Researchers Find Promising Results For Parkinson’s Disease Treatment

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Researchers Find Promising Results For Parkinson’s Disease Treatment

By Pallavi Mehra

PITTSBURGH — Researchers have found a way to make deep brain stimulation (DBS) more precise through a study.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) suggest a solution that is resulting in therapeutic effects that outlast what is currently available.

The findings of the study were published in the journal “Science.”

The work, led by Aryn Gittis and colleagues in CMU’s Gittis Lab, will significantly advance the study of Parkinson’s disease.

DBS allows researchers and doctors to use thin electrodes implanted in the brain to send electrical signals to the part of the brain that controls movement.

It is a proven way to help control unwanted movement in the body, but patients must receive continuous electrical stimulation to relieve their symptoms. If the stimulator is turned off, the symptoms return immediately.

Gittis is an associate professor of biological sciences in the Mellon College of Science and faculty in the Neuroscience Institute.

“By finding a way to intervene that has long-lasting effects, we hope to greatly reduce stimulation time, therefore minimizing side effects and prolonging the battery life of implants,” said Gittis.

Gittis set the foundation for this therapeutic approach in 2017 when her lab identified specific classes of neurons within the brain’s motor circuitry that could be targeted to provide long-lasting relief of motor symptoms in Parkinson’s models.

In that work, the lab used optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control genetically modified neurons. Optogenetics, however, cannot currently be used on humans.

Since then, she has been trying to find a more readily translated strategy for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Her team found success in mice with a new DBS protocol that uses short bursts of electrical stimulation.

“This is a big advance over other existing treatments. In other DBS protocols, as soon as you turn the stimulation off, the symptoms come back,” said Gittis.

“This seems to provide longer-lasting benefits — at least four times longer than conventional DBS.”

In the new protocol, the researchers target specific neuronal subpopulations in the globus pallidus, an area of the brain in the basal ganglia, with short bursts of electrical stimulation. Gittis said that researchers have been trying for years to find ways to deliver stimulation in such a cell-type-specific manner.

“That concept is not new. We used a ‘bottom up’ approach to drive cell-type specificity. We studied the biology of these cells and identified the inputs that drive them,” she said.

“We found a sweet spot that allowed us to utilize the underlying biology.”

Teresa Spix, the paper’s first author, said that while there are many strong theories, scientists do not yet fully understand why DBS works.

“We’re sort of playing with the black box,” said Spix.

“We don’t yet understand every single piece of what’s going on in there, but our short burst approach seems to provide greater symptom relief. The change in pattern lets us differentially affect the cell types.”

“A lot of times, those of us that work in basic science research labs don’t necessarily have a lot of contact with actual patients. This research started with very basic circuitry questions but led to something that could help patients in the near future,” Spix said.

Next, neurosurgeons at Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Health Network (AHN) will use Gittis’ research in humans’ safety and tolerability study.

Nestor Tomycz, a neurological surgeon at AHN, said researchers would soon begin a randomized, double-blind crossover study of patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.

The patients will be followed for 12 months to assess improvements in their Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms and frequency of adverse events.

“Aryn Gittis continues to do spectacular research which is elucidating our understanding of basal ganglia pathology in movement disorders,” said Tomycz.

We are excited that her research on burst stimulation shows a potential to improve upon DBS, which is already a well-established and effective therapy for Parkinson’s disease.”

Donald Whiting, the chief medical officer at AHN and one of the nation’s foremost experts in the use of DBS, said the new protocol could open doors for experimental treatments.

“Aryn is helping us highlight in the animal model things that are going to change the future of what we do for our patients. She’s helping evolve the care treatment of Parkinson’s patients for decades to come with her research,” said Whiting.

The research was funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Lane Fellows Program, the Michael J Fox Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

(With inputs from ANI)

Edited by Ojaswin Kathuria and Anindita Ghosh



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Study Suggests Ways To Reduce Salt In Baked Goods

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Study Suggests Ways To Reduce Salt In Baked Goods

By Pallavi Mehra

URBANA, Ill. — New research suggests methods to reduce salt in baked goods that are a major source of sodium in the diet. The findings of the study were published in the journal “International Journal of Food Science and Technology.”

The study from the University of Illinois explores ways to reduce sodium in bread without sacrificing taste and leavening ability.

“Bread is one of the staple foods in a lot of people’s diets, and people generally don’t stick to just one serving of bread,” said Aubrey Dunteman, lead author and a graduate student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois.

“About 70 percent of sodium in the US food supply comes from packaged and processed foods. The top source is baked goods, so reducing salt in that particular category would help to reduce sodium consumption tremendously,” said study’s co-author Soo-Yeun Lee, and a professor of food science at University of Illinois.

“We can’t completely eliminate salt from our diet, but we can reduce it to a healthier level.”

