Lifeboat Foundation

Next generation sequencing is now essential for patients with metastatic biliary cancer given the identification of targetable pathways, including fibroblast growth factor receptor and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1, for which there are approved treatments. HER2 has emerged as a target in metastatic biliary cancer, with studies finding 5% to 15% of cancers positive for overexpression or gene amplification.

Investigators now report results of an industry-sponsored, phase 2 basket study (SGNTUC-019) testing the combination of tucatinib — a HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor — and trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive advanced biliary cancer that progressed on first-line gemcitabine/cisplatin–based chemotherapy. Local testing for HER2 was permissible via immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, or next generation sequencing of tissue or blood.

Of 30 patients, half were men, 77% were Asian, half had gallbladder primaries, and half had intrahepatic or extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. During a median follow-up of 10.8 months, the primary endpoint of antitumor response rate was 46.7%, and duration of response was 6 months. The median progression-free survival was 5.5 months; median overall survival was 15.5 months. Treatment-related grade 3 or 4 serious adverse events were uncommon and attributable to tucatinib in 10% of patients and to trastuzumab in 6.7%; grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 6.6%.

An adult human’s immune system is made up of more than 1 trillion cells. In total, it weighs around 1 kilogram, depending on the size of the person.

By Chen Ly

An international team of researchers led by the University of Bristol report they have discovered a potential treatment for the world’s leading cause of kidney failure in children needing dialysis.

The findings are published in Med in an article titled, “Shiga toxin targets the podocyte causing hemolytic uremic syndrome through endothelial complement activation.”

“The most common cause of kidney failure in children is due to toxin-producing bacteria that enter the circulation through the gut resulting in a disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS),” wrote the researchers. “This commonly requires kidney dialysis, with approximately 5% of children developing life-long kidney failure or dying. It has been unclear why this toxin has a predilection for the kidney and what its mechanism of action is. This study shows the kidney podocyte cell is an important target of the toxin and signals to blood vessels through cellular crosstalk, causing complement activation and HUS.”

Recently, we partnered with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) to build a VR simulation that places medical students and staff in rare yet high-risk pediatric trauma situations where split-second decisions determine whether a patient lives or dies. Thanks to the immersive power of VR, we can replicate these training scenarios in true-to-life fashion, complete with paramedics rattling off symptoms, nurses and techs urging you to make a decision, and distraught parents praying for their child’s survival.

These visceral, interactive exercises up the stakes compared to traditional educational tools like non-VR simulations and mannequins. Powered by AiSolve and brought to life by the Hollywood VFX magic of BioflightVR, these virtual scenarios based on actual CHLA case studies let doctors and students practice and learn in realistic workplace conditions. Not only does this new innovation stand to significantly reduce the time and cost associated with mannequin-based training, it also better prepares people to respond in the real world.

Continue reading “VR’s Healthcare Revolution: Transforming Medical Training at CHLA” »

Small cell lung cancers often metastasize to the brain. A Stanford Medicine study shows they thrive there by emulating developing neurons and recruiting surrounding cells for protection.

“An exciting feature of these materials is their inherent simplicity—they need no electronics, no external power source,” said study senior author Shengqiang Cai, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. “We demonstrate how we can harness the power of nature to directly convert mechanical stimuli into light emission.”

Alginate, a polymer made from seaweed, was added to the dinoflagellates as the main components of the bioluminescent materials. These substances were combined to generate a solution, which was then processed by a 3D printer to produce an assortment of shapes.

During tests, the substances lit up when the scientists applied pressure and made patterns on their surface. The materials were so sensitive that even the weight of a foam ball moving across their surface caused them to glow.

New research on information entropy may offer evidence for the theory that our universe is a sophisticated simulation, with deep implications for various fields, from biology to cosmology.

The simulated universe theory implies that our universe, with all its galaxies, planets and life forms, is a meticulously programmed computer simulation. In this scenario, the physical laws governing our reality are simply algorithms. The experiences we have are generated by the computational processes of an immensely advanced system.

While inherently speculative, the simulated universe theory has gained attention from scientists and philosophers due to its intriguing implications. The idea has made its mark in popular culture, across movies, TV shows, and books – including the 1999 film The Matrix.

The influence of language on human thinking could be stronger than previously assumed. This is the result of a new study by Professor Friedemann Pulvermüller and his team from the Brain Language Laboratory at Freie Universität Berlin. In this study, the researchers examined the modeling of human concept formation and the impact of language mechanisms on the emergence of concepts. The results were recently published in the journal Progress in Neurobiology under the title “Neurobiological Mechanisms for Language, Symbols, and Concepts: Clues from Brain-Constrained Deep Neural Networks” (accessible online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301008223001120?via%3Dihub).

Children can learn one or more languages with little effort. However, the cognitive activity involved should not be underestimated. Not only do language learners have to learn how to pronounce words, they must also learn how to interlink word forms with content – with concepts such as “coffee,” “drinking,” or “beauty.” But what are the actual mechanisms at work in the network of billions of nerve cells within our brains? And might the learning of some concepts strictly require the presence of language?

In a first, astronomers have discovered the first direct evidence which proves the spinning of a black hole.

The observations gave astronomers new insights regarding enigmatic celestial objects, as the scientists focussed on the supermassive black hole which is present at the centre of the neighbouring Messier 87 (M87) galaxy. The Event Horizon Telescope had imaged the shadow of Messier 87 (M87) galaxy.

Just like other supermassive black holes, M87 also features powerful jets which were launched from the poles almost at the speed of light into intergalactic space.