Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers have created a new class of materials called “glassy gels” that are as hard as glassy polymers, but – if you apply enough force – can stretch up to five times their original length, rather than breaking. A key thing that distinguishes glassy gels is that they are more than 50% liquid, which makes them more efficient conductors of electricity than common plastics that have comparable physical characteristics. Credit: Meixiang Wang, NC State University.

Researchers have developed a new class of materials known as glassy gels, which combine the hardness of glassy polymers with the stretchability of gels.

Continue reading “Hard Yet Stretchable: Scientists Create ‘Unbreakable’ New Material” »

Shukla, G., Singh, S., Dhule, C. et al. Sci Rep 14, 6,530 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55159-6

For people with advanced kidney cancer, an injectable form of nivolumab (Opdivo) is a suitable alternative to the original intravenous form, early results from a clinical trial have shown. Experts say the injectable form makes the treatment quicker and easier for patients to receive.

As a result, “patients’ treatment experience will be significantly improved,” said the trial’s leader, Saby George, M.D., of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY.

Continue reading “Subcutaneous Versus IV Nivolumab for Kidney Cancer” »

This study explored spatiotemporal progression patterns of striatal dopamine availability and regional brain volume based on cognitive status among patients with Parkinson disease:

Background and Objectives.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed a non-chemotherapy treatment regimen that is achieving full remissions for some people with aggressive B-cell lymphoma that has come back or is no longer responding to standard treatments. The five-drug combination targets multiple molecular pathways that diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) tumors use to survive.

In a clinical trial at NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI), researchers tested the combination of venetoclax, ibrutinib, prednisone, obinutuzumab, and lenalidomide (called ViPOR) in 50 patients with DLBCL, the most common type of lymphoma. The treatment shrank tumors substantially in 26 of 48 (54%) evaluable patients, with 18 (38%) of those patients’ tumors disappearing entirely, known as a complete response. At two years, 36% of all patients were alive and 34% were free of disease. These benefits were seen mainly in people with two specific subtypes of DLBCL.

The findings were published June 20, 2024, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Brain imaging identifies six subtypes of depression.

Personalized brain circuit measures quantified using a new imaging technology in 801 patients with depression and anxiety identify six biotypes with unique symptoms, behaviors and responses to different types of treatment.

An article from last year that’s still relevant.

2023 article

Researchers investigated when the body starts exerting more energy to keep itself cool at high temperatures.

Continue reading “How hot is too hot for the human body? Study identifies upper limit” »

Those who rush to leverage AI’s power without adequate preparation face difficult blowback, scandals, and could provoke harsh regulatory measures. However, those who have a balanced, informed view on the risks and benefits of AI, and who, with care and knowledge, avoid either complacent optimism or defeatist pessimism, can harness AI’s potential, and tap into an incredible variety of services of an ever-improving quality.

These are some words from the introduction of the new book, “Taming the machine: ethically harness the power of AI”, whose author, Nell Watson, joins us in this episode.

Continue reading “Taming the Machine, with Nell Watson” »

I think this could lead to immortality basically allowing for limited growth of dna structures but still offering unlimited lifespan. In short this also prevents cancer aswell.

Telomerase is a ribonuceloprotein complex responsible for maintaining telomeres and protecting chromosomal integrity. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is expressed in ∼90% of cancer cells where it confers the capacity for limitless proliferation. Along with its established role in telomere lengthening, telomerase also serves noncanonical extra-telomeric roles in oncogenic signaling, resistance to apoptosis, and enhanced DNA damage response. We report a new class of natural-product-inspired covalent inhibitors of telomerase that target the catalytic active site.