“Salt is an essential nutrient, and this is why we crave it. However, we consume more than we should, just like sugar and fat.”

“Salt is related to hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, but it’s the amount that is the problem, not the salt itself,” said Lee.

Salt is also an essential ingredient in bread making as it contributes to the structure and flavor of the bread. It is necessary for the yeast to work properly.

Dunteman and Lee conducted an extensive review of academic literature on sodium reduction in bread. They identified four main categories: Salt reduction without any further mitigation, physical modification, sodium replacements, and flavor enhancers.

“The most basic method is just reducing the amount of salt in the product. That can be good to a point, depending on the original level of salt and equivalent in the recipe,” said Dunteman.

There’s always a minimum amount of salt you need just to have the bread function and the yeast do its job. So it’s a limited method, but it can help to reduce high levels of sodium intake.”

Another method is a physical modification, which involves the uneven distribution of salt in the product.

“Sensory adaptation occurs when you have a constant stimulus. If the salt is evenly distributed in a slice of bread, as you take more bites, it’s going to taste less salty because you’re already adapted to the first few bites,” said Lee.

“But if you have a different distribution of salt, alternating between densely and lightly salted layers, people will perceive it as saltier. So you can obtain the same taste effect with less salt.”

A third method involves the replacement of sodium with other substances, such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, or potassium chloride.

“This is one of the most commonly used methods in industry, but it can only be used up to a certain point before you get a bit of a metallic taste from these compounds,” said Dunteman.

The fourth method involves flavor modification with taste enhancers such as herbs and spices or even monosodium glutamate (MSG). The researchers note multi-grain bread also allows for more salt reduction than white bread because it has more flavor on its own.

Dunteman and Lee concluded the best approach to sodium reduction in bread would be a combination of methods.

“One of the four categories, salt reduction, is technically involved in all of them. Another category, salt replacement, is already heavily studied,” said Dunteman.

“We recommend more research into physical modification methods, as well as flavor enhancement types, and how to combine each of these methods with salt reduction.”

Finally, the researchers have some advice for home bakers looking to reduce sodium in their creations.

“If you’re interested in using less salt in your home-baked bread, you could try to reduce the amount to 50 percent if you’re using standard recipes that are widely available,” said Lee.

“You’d be surprised that the dough would still rise, though the bread would taste a little different.”

“You can also use flavor enhancers to provide the salty, savory, satiating sensation you lose when you reduce the salt. But that wouldn’t help with the rise, so you cannot remove salt 100 percent,” said Lee.

(With inputs from ANI)

Edited by Ojaswin Kathuria and Anindita Ghosh



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Smarter News Quiz: Nobel Prizes, Striking Workers and Unmasked Singers

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Smarter News Quiz: Nobel Prizes, Striking Workers and Unmasked Singers

By Rachel McMahon


The post Smarter News Quiz: Nobel Prizes, Striking Workers and Unmasked Singers appeared first on Zenger News.

Fiverr Launches Business Fellowship For Black Entrepreneurs

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Fiverr Launches Business Fellowship For Black Entrepreneurs

By Naama Barak

Black entrepreneurs in the United States recently received support from what at first glance seems a somewhat surprising source: an Israeli company.

But for online freelancer platform Fiverr, the choice to launch a business accelerator fellowship for black entrepreneurs was a natural one.

“Fiverr’s purpose is to provide anyone, no matter their race, religion, background or beliefs, the opportunity to build their business, brand or dreams. The U.S. is our largest market and therefore it’s incumbent upon us to use our platform and resources to help our community there however we can,” said Fiverr CMO Gali Arnon.

“There is still so much work to be done to ensure equality for marginalized communities, and specifically black-owned businesses, and so we’re thrilled to be able to support these incredible five businesses with the funding, mentoring and training they deserve,” she said.

The inaugural class of the Future Collective Fellowship Program includes five entrepreneurs from a wide range of fields who were selected from some 1,500 applicants.

The first business selected, Appdrop, enables non-technical teams to build mobile apps without writing code.

Appdrop, which enables non-technical teams to build mobile apps without writing code, is a black-led businesses supported by Fiverr. (Courtesy of Fiverr)

The second, Budget Collector, has developed an AI-based art adviser mobile app.

The third business, De L’or Cakery, is an artisan cake catering company that uses many ingredients imported from the Caribbean. The fourth, Hey Girl Hey, has developed a card game built to foster community connections among black women.

And the fifth, Keeyahri, is a luxury women’s shoe brand that aims to empower women through its unique designs.

Mentoring and strategy

Each of the Future Collective fellows will receive $24,000 from Fiverr, guaranteed placement in an accelerator program organized and orchestrated by black-led nonprofit organization 1863 Ventures and regular mentorship and guidance from Fiverr’s senior management team. The collective is also supported by Maestra, a business strategy firm.

