Lifeboat Foundation

Substance use disorder (SUD) is an extremely difficult disorder to overcome, and many individuals with SUD return to regular use after repeated attempts to quit.

A return to regular drug use can be caused by the body’s physical dependence on the drug as well as experiences associated with prior drug use. Exactly how these drug associations are formed in the brain and how they trigger a return to drug use remain unclear.

“Individuals make long-lasting associations between the euphoric experience of the drug and the people, places and things associated with drug use,” said Christopher Cowan, Ph.D. professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and member of the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Scientific Council.

A culture system allows the long-term expansion of human haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vivo without the use of recombinant cytokines or albumin, with potential applications for clinical therapies involving HSCs.

Synthetic hydrogels were shown to provide an effective scaffold for neuronal tissue growth in areas of brain damage, providing a possible approach for brain tissue reconstruction.

While growing brains may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, a cross-disciplinary team of researchers at Hokkaido University have made a step in that direction. They used hydrogel materials, in combination with neural stem cells, to grow new brain tissue. This is important since, when tissue in our brain is damaged, the neuronal tissue does not have the same regenerative capacity as other parts of our body such as skin.

The first step for researchers was to develop a hydrogel material in which neural stem cells could survive. They found that a neutral gel made with equal parts positively and negatively charged monomers resulted in the best cell adhesion. Researchers then adjusted the ratios of crosslinker molecules to achieve a stiffness similar to that of brain tissue; pores were then created in the gel in which cells could be cultured.

Talking about E5.

Rats are also useful for aging research and for cooking ratatouille. But in all seriousness, take a look at this recent headline article — “We have the oldest living female Sprague Dawley rat,” said Dr Harold Katcher, a former biology professor at the University of Maryland, now chief scientific officer at Yuvan Research, a California-based startup.

Continue reading “How scientists made this rat the oldest living lab rat — E5 rejuvenation?” »

A dozen countries, including the United States, have reported more than 250 Shigella infections in people who went to Cape Verde.

An increase in shigellosis cases, mainly caused by Shigella sonnei, among travelers returning from Cape Verde, also known as Cabo Verde, has been reported in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States since September 2022.

Twelve countries have recorded 221 confirmed Shigella sonnei infections and 37 possible cases, all with a link to Cape Verde, which is in West Africa. The UK has the most cases with 95, followed by the Netherlands with 47, Sweden with 42, and France with 31. The United States has four patients.

Every minute of every day, your body is physically reacting, literally changing, in response to the thoughts that run through your mind.

It’s been proven over and over again that just thinking about something causes your brain to release neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that allow it to communicate with parts of itself and your nervous system. Neurotransmitters control virtually all of your body’s functions, from hormones to digestion to feeling happy, sad, or stressed.

Studies have shown that thoughts alone can improve vision, fitness, and strength. The placebo effect, as observed with fake operations and sham drugs, for example, works because of the power of thought. Expectancies and learned associations have been shown to change brain chemistry and circuitry which results in real physiological and cognitive outcomes, such as less fatigue, lower immune system reaction, elevated hormone levels, and reduced anxiety.

Here’s a new story on my AI & ChatGPT ideas from Singularity Group (Singularity University). Special thanks Steven Parton & Valeria Graziani:

In episode 90 of the Feedback Loop Podcast: “The Current State of Transhumanism,” we catch up with one of our first guests on the show, çΩΩ≈ΩΩ

The swift progress in biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), and neuroscience has been a significant contributor to the growth of transhumanism. Nevertheless, despite the increasing interest in this field, many remain apprehensive about the consequences of employing technology to augment the human body and mind. Ongoing discussions revolve around the ethics of creating superhumans, the possible hazards of artificial intelligence, and the potential societal impact of these technologies.

Continue reading “Transhumanism in the Age of ChatGPT: Five Thoughts from Transhumanist Zoltan Istavan” »

If you’ve got a fever and a cough, you don’t necessarily have to go to the doctor anymore to find out if it’s the flu or Covid-19.

On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized what it says is the first at-home test that can tell users if they have the flu and/or Covid-19.

The test, made by California biotech company Lucira Health, uses a single self-collected nasal swab and can provide results in about half an hour. The test can be bought without a prescription. It’s authorized for anyone 14 and older for self-collection, or an adult can give it to a child 2 or older.

Viral respiratory infections (VRI) are the most prevalent type of infectious diseases and constitute one of the most common causes of contact with medical care. Regarding the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system, VRI can not only exacerbate already existing chronic cardiovascular disease (such as coronary artery disease or heart failure) but also trigger new adverse events or complications (e.g., venous thromboembolism), the latter particularly in subjects with multimorbidity or disease-related immobilization. In the current paper, we provide a narrative review of diverse cardiovascular complications of VRI as well as summarize available data on the pathology of the circulatory system in the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).