#LongevityWe’re born, we grow old, we die. It’s a rhythm long considered inevitable. But is it? Or is aging merely a disease awaiting…
New symptoms such as failing to identify more than one object at a time and a “space perception deficit” could be the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study has found.
Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), is a diagnosis for those who struggle with judging distances, distinguishing between moving and stationary objects and completing tasks like writing and it overwhelmingly predicts Alzheimer’s.
In the latest study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, some 94 per cent patients with PCA had Alzheimer’s pathology. Most patients with PCA have normal cognition early on, but by the time of their first diagnostic visit, an average 3.8 years after symptom onset, mild or moderate dementia was apparent with deficits identified in memory, executive function, behavior, and speech and language , according to the researchers’ findings.
Researchers from the University of Oxford have developed a new small molecule that can suppress the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and make resistant bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics. The paper, “Development of an inhibitor of the mutagenic SOS response that suppresses the evolution of quinolone antibiotic resistance,” has been published in the journal Chemical Science.
Nine of 10 American adults are in the early, middle or late stages of a syndrome that leads to heart disease, a new report finds, and almost 10% have the disease already.
“Poor cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health is widespread among the U.S. population,” concludes a team led by Dr. Muthiah Vaduganathan of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Researchers looked specifically at rates of what the American Heart Association has dubbed cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic (CKM) syndrome—interrelated factors that progress with time and, if left unchecked lead to heart disease.
An analysis of 15 years of national data on suicides and homicides shows that nocturnal wakefulness is associated with death by both suicide and homicide, possibly driven by deficits in behavioral and emotional regulation.
Risks for death by suicide and homicide peak at night, with nocturnal wakefulness, age, alcohol use, and relationship conflicts being especially prevalent as contributing factors. This is according to a new analysis by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.
The immune system provides an integral defense against cancer growth and progression. Activating an anti-tumor immune response relies on several biological steps that can ultimately result in the elimination of tumor cells. T cell activation, a process requiring three “signals,” is required for optimal anti-tumor immunity.
T cells, immune cells generated in the thymus, have a programmed affinity for a specific particle foreign to the body. T cells must become specially “trained” to recognize this foreign protein, known as an antigen. After leaving the thymus, T cells circulate throughout the body in search of their antigen.
Antigen presenting cells (APCs) comprise another category of immune cells required for effective anti-tumor immunity. APCs also circulate the body, where they locate, process, and “present” pieces of antigen on their surface. A surface molecule called a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) holds the antigen on the outside of the APC.
The Kia EV3 — the new all-electric compact SUV revealed Thursday — illustrates a growing appetite among global automakers to bring generative AI into their vehicles.
The automaker said the Kia EV3 will feature a new voice assistant that is built off ChatGPT, the text-generating AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. The Kia EV3, and its AI assistant, will first come to market in Korea in July 2024, followed by Europe in the second half of the year. Kia expects to expand sales of the vehicle into other regions following the European launch. It will eventually come to the United States, although the automaker did not provide a date.
This isn’t, however, a pure OpenAI affair. Kia had its hands in the development of the voice assistant too.
A recent article in Cell Reports Medicine, by Dr. Felipe Andrade, uncovers insights into lupus symptoms. More specifically, how these symptoms can range in severity among individuals. Andrade is a principal investigator and Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and specializes in rheumatology. His work focuses on the mechanisms of systemic autoimmune disease and the role of proteins that mediate this mechanism.
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own tissues and cells. A chronic inflammatory disease, lupus affects about 1.5 million Americans. While the cause of lupus is unknown, there are several subsets including, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cutaneous lupus, drug-induced lupus, and neonatal lupus. The most common subset is SLE with symptoms that include muscle/joint pain, fever, rashes, chest pain, hair loss, fatigue, mouth sores, kidney issues, and others. Unfortunately, there is no cure for lupus, but medication and lifestyle changes help moderate the symptoms. Medication that prevents or reduces inflammation are usually prescribed with other therapies that target pain and protect tissue damage.
Andrade and others explored the underlying mechanism that drives lupus. Researchers conclude that immune proteins, known as interferons, are elevated in lupus and can cause lupus-related symptoms including rashes, chest pain, fatigue, and soreness. Interferons help regulate inflammation and attract immune cells to the site of infection. In a healthy immune system interferon helps fight off infection. However, in the context of lupus, the protein helps to prolong inflammation that causes deterioration of tissues and cells.
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Medical technology has come a long way, with a whole heap of procedures becoming possible in ways that wouldn’t have been dreamed of by doctors a generation or two ago.
Still, there are always new ideas coming to the forefront, as demonstrated by the concept of BrainBridge, a fake start-up designed to look like it could complete a full human head transplant sooner than you might think.
Current AI training methods burn colossal amounts of energy to learn, but the human brain sips just 20 W. Swiss startup FinalSpark is now selling access to cyborg biocomputers, running up to four living human brain organoids wired into silicon chips.
The human brain communicates within itself and with the rest of the body mainly through electrical signals; sights, sounds and sensations are all converted into electrical pulses before our brains can perceive them. This makes brain tissue highly compatible with silicon chips, at least for as long as you can keep it alive.
Continue reading “Living brain-cell biocomputers are now training on dopamine” »