Cohort members will meet monthly, and they’ll also be assigned online materials to review and complete coupled with regular coaching sessions. The fellows will have access to 1863 Ventures’ weekly entrepreneur webinar sessions, allowing them to participate in sessions relevant to their business and growth.

“Fiverr’s Future Collective is set to be an annual accelerator program targeting entrepreneurs and business owners in marginalized communities,” Arnon said. “The goal of the program is to provide them with the funding, proper training and mentoring to help them succeed long term. We are thrilled with our inaugural class of fellows and can’t wait to see where they take their businesses post-graduation.”

Explicit bias

Ebonique Boyd, co-founder of Budget Collector, said, “For me, the program is a chance for me to regain my spirit after dealing with the investor community.” (Courtesy of Fiverr)

“I had entirely given up on fundraising because I realized as a black woman the system doesn’t work for me,” said Ebonique Boyd, co-founder of Budget Collector.

“In my life, I’ve never been given the benefit of the doubt, and the first impressions people have of me are generally influenced by the characterizations they see on TV. The explicit bias I have seen in the investor community was like nothing I have ever seen in my life,” she said.

“For me, the program is a chance for me to regain my spirit after dealing with the investor community and to build a profitable company quicker than I could without the capital and the guidance provided by Fiverr, 1863 Ventures and Maestra. After our product launch and with some preparation with our team’s internal advisers as well, I hope to raise a successful round,” said Boyd.

Keeyahri founder Keya Martin said the Future Collective will help her company improve product strategy, among other things.  (Courtesy of Fiverr)

Keya Martin, founder of Keeyahri shoe brand, said the Future Collective “will help me to identify gaps in my strategy, learn from others who have navigated similar situations, develop professional relationships with knowledgeable people, and build connections.

“Receiving feedback and guidance will aid in providing a viable lens that will allow us to improve our product strategy, project roadmap, business goals, and ultimately push the boundaries even further,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to building a team, partnering with more retailers, collaborating with brands and corporations, raising capital to scale and developing new designs. My ultimate goal is to build a global fashion house and in turn pay it forward.”

Produced in association with Israel21C.



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Study On Lab Rats Reveals Why We Help Others Only To Gain A Social Reward

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Study On Lab Rats Reveals Why We Help Others Only To Gain A Social Reward

By Jon Schiller

When people go out of their way to help someone else, it’s typically viewed as a selfless, empathetic act.

A study conducted on rats, however, shows that these animals go out of their way only to help a member of their own social group. This suggests that the motivation for empathy is not altruistic, but rather a form of seeking social reward.

The study, published in eLife and led by Tel Aviv University’s Inbal Ben Ami Bartal, found that the brain’s reward system was engaged when rats assisted a trapped friend. But when the trapped rat was from another, unfamiliar breed, the study rats did not help it and their brain’s reward system did not activate.

Thus, a sense of belonging is the dominant factor that affects social solidarity and not empathy for the suffering and distress of others.

A study on rats showed these animals go out of their way only to help a member of their own social group. This suggests that the motivation for empathy is not altruistic, but rather a form of seeking social reward. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Previous research had found that rats show empathy for their peers and that rescuing them from trouble can be as rewarding to them as eating chocolate, according to Bartal. Later research found that they only help members of their own peer group.

“Understanding the neural mechanisms at the root of these phenomena is imperative for the advancement of novel interventions aimed at eliminating social bias,” the study states.

The current study, which involved researchers in Israel, the United States and Canada, examined what change in the brain causes this behavioral difference that leads the rats to help only members of the same group.

“This research shows that the reward system has an important function in helping behavior and if we want to increase the likelihood of pro-social behavior, we must reinforce a sense of belonging more than a sense of empathy,” said Bartal.

“It is a major goal for society to understand the empathy gap for outgroup members: Why do we help some, but remain impervious to the suffering of others?” the authors of the study wrote.

“This study provides the first evidence for a common neurobiological mechanism driving empathic helping across mammalian species and highlights a distinct neural response to the distress of affiliated others. These findings provide insight into the way the brain determines the value of others’ outcomes based on their social identity and open a path towards predicting and influencing prosocial decisions.”

Bartal’s team currently is attempting to examine what happens in the brains of rats from different groups when they live together and develop social ties over the course of two weeks. They’re seeing how artificial brain stimulation can be used to “cause the rats to show empathy for the plight of rats from another breed.”

Produced in association with Israel21C.



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North America Was Known To Italians Long Before Columbus, Study Suggests

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North America Was Known To Italians Long Before Columbus, Study Suggests

By Martin M Barillas

Was Christopher Columbus really lost when he made his famed voyage to the New World in 1492? New analysis of a document from northern Italy, written in 1345, suggests Italian sailors were already aware of North America, as a land dubbed “Markland” by Leif Eriksson, according to Icelandic sources.

