Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: biotech/medical – Page 1,930

Cancer drug cures COVID-19 patient with acute respiratory distress

“We knew from Chinese publications that patients with a severe and even fatal course of the disease are characterized by a so-called cytokine storm,” Neubauer says. “During a cytokine storm, the body is flooded with substances that stimulate the immune system.” This overreaction of the body’s own defense system damages the tissue—making it all the easier for the invading virus to spread.

Neubauer suspected that the patient might respond to ruxolitinib, a drug originally used in cancer treatment. It inhibits enzymes in the body involved in excessive inflammatory reactions. “We suggested to our colleagues who were treating the patients that the cancer drug might be able to prevent the life-threatening effects brought on by the inflammatory damage to lung tissue,” Neubauer says.

Although the spreading SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus usually causes only mild respiratory symptoms, the COVID-19 disease progresses so severely in around five percent of those affected that acute respiratory distress can occur. “The mortality rate in these cases is high,” says Dr. Thomas Wiesmann, who attended the patient along with the intensive care team in the Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care at Marburg University Hospital.

Study illustrates huge potential of human, artificial intelligence collaboration in medicine

A.i assisting the doctors.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in medicine to support human expertise. However, the potential of these applications and the risks inherent in the interaction between human and artificial intelligence have not yet been thoroughly researched. The fear is often expressed that in future, as soon as AI is of sufficient quality, human expertise will become dispensable and therefore fewer doctors will be needed. These fears are further fuelled by the popular portrayal of this as a “competition” between humans and AI. An international study led by MedUni Vienna has now illustrated the enormous potential of human/computer collaboration.

The international study led by Philipp Tschandl and Harald Kittler (Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna) and Christoph Rinner (CeMSIIS/Institute for Medical Information Management, MedUni Vienna) now debunks the idea of this alleged competition, highlighting instead the of combining human expertise with Artificial Intelligence. The study published in Nature Medicine examines the interaction between doctors and AI from various perspectives and in different scenarios of practical relevance. Although the authors restrict their observations to the diagnosis of skin cancers, they stress that the findings can also be extrapolated to other areas of medicine where Artificial Intelligence is used.

AI does not always improve diagnosis

In an experiment created by the study authors, 302 examiners and/or doctors had to assess dermoscopic images of benign and malignant skin changes, both with and without the support of Artificial Intelligence. The AI assessment was provided in three different variants. In the first case, AI showed the examiner the probabilities of all possible diagnoses, in the second case the probability of a malignant change and, in the third case, a selection of similar images with known diagnoses, similar to a Google image search. As a main finding the authors observed that only in the first case did collaboration with AI improve the examiners’ diagnostic accuracy, although this was significant, with a 13% increase in correct diagnoses.

Dexamethosone: Upcoming Treatment for the Coronavirus | The State of Science

Until recently, there has not been a treatment for the deadly coronavirus. However, that is about to change with the discovery of a new compound: Dexamethosone! With this compound, the worst cases of the coronavirus have seen an increased survival rate.

PS: The stock footage from this photo comes from Videvo!

Discord Link: https://discord.gg/brYJDEr
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturistTom
Please follow our instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/the_futurist_tom/
For business inquires, please contact [email protected]

Beyond 2030: David A. Kekich on Working Towards Biological Superlongevity

In “2030: Beyond the Film” Director Johnny Boston discusses the futurist FM-2030, the Coronavirus Pandemic, and a range of urgent issues in the medical, philosophical, longevity & futurist space with leading voices.

In this episode, Boston talks with David A. Kekich on why Kekich believes working towards Biological Superlongevity should be the first goal of Transhumanists and futurists.

About David A. Kekich: (from Maximum Life Foundation)
David Kekich is President/CEO of Maximum Life Foundation that focuses on aging research. In 1999, he realized the inevitability that science will someday control the human aging process. He understood human beings will someday be able to enjoy very long health spans by studying aging research, the root cause of most deadly diseases. The problem? He was in a race against the clock. He was faced with the possibility of being part of the “last generation to suffer from heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other aging related diseases”. His solution was to further that aging research and hopefully move it forward by establishing the Maximum Life Foundation.

Maximum Life Foundation Website:
https://www.maxlife.org/

About 2030 the film:
Johnny Boston was 10 years old when he first met FM-2030, a futurist who intended to live forever. But in 2000, after his body ceased to function, FM was cryonically preserved. 16 years later, an unexpected call places FM’s future in Johnny’s hands.

Directed By: Johnny Boston

Continue reading “Beyond 2030: David A. Kekich on Working Towards Biological Superlongevity” | >

Pioneering research reveals certain human genes relate to gut bacteria

The role genetics and gut bacteria play in human health has long been a fruitful source of scientific enquiry, but new research marks a significant step forward in unraveling this complex relationship. Its findings could transform our understanding and treatment of all manner of common diseases, including obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The international study, led by the University of Bristol and published today in Nature Microbiology, found specific changes in DNA — the chains of molecules comprising our genetic make-up — affected both the existence and amount of particular bacteria in the gut.

Lead author Dr David Hughes, Senior Research Associate in Applied Genetic Epidemiology, said: “Our findings represent a significant breakthrough in understanding how genetic variation affects gut bacteria. Moreover, it marks major progress in our ability to know whether changes in our gut bacteria actually cause, or are a consequence of, human disease.”

Alzheimer’s: New gene may drive earliest brain changes

A newly discovered Alzheimer’s gene may drive the first appearance of amyloid plaques in the brain, according to a study led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Some variants of the gene, RBFOX1, appear to increase the concentration of protein fragments that make up these plaques and may contribute to the breakdown of critical connections between neurons, another early sign of the disease.

The finding could lead to new therapies that prevent Alzheimer’s and better ways of identifying people with the greatest risk of developing the disease.

Scientists produce first open source all-atom models of COVID-19 ‘spike’ protein

The virus SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the known cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The “spike” or S protein facilitates viral entry into host cells.

Now a group of researchers from Seoul National University in South Korea, University of Cambridge in UK, and Lehigh University in USA, have worked together to produce the first open-source all-atom models of a full-length S . The researchers say this is of particular importance because the S protein plays a central role in viral entry into cells, making it a main target for vaccine and antiviral drug development.

The details can be found in a paper, “Developing a Fully-glycosylated Full-length SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Model in a Viral Membrane” just published online in The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

Image Shows Russian Submarine Appearing To Break International Treaty

A Russian submarine passed through Turkey on Tuesday, in an apparent breach of the longstanding Montreux Convention, which prohibits submarines from moving between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. If the move goes unchecked it could change the balance of power in the region, making Russia more powerful in the Mediterranean.

The submarine was photographed by Yörük Işık, a highly respected ship spotter who lives in Istanbul. There is no mistaking that this is a Kilo Class submarine. Only Russia operates this type of submarine in the Black Sea. Romania also has a sole example on its lists but that hasn’t been active in decades so it cannot be that.

More specifically, the submarine is likely to be the Project 636.3 boat Rostov-on-Don, heading to take up duty in Syria. Russian state media reported on April 27 that the sub would be dispatched on a “deployment in distant waters” to the Mediterranean. Analysis of open-source intelligence suggests that she put to sea briefly after the announcement but then returned to her base on April 29. This was likely to start a pre-deployment COVID-19 isolation. She then participated in the Victory Day parade in Sevastopol, Crimea. She did not actually head south toward the Mediterranean until now.