Lifeboat Foundation

It’s long been assumed that as cells divide in the human body, the genome is faithfully replicated in the resulting daughter cells. While errors are known to arise, there is machinery in the cell that can detect these genetic errors, and can often repair them. When mutations remain in the genome, it raises the risk that disease will arise.

But the human genome is made up of about 6 billion bases, and the human body contains billions, even trillions of cells. And it seems that errors and variations in the genome could actually arise far more often than we knew, according to a new study reported in Nature Genetics that analyzed blood stem cells. The research used advanced sequencing techniques to show that humans are made up of cells whose genomes may be far more heterogeneous that assumed. And these variations between cells are not always small. The research determined that about one out of every forty blood stem cells in healthy people carry major chromosomal alterations in their DNA. These chromosomal changes included copy number variations and rearrangements, but did not seem to cause any deleterious effect.

People battling advanced colon cancers might have a new treatment option that could extend their survival, a new trial finds.

A combination of two experimental immunotherapy drugs plus standard chemotherapy led to a median 19.7 month survival for patients, compared to the median 9.5 months observed among folks who only got a targeted therapy called regorafenib.

“These results pave the way for further exploration of this promising treatment approach,” said study first author Dr. Zev Wainberg. He co-directs the UCLA Health GI Oncology Program, and is a researcher at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Oncologists base prognosis, the predicted long-term outcome of an individual’s cancer, on the chances of recovery versus the chances of experiencing a recurrence or failure to respond to interventions. A clear understanding of prognosis can significantly influence treatment planning, lifestyle, and overall quality of life of a cancer patient. Thus, ongoing research to uncover, validate, and optimize the predictive accuracy of prognostic factors, modifiable or non-modifiable characteristics that help estimate prognosis, has significant value to areas of cancer treatment and care.

A meta-analysis recently published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer evaluated the value of different prognostic factors for epithelial ovarian cancer, an aggressive and deadly cancer occurring in the tissue lining women’s ovaries.

Epithelial ovarian cancer represents a highly fatal disease, with an estimated 19,680 new cases and 12,740 deaths in the United States in 2024. Diagnosis of ovarian cancer remains challenging, and as a result, most women with ovarian cancer have advanced-stage disease. Once advanced, ovarian cancer may spread into the peritoneum, the tissue lining the abdominal wall and pelvic cavity, making it difficult to identify small lesions and fully assess the condition.

GPT4 can score better than 95% of the average human on aptitude tests.

The GPT-4 language model recently completed the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), achieving a verbal score of 710 and a math score of 690, resulting in a combined score of 1400. Based on U.S. norms, this corresponds to a verbal IQ of 126, a math IQ of 126, and a full-scale IQ of 124. If taken at face value, one might conclude that GPT-4 surpasses 95% of the American population in intelligence and is approximately as intelligent as the average doctoral degree holder, medical doctor, or attorney.

However, the question remains: Is administering an IQ test to GPT-4 a valid undertaking or a significant categorization mistake?

Gram negative bacteria have been laughing at us but now we might finally have our revenge, with lolamicin.

Compound called lolamicin targets a group of harmful microbes but does not disturb those that live peacefully in the gut.

A new type of immunotherapy, developed by UCL researchers, has shown promising preclinical results against a bone cancer called osteosarcoma, as part of a study in mice.

A team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomaterials y Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) has developed an intelligent “nanokiller” based on a component of cinnamon essential oil (cinnamaldehyde) for use as an antimicrobial agent.

Graphene has been called “the wonder material of the 21st century.” Since its discovery in 2004, the material—a single layer of carbon atoms—has been touted for its host of unique properties, which include ultra-high electrical conductivity and remarkable tensile strength. It has the potential to transform electronics, energy storage, sensors, biomedical devices, and more. But graphene has had a dirty little secret: it’s dirty.

Strengthening global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response — priya basu — executive head, the pandemic fund secretariat, the world bank.