An unpublished document from 1345 suggests, according to Paolo Chiesa, an expert in medieval Latin literature at the University of Milan, that sailors from Genoa — Columbus’ hometown — were aware of “Markland,” or “Marckalada” in the Latin source. The area is now assumed to be one of the modern provinces of Labrador or Newfoundland in Canada.

Chiesa called the discovery of this passage in the antique document “astonishing.”

The document, “Cronica Universalis,” was penned by Galvaneus Flamma, a friar of the Dominican order who lived in Milan. “We are in the presence of the first reference to the American continent, albeit in an embryonic form, in the Mediterranean area,” said Chiesa, who published his analysis of the document in the journal Terrae Incognitae.

Flamma, who was connected to a prominent Milanese family, wrote several works in Latin and is a source of first-hand information about the times he lived in. Cronica Universalis, which is unfinished and may have been his last work, was intended to be a chronicle of world history.

Flamma had heard sailors’ stories about lands to the extreme northwest, which they had discovered when seeking fishing grounds and commercial opportunities. He even collected information about Greenland — where Norsemen had settled hundreds of years before — that was accurate for the time.

A statue of Leif Eriksson — a Norseman credited with reaching North America long before Christopher Columbus — near the Minnesota State Capitol. (Mulad/Public domain)

“These rumors were too vague to find consistency in cartographic or scholarly representations,” said Chiesa, which meant that Markland remained uncharted at the time. Chiesa said the document “brings unprecedented evidence to the speculation that news about the American continent, derived from Nordic sources, circulated in Italy one and [a] half centuries before Columbus” made his trip.

“What makes the passage [in Cronica Universalis] exceptional is its geographical provenance: not the Nordic area, as in the case of the other mentions, but northern Italy. The Marckalada described by Galvaneus is ‘rich in trees,’ not unlike the wooded Markland of the [Saga of the Greenlanders], and animals live there,” said Chiesa.

Details about animals and trees are standard descriptions of good land, according to Chiesa, but they are not trivial, especially as the far north is a “bleak and barren” landscape — just as Flamma describes the inaptly named Greenland. Cronica Universalis is trustworthy, Chiesa said, because Flamma declared the origin of oral accounts he included, linking them to local stories, whether real or legendary, from different lands that he blends and reassigns to a specific place.

“We have no evidence that Italian or Catalan seafarers ever reached Iceland or Greenland at that time,” Chiesa said of the 1300s, “but they were certainly able to acquire from northern European merchants goods of that origin to be transported to the Mediterranean area.”

He said of the oral accounts that “the Genoese might have brought back to their city scattered news about these lands — some real and some fanciful — that they heard in the northern harbors from Scottish, British, Danish [and] Norwegian sailors with whom they were trading.”

Nautical chart of the Mediterranean Sea in the portolan style, probably drawn in Genoa circa 1320-1350, around the same time friar Galvaneus Flamma was writing his Cronica Universalis. (Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division)

In Norse sagas, three lands are mentioned that experts believe are on the Atlantic coast of North America. Markland is the name given to one of these by Leif Eriksson around A.D. 1000, according to the “Saga of the Greenlanders.” The location of Markland was not recorded but was known to be southwest of Greenland and is believed to be the southernmost of the lands Eriksson found.

“I do not see any reason to disbelieve him,” Chiesa said of the friar Flamma. He noted that nautical charts of the 1300s that were drawn up in Genoa and Catalonia showed advanced geographical knowledge of the north, which would have been gathered by actual exploration.

“These notions about the northwest are likely to have come to Genoa through the shipping routes to the British Isles and to the continental coasts of the North Sea,” said Chiesa.

But even if Columbus had heard of the lands to the northwest, he ultimately made landfall in the Bahamas, far south of the shores the Nordic sources had described. He is still celebrated on Columbus Day in the United States, though some states and cities have in recent years declared the holiday Indigenous People’s Day, in protest of the European conquest of North America.

Edited by Siân Speakman and Kristen Butler



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Black Dentist Fighting To Bring Diversity To Her Field

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Black Dentist Fighting To Bring Diversity To Her Field

By Kevin Michael Briscoe

Dr. Laila Hishaw turned an “ah-ha” moment three years ago into a mentoring program for youngsters of color who might want to pursue a career in dentistry.

Dismayed by the small number of black dentists in the United States — fewer than 4 percent of the total, according to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute — Hishaw took action.

“I just put out a post, shared the stats, and said ‘whose kid can I mentor?” said Hishaw, a pediatric dentist in Tucson, Arizona.

“When I saw the responses, I saw that parents wanted their kids to know about dentistry. I said to myself I just have to mentor because if more kids knew about the rewarding careers in dentistry, then we’d gain that interest.”

