Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles have analyzed RNA editing in postmortem brains of four schizophrenia cohorts and uncovered a significant and reproducible trend of hypo-editing in patients of European descent.

The paper “Widespread RNA hypo-editing in schizophrenia and its relevance to mitochondrial function,” published in Science Advances, details the research team’s efforts to isolate functionally impacting RNA editing sites to understand how dysregulated editing contributes to various disorders.

In the data analysis, researchers identified 26,841 unique differential editing sites. They observed a significant trend of lower than expected amounts of RNA editing in the schizophrenia groups, which was reproduced in three of the four cohorts of European individuals.

Promising results in clinical studies have been demonstrated by the utilization of electrothermal agents (ETAs) in cancer therapy. However, a difficulty arises from the balance between facilitating the degradation of ETAs, and at the same time, increasing the electrothermal performance/stability required for highly efficient treatment. In this study, we controlled the thermal signature of the MoS2 by harnessing MoS2 nanostructures with M13 phage (MNM) via the structural assembling (hydrophobic interaction) phenomena and developed a combined PANC-1 cancer cell–MNM alternating current (AC)-stimulus framework for cancer cell ablation and electrothermal therapy. A percentage decrease in the cell viability of ~23% was achieved, as well as a degradation time of 2 weeks; a stimulus length of 100 μs was also achieved.

Scientists have created thin, elastic bottlebrush polymer films that can function as artificial muscles at significantly lower voltages than currently available materials, potentially enabling their use in safer medical devices and artificial organs.

Whether wriggling your toes or lifting groceries, muscles in your body smoothly expand and contract. Some polymers can do the same thing — acting like artificial muscles — but only when stimulated by dangerously high voltages. Now, researchers in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces report a series of thin, elastic films that respond to substantially lower electrical charges. The materials represent a step toward artificial muscles that could someday operate safely in medical devices.

Artificial muscles could become key components of movable soft robotic implants and functional artificial organs. Electroactive elastomers, such as bottlebrush polymers, are attractive materials for this purpose because they start soft but stiffen when stretched. And they can change shape when electrically charged. However, currently available bottlebrush polymer films only move at voltages over 4,000 V, which exceeds the 50 V maximum that the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration states is safe. Reducing the thickness of these films to less than 100 µm could lower the required voltages, but this hasn’t been done successfully yet for bottlebrush polymers. So, Dorina Opris and colleagues wanted to find a simple way to produce thinner films.

Taken in pill form, the drug would eliminate cells in the human body that are responsible for advancing the ageing process – potentially doubling our lifespan. But is this desirable?

As data scientist Izzy Miller puts it, the group chat is “a hallowed thing” in today’s society. Whether located on iMessage, WhatsApp, or Discord, it’s the place where you and your best friends hang out, shoot the shit, and share updates about life, both trivial and momentous. In a world where we are increasingly bowling alone, we can, at least, complain to the group chat about how much bowling these days sucks ass.

“My group chat is a lifeline and a comfort and a point of connection,” Miller tells The Verge. “And I just thought it would be hilarious and sort of sinister to replace it.”

So he did.

Sue Vincent, 69, from Solihull, said the drug enabled her to see her five grandchildren born – and led to her being awarded an MBE A woman described as “living proof” of the success of a new drug treating inherited cancer is “delighted” it has been approved for wider NHS use.

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All about AI: https://youtu.be/Ic8yVrm58lI

Continue reading “GPT-5: A New Era of Artificial Intelligence or the Beginning of the End of Mankind? | Pro Robots” »

Pictured: Illustration of CRISPR-Cas9 editing DNA / iStock, Artur Plawgo

Currently, there are no gene editing–based treatments on the market, but the technology continues its march toward potential FDA approval, with several products in mid-and late-stage trials. As these programs mature, 2023 could be a pivotal year for companies in the space. Here are some highlights to look forward to as the year progresses.

CRISPR Therapeutics/Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

This review discusses generalist medical artificial intelligence, identifying potential applications and setting out specific technical capabilities and training datasets necessary to enable them, as well as highlighting challenges to its implementation.