Lifeboat Foundation

Autonomous shopping carts that follow grocery store customers and robots that pick ripe cucumbers faster than humans may grab headlines, but the most compelling applications of AI and ML technology are behind the scenes. Increasingly, organizations are finding substantial efficiency gains by applying AI-and ML-powered tools to back-office procedures such as document processing, data entry, employee onboarding, and workflow automation.

The power of automation to augment productivity in the back office has been clear for decades, but the recent emergence of advanced AI and ML tools offers a step change in what automation can accomplish, including in highly regulated industries such as health care.

The South Florida health system is testing an AI-powered system it expects to score big wins for its providers, improving the patient experience along the way.

Researchers are attempting to uncover the basics of how fat tissue is structured and, specifically, inflammation associated with obesity, in the hopes of unlocking the connection between the accumulation of fat and poor health outcomes. Now, a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan revealed previously unrecognized immune cell types and interactions within adipose tissue using single-cell analysis of gene expression combined with spatial transcriptomics.

The findings are published in JCI Insight in an article titled, “A lipid-associated macrophage lineage rewires the spatial landscape of adipose tissue in early obesity.”

“Adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) infiltration is associated with adipose tissue dysfunction and insulin resistance in mice and humans,” wrote the researchers. “Recent single-cell data highlight increased ATM heterogeneity in obesity but do not provide a spatial context for ATM phenotype dynamics. We integrated single-cell RNA-Seq, spatial transcriptomics, and imaging of murine adipose tissue in a time course study of diet-induced obesity. Overall, proinflammatory immune cells were predominant in early obesity, whereas nonresident antiinflammatory ATMs predominated in chronic obesity.”

For parents of kids with food allergies, Halloween treats—from candy to cookies—can be frightening too. Be cautious of “fun size” candy, which may contain different ingredients than regular size packages.

The AAAAI offers tips written and reviewed by experts on allergies on avoiding the danger of anaphylaxis this Halloween.

Dr. Cyrus King describes challenges individuals face pertaining to ergonomics in the workplace and provides suggestions for support.

Actor Suzanne Somers has died at the age of 76 after being diagnosed with breast cancer more than two decades ago, which ultimately was her cause of death.

Somers was best known for her roles in the hit sitcoms “Three’s Company” and “Step by Step,” and later in life for her health and fitness business ventures.

Somers died “peacefully at home” surrounded by her family on Oct. 15, one day before her 77th birthday, according to a statement to NBC News from Somers’ publicist on behalf of her family.

At HLTH, Mayo Clinic Platform President John Halamka gave a window into how his health system is mitigating generative AI risks. Some of the measures Mayo is taking include running analyses on how well algorithms perform across various subgroups and training models only on internal de-identified data.

The human gut microbiome is known to have a significant influence on many aspects of our health. Usually, when people think of the gut microbiome, they think of the many bacterial species that live there. Other organisms like viruses and fungi are also members of the human gut microbiome that have been getting more research attention. Now, scientists have identified a unicellular organism called Blastocystis, a type of protist with many subtypes that are also a part of the human gut microbiome. The research has shown that different subtypes of Blastocystis can lead to beneficial health impacts while others are detrimental. The findings have been reported in The EMBO Journal.

People in Singapore have been found with a rare Blastocystis subtype called ST7, which is often isolated from patients with diarrhea. Blastocystis ST7 seems to cause gut disease, although the mechanisms that underlie this pathology have been unclear.

The Future of Everything looks at the innovation and technology transforming the way we live, work and play, covering style and fashion, the workplace, health and more. This month we look ahead at artificial intelligence.