Dr. Laila Hishaw (center, standing) traveled to middle and high schools before the pandemic to promote proper dental hygiene and career options available in the field of dentistry. (Courtesy of Diversity in Dentistry)

What started as a small-scale social-media campaign evolved into the Diversity in Dentistry Mentorship Program, a nationwide nonprofit that promotes the profession to middle- and high-school students. It features dentist mentors to provide training and counseling to pre-dental students.

“We try to reach them early,” said Hishaw. “Education is one of the barriers for students of color. If a student of color expresses an interest in the medical field, guidance counselors always guide them toward nursing or medicine, never dentistry.

“But, we also want to prepare them to be qualified to be accepted into dental school. I want them to get into dental school, but I want them to finish dental school. Our network of mentors gives them the skills to be successful in dental school.”

Representation and oral health go hand-in-hand

When Hishaw received her doctorate in dental surgery from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2000, she said she was one of only a few students of color. But as a new practitioner trying to build and grow a practice, she was “kind of in my own world.”

Years later, the numbers revealed that professionally active black dentists declined from 3.8 percent to 3.7 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the Health Policy Institute. Conversely, the number of Asian dentists increased from 12.9 percent to 17.1 percent, and the number of Hispanics increased from 4.6 percent to 5.6 percent. Dentists from other racial or ethnic background rose from 0.5 percent to 1.6 percent.

“Studies show that minority patients are more likely to visit medical professionals from their own communities,” Hishaw wrote in an April 2021 ADA News op-ed. “Without dentists of color, minority groups often go without the dental care they need.

“Much of this has to do with cultural understanding and trust — or lack thereof. Regaining the trust from black communities, particularly in older populations, is necessary, due to the historical unethical betrayal by government agencies,” she wrote.

The outcomes are problematic.

A report by the Pew Charitable Trusts in 2016 said children of color are less likely than white children to see a dentist and receive preventive care, and that people of color are more likely than whites to suffer from untreated tooth decay.

“If more communities had dental professionals who looked like them, would they be more willing and able to access the dental care they need? I believe so,” Hishaw said in her op-ed.

Fear drives diversity foes

While Hishaw is working to “lengthen and strengthen” the dental pipeline from middle school to dental school, the push for diversity has its detractors. Dr. Drew Jones, a dentist and former adjunct professor at Roseman University of Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine in South Jordan, Utah, believes culture and excellence will elevate dentistry.

“Diversity may or may not elevate dentistry, but excellence will. When our country downplays meritocracy and excellence, we are hurting ourselves,” Jones wrote in an op-ed published in April in the Journal of the American Dental Association .

“Families are the greatest indicator of a child’s success,” he wrote, concerned about the number of out-of-wedlock births.

“The percent of births that occurred outside of marriage also increased for non-Hispanic black women (black) between 1990 and 2016, from 63 to 69 percent,” according to Child Trends.

“Change the culture to one which is more friendly to education, and the number of black dentists will change,” he wrote.

He also asserts that Hishaw’s largely white patient count and degree from a predominantly white university undermine her credibility as a proponent for diversity.

Hishaw declined to comment on Jones’ article.  Jones could not be reached for comment.

The National Dental Association, which has more than 7,000-members and “promotes oral health equity among people of color,” released a statement in June condemning comments Jones made in a letter to Hishaw, an association member.

“For more than a century, our devoted members have treated patients with compassion and professionalism in the communities from which we come,” the association said. “But racism is born of that insidious combination of ignorance and racial privilege, and Dr. Jones’ letter is a clear indication that both are alive and well within the dental profession.”

The contents of his letter were not published.

Association president Dr. Pamela Alston told Zenger: “There are a lot of white people out there who feel that black people should be down and out all the time, and he’s caught up in that. I think he’s had some challenges in his life, and he felt he should have what she has. He’s jealous because she’s not like his stereotypical black person.”

In his op-ed, Jones wrote: “As someone who has lived in Asia for 10 years and whose wife is Chinese, I can speak with some knowledge about why Asians are ‘disproportionately’ represented in dental schools. In a single word: culture. Asian culture puts a high priority on education and especially in the sciences, engineering, and medical/dental areas.

“The Asian culture of education will produce students who have … ‘motivation, dedication and pride.’”

Next steps for Diversity in Dentistry mentorship program

Hishaw said her vision for her mentorship program is to raise the percentage of black dentists by double digits. One industry executive is teaming with her to help reach that goal.

“Lack of diversity in dental medicine deprives the profession of innovators and leaders, and can limit access to dental care in key communities across the U.S.,” said Chuck Cohen, managing director of Benco Dental, a dental supply distributor based in Pennsylvania. “Mentoring programs like Dr. Hishaw’s are particularly impactful because they touch the lives of future dental professionals in highly personal and meaningful ways.”

