Lifeboat Foundation

Racing closer to the Sun than ever before, the Parker Solar Probe is unlocking the secrets of our solar system’s fiery heart.

NASAs Parker Solar Probe has successfully transmitted a beacon signal back to Earth, confirming it is in good health and functioning normally after its record-breaking close approach to the Sun.

The mission operations team at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, received the signal just before midnight EST on December 26. During its closest approach on December 24, the spacecraft traveled at an astonishing 430,000 miles per hour and came within 3.8 million miles of the Sun’s surface, making it the closest any human-made object has ever been to our star.

Investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed the largest collection of sarcoma patient-derived organoids to date that can help improve the understanding of the disease and better identify therapies that are most likely to work for each individual patient.

The approach, detailed in the journal Cell Stem Cell, uses patients’ own tumor cells that replicate the unique characteristics of a patient’s tumor allowing scientists to quickly screen a large number of drugs in order to identify personalized treatments that can target this rare and diverse group of cancers.

“Sarcoma is a rare and complex disease, which makes conducting clinical trials to identify effective treatments particularly challenging. Some of the rarer subtypes lack standard treatment altogether. Even when multiple therapy options are available, there is often no reliable, data-driven method to determine the best course of action for an individual patient. Choosing the most effective treatment is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack,” said Dr. Alice Soragni, the senior author of the study and assistant professor in the department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Testing drugs with patient-derived tumor organoids has potential to help predict how a patient may respond to treatment, with the goal of improving patient outcomes for diseases where treatment options are often limited.”

Smartwatch bands from popular brands have been found to contain high concentrations of toxic for forever chemicals, also known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These synthetic chemicals do not break down easily in the environment and build in our bodies over time, hence earning them the nickname of forever chemicals.

PFAS are used in various consumer products, including non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothes, carpets, mattresses, food wraps, and more. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to serious health problems, including increased risks of certain cancers, hormone disruption, weakened immune systems, and developmental delays in children. These chemicals can leach into water, soil, and food, making them a growing public health concern worldwide.

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters has found that smartwatch bands made of fluoroelastomers contain a very high concentration of a forever chemical known as perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA).

Patterns of human endogenous retrovirus expression linked to decreased neurodegenerative disease risk.

This presents another challenge: convincing patients to allow the use of their data. Some 70% of Americans have expressed concerns about data privacy, with 56% admitting they find AI in healthcare “scary.”

It isn’t helped by the growing number of data breaches in the healthcare space, with 88 million patients having had their personal health information compromised in data breaches last year alone. Undoubtedly, if AI-powered healthcare is to maintain its trajectory, the sector will need to address these cybersecurity concerns.

AI is no longer a prospect but a reality today. It’s already being deployed in doctors’ offices and hospitals to analyze patient data, handle back-office tasks and assist surgeons. Anticipated to decrease administrative costs by up to 30%, free up hundreds of thousands of hours of physicians’ time and cut surgical waiting times—for the millions of Americans currently suffering in silence, whether due to affordability or accessibility, AI will offer a lifeline.

By November 2024, 15 U.S. states had established regulations on ghost guns, though exact requirements vary. The rules typically require a serial number, background checks for firearm component purchases and reporting to authorities that a person is producing 3D-printed guns.

For instance, in New Jersey, a 2019 law mandates that all ghost guns have a serial number and be registered. Under current New York law, possession or distribution of a 3D-printed gun is classified as a misdemeanor. However, a proposed law seeks to elevate the manufacturing of firearms using 3D-printing technology to a felony offense.

Continue reading “3D-printed ‘ghost guns’, like the one Luigi Mangione allegedly used to kill a health care CEO, surge in popularity as law enforcement struggles to keep up” »

The breakthrough marks a promising target for drug therapies that slow, possibly reverse, the disease’s development

NEW YORK, NY, December 23, 2024 — Researchers with the CUNY ASRC have unveiled a critical mechanism that links cellular stress in the brain to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study, published in the journal Neuron, highlights microglia, the brain’s primary immune cells, as central players in both the protective and harmful responses associated with the disease.

Microglia, often dubbed the brain’s first responders, are now recognized as a significant causal cell type in Alzheimer’s pathology. However, these cells play a double-edged role: some protect brain health, while others worsen neurodegeneration. Understanding the functional differences between these microglial populations has been a research focus for Pinar Ayata, the study’s principal investigator and a professor with the CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative and the CUNY Graduate Center’s Biology and Biochemistry programs.

Exercise improves cognitive performance for over 24 hours, especially when paired with good sleep. A study of older adults links physical activity and deep sleep to better memory, highlighting the importance of an active lifestyle for brain health.

Exercise provides a short-term boost to brain function that can last throughout the next day, according to a new study by researchers at University College London (UCL).

Earlier research conducted in controlled laboratory settings revealed that cognitive performance improves in the hours following exercise. However, the duration of these benefits remained unclear.

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