a
shared blueprint" to attain, by
2030, a better and sustainable
future for all. The 17 goals
include ending poverty and
hunger, achieving food
security, improving nutrition
and promoting sustainable
agriculture, and ensuring
healthy lives worldwide.
Kozlakidis, who is head of the
laboratory services and
biobank group at the
International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC), in
Lyon, France, explained that
research in medicine is based
on the analysis of samples and -
because associations in many
diseases are often weak - these
samples are needed in large
quantities. "The implication is
clear: if more, wellcharacterised,
high-quality
samples are available through
biobanks, the faster research
will advance and impact upon
the faster delivery of precision
healthcare today as part of
SDG3," Kozlakidis added.
At the summit meeting on 22
September, Kozlakidis spoke
about how data collected as
part of routine clinical
healthcare can be re-used for
research, to improve health
services in an increasingly
digital age. "We have seen that
A biospecimen at a biobank. A uN science summit heard that biobanks
could speed up research on health and diseases. Photo: Collected
the application of artificial
intelligence has brought a new
era of possibilities and promise,
but it requires operating within
large-scale, high-quality data
[as found in some biobanks]."
He added that the model of
digital health implemented in
high-income countries would
need to be adjusted for
resource-restricted settings.
Kurt Zatloukal, a professor of
pathology at the Medical
University of Graz, Austria, told
the meeting: "Biobanks host
human samples like tumors
that are removed by surgery,
[and] blood that is taken during
diagnostics, and these
biological materials contain
very detailed information on
human diseases. This insight
into human diseases lays the
foundation for the
development of new
diagnostics and new drugs."
The data generated through
biosamples is a key resource for
the digital transformation of
health systems, he suggested.
World revenue for biobanking
will surpass $53 billion in 2027,
according to Zatloukal, who
underlined one of the key
challenges facing biobanking:
the drug industry is required to
provide funding, yet patients
remain reluctant to make their
samples available to drug
companies.
"[To] tackle this problem, a
model [has been] developed
called Expert Centers,"
Zatloukal told the summit. In
this concept, he said, sending or
selling bio-samples to industry
directly by biobanks is avoided
as it involves joint funding and
contributions from public and
private companies, with the
data and knowledge shared
between both.
"This model of transforming
biological raw material into
knowledge and data [can] also
be used to enable international
collaboration," he said.
Fredrick Chite Asirwa,
executive director and chief
executive of the International
Cancer Institute in Kenya, said
more also needed to be done to
tackle the challenges facing
biobanking in Africa, including
increasing awareness among
healthcare professionals,
policymakers and patients, and
promoting the necessary
infrastructure and networks
needed to support biobanks.
ESThEr AkuTEkhA
Dandruff can strike anyone
year-round, but drops in
temperature and humidity
can make a flare-up more
likely in the fall and winter.
While dandruff isn't
contagious or dangerous,
those flakes can still be
annoyingly embarrassing. So
as you're updating your skin
care routine to be more cold
weather-friendly, it's
important to make changes
to your scalp care routine as
well.
"Cold weather is a
breeding ground for a lot of
skin disorders that are
worsened by dryness," said
board-certified
dermatologist Anna Chacon,
who specializes in hair loss
and scalp conditions such as
psoriasis and dandruff (also
known as seborrheic
dermatitis). "If you're
stressed out by seasonal
changes or you're just
uncomfortable because it's
cold, that is an extra trigger
to make your psoriasis or
dermatitis worse."
Luckily, your flake-free
scalp regimen doesn't have
to be pricey or timeconsuming,
but according to
experts, it will require some
preparation and a little
knowledge about do-ityourself
scalp care.
Erum N. Ilyas, a boardcertified
dermatologist based
outside of Philadelphia, said
she tells her patients that the
most important step in
fighting seasonal dandruff is
to anticipate it.
"We know that dandruff
will generally flare in fall and
spring. Knowing this, plan to
start preventative
approaches four weeks in
advance," she told HuffPost,
adding, "Dandruff shampoos
cannot always actively treat
dandruff once it flares, but
are actually very good at
preventing it."
Ilyas suggested looking for
shampoos containing zinc
pyrithione, which contains
antimicrobial qualities.
How to stop seasonal
dandruff before it starts
Want to beat dandruff this season? Start treating it before it even
starts.