The all-volunteer program seeks to expand its network of mentors while staying in touch with dental-school students through video chats, telephone calls and text messages. A Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit is slated for Nov. 1 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“If we can increase the dental-school applicant pool of underrepresented students, surely the faces of dentistry will reflect that of our nation’s ever-increasing diversity,” Hishaw said in her op-ed.

“I don’t know whether that young, curly-haired patient of mine will become a dentist one day. I hope she’ll consider it. Regardless, I’m sure she will never forget how it felt to see a black female dentist who looked just like her.”

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Fern Siegel



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With Stunning Comeback, Tyson Fury Completes Trilogy By Proving He Is Lord Of The Ring

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With Stunning Comeback, Tyson Fury Completes Trilogy By Proving He Is Lord Of The Ring

By Lem Satterfield

Tyson Fury delivered on his promise to give Deontay Wilder a beatdown during Saturday’s five-knockdown slugfest.

But “The Gypsy King” had to rise from the canvas twice in the fourth round and drop “The Bronze Bomber” on three other occasions to complete an 11th-round TKO victory in defense of his WBC heavyweight crown before 15,820 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-9 Fury (31–0–1, 22 KOs) floored the 6-foot-7 Wilder (42–2–1, 41 KOs) in the third round, rose from a pair of knockdowns in the final 53 seconds of the fourth and dropped “The Bronze Bomber” once each in the 10th and 11th to win a battle for the ages.

Wilder lay on his left side at the 1:10 mark as referee Russell Mora indicated a victory for Fury, who rose from ninth- and 12th-round knockdowns during a December 2018 draw with Wilder before dethroning him via two-knockdown, seventh-round TKO in their February 2020 rematch.

Fury’s head- and body-swiveling right hand ended the night for Wilder, who was still on his way to the canvas as Mora signaled the conclusion of a trilogy that featured a combined nine knockdowns — five by Fury and four by Wilder.

“I hit him solid with a crunching right to the temple, and shots like that end careers,” said Fury, who led, 94–92, 95–92 and 95–91 on the three judges’ cards. “[Wilder] took a lot of punishment tonight from left uppercuts, left hooks and right hands. We’ll see what he can do in the future. I just hope that he’s okay.”

Fury, 33, rushed to a corner of the ring, stood on the ropes and triumphantly thrust his gloved fists overhead in celebration.

Deontay Wilder (foreground) fails to rise from the third and final knockdown against Tyson Fury, who rose from a pair of fourth-round knockdowns to retain his WBC heavyweight title by 11th-round TKO. (Mikey Williams/Top Rank) 

“It was a great fight tonight worthy of any trilogy in the history of the sport. I was down a couple of times, and I was hurt because Wilder’s a strong puncher and a tough man,” said Fury, whose career-high 277 pounds countered Wilder’s career-high 238.

“But my legs are strong. Wilder is a tough man because I was hitting him with some big shots tonight. I’ve always said I’m the best in the world, and he’s the second-best. I’m the WBC champ and the lineal champion.”

Fury’s cornerman for the second straight bout was Javan “Sugar” Hill-Steward, nephew of the late Hall of Fame trainer, Emanuel Steward. Steward foreshadowed Wilder’s becoming heavyweight champion, calling him “The No. 1 best American prospect for winning the heavyweight title” before dying of cancer three days after Wilder’s 27th birthday on Oct. 25, 2012.

“My uncle Emanuel’s blood is in me, and tonight, he was a part of me, part of Tyson, part of Wilder, and that’s what this was all about,” Hill-Steward told Zenger within an hour of the fight’s ending.

“For Tyson Fury to rise from a combined four knockdowns against one of the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division’s history in Deontay Wilder, and to come back from those and pull off the big knockouts in back-to-back fights shows that Tyson Fury is a big-time fighter.”

Wilder had recorded seven straight knockouts entering his first fight with Fury and hoped to regain the crown he earned on Muhammad Ali’s 73rd birthday by dethroning Bermane Stiverne via unanimous decision on Jan. 17, 2015.

Wilder, who became America’s first heavyweight titleholder since Shannon Briggs in 2007, is 10–2–1 (9 KOs) in title fights, 9–0–1 (9 KOs) in 10 consecutive defenses and has knocked down or stopped every man he has faced as a professional.

“The Bronze Bomber’s” 10 defenses are tied with Ali for fifth all-time among heavyweights behind Joe Louis (26), Larry Holmes (19), Wladimir Klitschko (18) and Tommy Burns (13). Mike Tyson is seventh with nine defenses.

Ali served as motivation for Wilder against Fury, having become a two-time heavyweight champion on Oct. 30, 1974, with an upset, eighth-round knockout of previously unbeaten George Foreman.

