Lifeboat Foundation

What exactly is Obesity?

Obesity is known to cause cardiometabolic diseases like hypertension and diabetes but attributing these diseases to merely an overabundance of fat is a simplification. On a basic level, fat acts as a receptacle to store energy, but upon a closer look it is an essential actor in vital bodily processes like the immune response, the regulation of insulin sensitivity, and maintenance of body temperature. In a review published in the journal Cell on February 3rd, 2022, researchers argue that the negative health effects of obesity stem not simply from an excess of fat but from the decline in its ability to respond to changes, or in other words, its plasticity.

The makeup and functioning of this tissue changes in response to weight fluctuations and aging. As fat declines in plasticity due to aging and obesity, it loses its ability to respond to bodily cues. In the current model of this phenomenon, the rapid growth of adipose tissue outpaces its blood supply, depriving the fat cells of oxygen and causing the accumulation of cells that no longer divide. This leads to insulin resistance, inflammation, and cell death accompanied by the uncontrolled spill of lipids from these cells.

Continue reading “New Research Finds That With Obesity, the Problem Isn’t an Excess of Fat but Its Loss of Function” »

Chinese doctor performs China’s first ever 5G-based remote brain surgery on a Parkinson’s patient 3,000 km away.

Available treatments work equally well against the variant.

A newfound variant of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been uncovered in the Netherlands and appears to cause faster disease progression compared with other versions of the virus.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects and destroys immune cells called CD4 cells in the body, causing the number of these cells to plummet. If left untreated, the infection then progresses to AIDS. In people infected with the newfound HIV variant, called the VB variant, the CD4 counts fall at about twice the rate as those of people infected with closely related HIV strains, meaning those of the same genetic subtype (B).

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.

Visit the COVID-19 Information Center for vaccine resources.

Over the years, much has been said about artificial intelligence (AI) and the healthcare industry. Much of it has been focused on two extremes. On one hand, there’s the fairly mature use of neural networks for radiological analysis. On the other, there’s the focus on fraud management. Those have become “must have’s” in my perspective. It’s filling the middle ground that interests me. Medical insurance is, as patients, providers, and payors all can agree, is often convoluted and complex. There’s a business problem in making processes more efficient, and the foolishly named robotic process automation (RPA) is only a step in the right direction. More robust AI can help all three stakeholder groups address their needs in managing medical insurance. The general medical insurance industry does deal with radiology and images. However, that’s typically in specialties. In the dental industry, radiology is a regular tool, using x-rays to understand tooth and gum conditions and then to document work that has been done. The basics of AI and radiology have been covered, in this column and many other places, so this article isn’t going to cover the concepts, it’s important to realize how important that analysis is in dental care.

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In this case, it’s increasing the accuracy and speed of dental insurance processing, resulting in better medical control, improved financial outcomes for providers and payors, and improved care and customer service for the patient.

Continue reading “Artificial Intelligence And Dental Insurance — It Is More Than A Focus On Radiology And Fraud” »

Quantum computing is still rare enough that merely installing a system in a country is a breakthrough, and IBM is taking advantage of that novelty. The company has forged a partnership with the Canadian province of Quebec to install what it says is Canada’s first universal quantum computer. The five-year deal will see IBM install a Quantum System One as part of a Quebec-IBM Discovery Accelerator project tackling scientific and commercial challenges.

The team-up will see IBM and the Quebec government foster microelectronics work, including progress in chip packaging thanks to an existing IBM facility in the province. The two also plan to show how quantum and classical computers can work together to address scientific challenges, and expect quantum-powered AI to help discover new medicines and materials.

IBM didn’t say exactly when it would install the quantum computer. However, it will be just the fifth Quantum One installation planned by 2023 following similar partnerships in Germany, Japan, South Korea and the US. Canada is joining a relatively exclusive club, then.

Antiretroviral therapy, the standard treatment for HIV, can remove any trace of the virus from the blood, but a hidden reservoir of HIV persists in patients who are in treatment. That means patients are never truly cured and need to be on HIV drugs for the rest of their lives.

Researchers have yet to discover a way to eliminate the virus in its latent stage, but new, early-stage research suggests a landmark cancer drug — pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda — may be able to help. In a study published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine, researchers looked at 32 patients that had both cancer and HIV and found that pembrolizumab, which revives the immune system and encourages it to attack tumors, also has the ability to flush HIV out of its hiding spot in immune cells.

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Continue reading “Early research suggests cancer drug could help flush HIV from its hiding spots” »

Summary: A breakdown in regulatory mechanisms causes iron to build up in the brain during aging, increasing oxidative stress and increasing the risk of age-related cognitive decline, a new study reports.

Source: Northwestern University.

Breakdowns in regulatory mechanisms cause iron to build up in the brain as organisms grow older, increasing oxidative stress and causing cellular damage, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal eLife.