Photo: Teeramet Thanomkiat
While the type of cleanser
might be crucial to your
regimen, the frequency
doesn't matter as much,
according to Chacon. There's
a misconception that
dandruff happens when your
hair and scalp are too dry,
and this myth sometimes
influences people to
unnecessarily skip
shampoos.
"Don't necessarily think
washing it too much is bad,"
Chacon said. "Every day or
two is fine. I would not go
more than a week without
washing the hair, even if you
have the driest hair
possible."
She does, however,
recommend keeping the
scalp moisturized and
avoiding scratching, which
might make the condition
worse.
And if you think you're
immune to dandruff because
you have an oily scalp, you're
wrong. You may, however,
may need a different
treatment than someone
with a dry scalp.
Loretta Ciraldo, a boardcertified
dermatologist who
treats many patients with
scalp conditions such as
dandruff and psoriasis, told
HuffPost that if you have an
oily scalp, "you can usually
get away with almost
anything" in terms of using
potent treatments. She
recommended that patients
try coal tar, a thick, dark
liquid that helps relieve the
itching, and salicylic acid,
which helps remove dead
skin cells from the surface.
These ingredients can work
great on oily or normal
scalps, although Ciraldo
warned that "if your scalp is
sensitive, don't use it."
When looking for the best
solution, Ilyas suggested
topical treatments
containing ingredients that
address the two major
symptoms of dandruff ?
itching and flaking. Consider
common ingredients such as
apple cider vinegar, which
has anti-yeast properties and
"can often be added to scalp
exfoliators to help address
the underlying yeast that
triggers inflammation
resulting in scaling," coconut
oil, which "can be beneficial
for dry, flaky scalps to help
hydrate and improve scaling
or flaking to the scalp," and
tea tree oil, which also pairs
nicely with scalp exfoliators
and will likely address some
of the underlying triggers for
scalp inflammation that
result in scaling and itching,
Ilyas said.
Plenty of over-the-counter
options are available to
choose from. "No matter
what you're using, you have
to make sure you rub it into
the scalp," Ciraldo said.
Massage the product into the
scalp, leave it on for a few
minutes to work its magic,
then rinse and follow up with
a regular shampoo, if
desired.
If the problem persists,
experts recommend visiting
a
board-certified
dermatologist. But first, try
these at-home shampoos
and treatments to get rid of
pesky flakes.
kylI rodrIguEz-CAyro
Alex H., a 31-year-old certified public
accountant from Colorado, became
sick with COVID-19 in March 2020.
Like nearly half of people infected by
the coronavirus, she has experienced
lingering "long COVID" symptoms
that affect not only her physical
health but also her anxiety about
getting sick from the virus again.
"While last year we could mostly
stay home to avoid personal
exposures, now society has 'opened'
back up - and with it, the social
expectation that our presence is
required," Alex, who asked to
withhold her last name to freely talk
about her health history, told
HuffPost. "I am anxious for my
friends and family and the risks of
them getting COVID … I am afraid of
catching COVID again myself."
Much like Alex, some people are
experiencing anxiety as social
distancing and safety precautions
have become more relaxed in certain
areas - despite the rise of COVID
variants. Fortunately, experts say
there are ways to manage anxiety if
you find yourself in a cycle of
constantly calculating coronavirus
risk.
First and foremost, it's important to
understand your COVID-19 risk
tolerance in order to tackle your riskrelated
stress.
"COVID-19 risk tolerance refers to
the risk that individuals are willing to
take to potentially expose themselves
to COVID-19," said Phillip Kadaj, a
physician and medical expert on
JustAnswer, a digital platform that
connects people to experts. "Think of
it as a bell curve. On one extreme you
have people that are very risk-averse.
On the other extreme, you have
people that are very risk-tolerant."
Michele Kambolis, a Vancouver,
Canada-based therapist and author
of "When Women Rise," explained
that risk tolerance and anxiety can be
"impacted by a variety of factors,
including pre-existing mental health
conditions, level of social support, the
degree to which a person's life has
been impacted [by the pandemic],
and whether they have experienced
direct trauma due to COVID, such as
illness or the loss of a loved one."
Being more risk-averse isn't
necessarily a bad thing; by definition,
those who are risk-averse take more
safety precautions to limit COVID-19
exposure. However, when being
mindful about health morphs into
How to manage anxiety while
calculating COVID risk
Journaling or talking to friends and family about what social interactions you can and cannot tolerate can help you manage your risk tolerance anxiety.