“I did my best, but it wasn’t good enough. I’m not sure what happened,” said a swollen-eyed, bloody-lipped Wilder, who turns 36 on Oct. 22. “I know that in training he [Fury] did certain things, and I also knew that he didn’t come in at 277 to be a ballet dancer. He came to lean on me, try to rough me up, and he succeeded.”

Fury was losing the third round before scoring the first knockdown with 38 seconds remaining with a three-punch combination.

After chasing Wilder to the ropes, Fury staggered him with an overhand right to his left temple, then sent him to the canvas with a right-uppercut, left-uppercut combo, the latter to Wilder’s right temple.

“I was one punch away from knocking him out the entire fight,” Fury said. “But Wilder kept getting up.”

Wilder fired back in the fourth, his powerful right hands dropping Fury twice within the final 57 seconds.

Fury walked into and absorbed the brunt of the first blow in the middle of his face with 57 seconds left, spiraling to the canvas in a delayed reaction before rising at the count of seven.

Another right to the top of the head with 15 seconds left once again dropped Fury, who was on his feet with six seconds remaining. Fury managed to beat Mora’s count and survive the bell ending the round.

“I want to say that if it wasn’t for ‘Sugar’ Hill, America and Detroit’s own, I wouldn’t have gotten through that fight tonight,” Fury said. “He said, ‘Get your jab working, big dog, and shoot that right hand down the middle. That’s how the big dogs do it.’”

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (standing) dropped Deontay Wilder in the third round (above), hit the deck twice himself in the fourth and floored Wilder once each in the 10th and 11th of his 11th-round TKO victory on Saturday. “I was one punch away from knocking him out the entire fight,” Fury said. “But Wilder kept getting up.” (Sean Michael Ham/TGB Promotions)

Fury sent Wilder to his hands and knees at the 1:20 mark of the 10th round, a short overhand right to the temple doing the damage before Wilder valiantly reached his feet again to survive into the 11th.

“It was that final right hand to the head that finished him. I showed initiative, dug deeper and wanted it more. I wasn’t willing to let it go to the scorecards,” Fury said.

“I was definitely trying for a knockout. I pulled it out of the bag when it needed to be done. This was one of my greatest wins, and I’ve gotten off the floor to do it.”

The victory potentially sets up a unification match with newly crowned 6-foot-3 southpaw Oleksandr Usyk (19–0, 13 KOs), a 2012 Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist whose unanimous decision dethroned 6-foot-6 IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua last month.

The WBC recently declared that Fury has 30 days to complete unification talks with Usyk, if not the winner of an Oct. 30 clash between the organization’s interim titleholder Dillian Whyte (28–2, 19 KOs) and southpaw Otto Wallin (22–1, 14 KOs).

In the meantime, Joshua, a 2012 Olympic Gold medalist at super heavyweight, has exercised the rematch clause in his contract with Usyk. Their return bout could happen in early spring 2022.

“Before I start thinking about fighting other men, I’m going to bask in this victory,” said Fury, a married father of six. “I’ve been away from my family for six months. I’ve just earned a break from everything.”

The Wilder trilogy helped to rescue Fury from depression and anxiety so debilitating that “The Gypsy King” had once lost his desire to live.

“I’m never down and out,” said WBC champion Fury, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “When the chips are down, I can always deliver.” (Sumio Yamada/WBC)

Fury felt little validation in November 2015 from his career-defining unanimous decision over long-reigning Wladimir Klitschko, a feat that ended 6-foot-6 “Dr. Steelhammer’s” dominance at 22–0 (15 KOs) and 11 and a half years and made Fury the IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO champion.

Fury turned to alcohol and drugs, his weight ballooning to 400 pounds, and failed to satisfy mandatory defenses. He tested positive for banned substances, which ultimately led to the suspension of his boxing license in October 2016 by the British Boxing Board of Control.

Fury, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in October 2017, returned to the ring in 2018 with a pair of victories — a fourth-round stoppage of Sefer Seferi (June) and a 10-round unanimous decision over Francesco Pianeta (August).

In August, Fury’s wife, Paris, had their sixth child, Athena, who remained hospitalized on a ventilator and in intensive care with health complications before making a full recovery in advance of her father’s return to training for Wilder.

“Big shout out to my dad, my mom, and my kids all watching. Thank you to my wife, Paris, I love you so much,” said Fury, whose wife was in the ring for his postfight interview.

“I hope Oct. 9, 2021 will go down in history as one of the greatest fights,” Fury added. “Don’t ever doubt me, because I can never be written off or beaten. I’m never down and out, because when the chips are down, I can always deliver.”

Edited by Stan Chrapowicki and Kristen Butler



The post With Stunning Comeback, Tyson Fury Completes Trilogy By Proving He Is Lord Of The Ring appeared first on Zenger News.

VIDEO: Passionate Skydiver Returns For First Time Since Botched Op Left Her Quadriplegic

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VIDEO: Passionate Skydiver Returns For First Time Since Botched Op Left Her Quadriplegic

By William McGee

A skydiver who was left quadriplegic following an operation has recovered some of her movement and has shown her resiliency as she again takes up her sport.

Raquel Zendron did her first jump with an instructor in Anapolis, Brazil, when she was 19 years old — 15 years ago.

It was on her second jump in October 2017 that she met the man she would eventually marry, Jefferson Lages. She describes him as “the great love of my life.”

Two years later, however, her life as she had known it was turned upside down.

“After experiencing severe pain in mid-October 2019 and losing strength in my left arm, it was found I had a slipped disc,” Zendron, a banker, said. “I needed to undergo surgery in February 2020, and post-op I was left without any movement.

“At first it was really nerve-racking, as the diagnosis was not good and all my dreams were falling apart overnight. It was supposed to be a simple operation, but when I got out, I couldn’t move anymore. I never imagined this could happen.

“I can’t explain my reaction. I remember thinking crying wasn’t going to solve it. I thought ‘from now on, I will do the best I can to recover’. From then on, I focussed all my strength on what I had and not on what I didn’t have.”

A determined Raquel Zendron resumes skydiving after a debilitating operation. (Raquel Zendron/Zenger).

Her recovery went better than expected, and she regained some movement following several physiotherapy sessions.

“I’ve seen a considerable improvement in my arm movements, and I’m also able to balance my torso with support,” she said.

She had a nerve graft on both arms in February this year, which further improved the movement in her arms.

“I was always nurturing my strength, thinking positively, valuing all the good things around me,” she said. “I feel very privileged because I have a family that supports me unconditionally and a husband who has never allowed me to give up.”

Quadripegic Raquel Zendron (center, in purple) returns to her favorite sport in Anapolis, Brazil, in September. (Raquel Zendron/Zenger)

On Sept. 29, Zendron had her first skydive since her misfortune.

Video shows a happy Zendron as her husband carries her into the aircraft and she successfully completes the jump with an instructor.

“This leap was a fresh start,” she told Zenger. “We intend to continue jumping from time to time, and we will adapt what is necessary to make our dreams come true.

“We continue to go on with life. There are no easy days, but with love and willpower we will make everything brighter, and we won’t let ourselves be affected.”



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VIDEO: Moo Just Don’t Know Cow Rare You Are

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VIDEO: Moo Just Don’t Know Cow Rare You Are

By Peter Barker

An adorable gray calf, born at the world’s oldest zoo, will be used to educate visitors on the history of traditional farm methods and animals in the Tyrolean Oberland region.

The Tyrolean grey calf, named Seppl, is a member of a critically endangered cow breed. It was born Sept. 9 at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo, in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

The species is a small- to medium-sized dual-purpose cattle breed, which means they provide two resources: milk and meat. The animals are solid gray to iron-gray with black hooves. “The Tyrolean grey cattle is an old Austrian livestock breed,” said the zoo.

The Tyrolean grey can be found primarily in the Austrian state of Tyrol, west of Innsbruck, and in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy.

Seppl was recently born in the Tiergarten Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna. He will help educate the public on farming methods in the Tyrol. (Daniel Zupanc/Zenger News).

Seppl was named after his father Sedinus and currently weighs 110 lbs. The calf spends its days grazing on hay and suckling its mother.

Gerold Vierbauch, a zookeeper, said: “Seppl is suckled up to the age of seven months. Lena is a great mother cow and takes great care of her first offspring.“

Once Seppl is fully grown, he will weigh up to 1,200-1,300 lbs. The cows are fast growers, reaching their full size within three years. They can produce nearly 10,000 lbs. of milk per year.

Their milk is considered of superb quality and is often used in the production of high-quality products. These cows are hardy, able to survive in rugged mountain terrains, thanks to their excellent foraging skills.

Gerold said Seppl is a member of a “critically endangered” species.

The 4-week-old Seppl is seen suckling its mother. (Schonbrunn Zoo/Zenger News).

“There are currently only 5,000 registered breeding cows in Austria. The grey cattle are a piece of Tyrolean cultural heritage that we want to preserve,” said Raphael Kuen, managing director of the Tyrolean Grey Cattle Breeding Association.

That 5,000 is less than the 7,500 threshold under which cattle breeds are considered threatened, according to the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. The proportion of Tirolean grey among all breeds in Austria is 1 percent.

Tyrolean greys are mostly bread in the Alps at an elevation of more than 3,280 feet. They require specific conditions to maintain the breed’s desired quality, which include hardiness and fertility.

Tyrolean grey cheese is a protected product made in Tyrol from the milk of Tyrolean greys. It is known for its low fat content, an estimated 3.7 percent, and its pungent scent.



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