Photo: Weekend Images
intrusive, anxiety-provoking
thoughts about contracting the virus,
this can be alarming.
When anxiety over your risk begins
to feel overwhelming, that's your cue
to hit pause and address what you can
at the moment. "Don't take on all the
decisions you need to make at once,"
said Therese Rosenblatt, a therapist
in New York and author of "How Are
You? Connection in a Virtual Age."
"If figuring out your work situation
is causing the most pressure, figure
that out first … If socializing with
friends and family is at the top of your
list, make a plan for [coping with]
that first."
What does making a plan look like,
exactly? Rosenblatt explained that
this may mean choosing to step back
again from anxiety-provoking social
events. You could also offer
alternatives, like meeting outside or
breaking off into smaller groups.
It's important to pay attention to
how your thoughts progress on this.
You don't want to slip into avoidance,
which could mean not seeing anyone
at all or avoiding things you once
loved because it now causes extreme
distress. Journaling about your
anxiety to identify the specific
stressors behind these COVID riskrelated
thought spirals can be
effective. If you find yourself avoiding
all interactions, it might be time to
talk to a therapist. (More on that in a
moment.)
Ruminating about COVID risk can
keep you from living in the moment.
"Anxiety is bred in future-focused,
fear-based thinking," Kambolis said.
"It's only by rooting in the present
that we can reassure ourselves and be
available to life as it is."
A grounding exercise that focuses
on the five senses or meditation may
shift your thinking away from worry,
Kambolis explained. It's important to
note that meditation can worsen
feelings of anxiety in a small
percentage of people, according to
recent research. In this case,
Kambolis recommended trying a
walking meditation outdoors, which
can feel less "intense" than traditional
mindfulness practices.
Similarly, Rosenblatt suggested
practicing basic self-care and exercise
to gently redirect your focus to
connecting with your body, rather
than hyper-focusing on your fears.
"This soothing focus pushes thoughts
and symptoms of stress out of the
way," she said.
Though doomscrolling is an
unhealthy habit, Melissa V., 28, who
is disabled and
immunocompromised, explained
that keeping thoughtfully current
with the latest health guidelines and
news - as well as talking with her
doctors - mitigates her risk tolerance
anxiety. Melissa, who also asked to
remain anonymous to discuss her
personal health, told HuffPost that
this practice has allowed her to make
informed choices that are best for her
physical and mental health.
Experts agree Melissa's approach
can be helpful. "Assess the level of
risk you are comfortable with and
adapt your actions one step at a
time," Rosenblatt said.
Coping with COVID risk anxiety is
tricky enough, but living with
someone who is not practicing the
same health precautions as you may
exacerbate your existing fears and
uncertainties. Conversely, leaning on
your support system and healthy
connections has been proven to
alleviate symptoms of anxiety and
benefit your overall health.
Having honest discussions
centered around "empathy and
setting healthy boundaries" is
essential to feeling comfortable and
supported, said Cortland Dahl, the
chief contemplative officer at Healthy
Minds Innovations and a research
scientist for the Center for Healthy
Minds.
What's more, Cheyenne Bryant, a
psychology expert and author, said
that "you can specifically address risk
tolerance anxiety if someone else in
your household is more comfortable
doing certain activities than you by
creating a plan together that includes
activities that you both enjoy."
Dahl said that seeking out therapy
for risk-related anxiety may be
necessary if "the usual experiences of
anxiety become excessive, to the
point that they disrupt our
relationships, work, and other areas
of life."
Each therapist may take their own
approach, but Bryant noted that the
general goal of therapy should be to
provide people with tools and
resources to manage COVID risk
anxiety - before a thought spiral
begins.
Experiencing risk tolerance anxiety
to some degree is absolutely normal.
In fact, it's safe to say many people
probably experience a healthy dose of
worry surrounding COVID risk.
Practicing self-compassion when this
worry rises to the level of anxiety can
make you more aware of risk-related
stress and more open to receiving
support.
According to Rosenblatt,
embracing uncertainty is really the
key to managing risk tolerance
anxiety. "The people who will cope
the best are those who find ways to
adapt to uncertainty as much as they
can, and take one day at a time," she
said. "Give yourself permission to
find your new way of working and
living, and readjust as necessary."