MIT researchers found that chaotic laser light can transform into a precise, stable beam. This breakthrough enables much faster, high-resolution imaging of how drugs move into the brain.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 120
World Science Festival
Does quantum mechanics actually imply that every possible outcome of every decision happens somewhere in an expansive reality? And if so, what does that mean for probability, free will, and our understanding of the universe itself?
Brian Greene sits down with David Deutsch, widely regarded as the father of quantum computing, to examine what many physicists are still reluctant to accept about their own theory. They explore why the many-worlds interpretation isn’t just a philosophical curiosity, what the wave function is really telling us about reality, and how decision theory may rescue probability in a fully deterministic multiverse. Deutsch also introduces constructor theory, his framework for rethinking the foundations of physics entirely and explains why the questions we’ve been trained not to ask might be the most important ones in all of science.
This program is part of the Rethinking Reality series, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
Participant: David Deutsch.
Moderator: Brian Greene.
#worldsciencefestival #briangreene #cosmology #astrophysics.
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Clinical impact of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries: a prospective multicentre cohort study
Background Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) may radiologically identify or confirm underlying pathophysiologies in myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA), however, there are scant prospective data evaluating the impact on routine clinical care.
Methods In a multicentre international cohort study of MINOCA, clinical diagnosis, diagnostic certainty and intended clinical management were prospectively determined before and again after CMR. The primary outcome was a composite of change in clinical diagnosis and/or management. Secondary outcomes were individual components of the primary outcome, change in diagnostic certainty and number-needed-to-test for deprescription of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Predictors of the primary outcome were evaluated by multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results In 320 patients, CMR was associated with change in diagnosis and/or management in 63% (95% CI 57% to 68%, p0.001) and significantly increased diagnostic certainty (8÷10 post-CMR (5–9) vs 6/10 pre-CMR (4–7), p0.0001). Relevant predictors of the primary outcome on multivariable analysis were early CMR (≤14 days), absence of atheroma on coronary angiography and significant pre-CMR diagnostic uncertainty (≤5/10); CMR changed diagnosis and/or management in 80% of individuals with all three predictors versus 40% in those with none. In individuals where treating physicians initially chose to prescribe DAPT despite no obstructive culprit lesion, number-needed-to-test by CMR for DAPT deprescription was 3.
Negative effects of artificial sweeteners may pass on to next-generation, study suggests
Health organizations are starting to raise concerns about the potential long-term impacts of artificial sweeteners, which taste sweet but—unlike sugar—contain no calories, suggesting they could interfere with energy metabolism and increase the eventual risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
Now a new study in mice indicates that the popular sweeteners sucralose and stevia have negative effects on the gut microbiome and gene expression, potentially compromising metabolic health, which can be transmitted between generations.
“We found it intriguing that despite the growing consumption of these additives, the prevalence of obesity and metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance has not declined,” said Dr. Francisca Concha Celume of the Universidad de Chile, lead author of the article in Frontiers in Nutrition.
You have no free will at all | Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky
Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_… How your biology and environment make your decisions for you, according to Dr. Robert Sapolsky.
Up next, Your reptilian brain, explained ► • Your reptilian brain, explained | Robert S…
Robert Sapolsky, PhD is an author, researcher, and professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University. In this interview with Big Think’s Editor-in-Chief, Robert Chapman Smith, Sapolsky discusses the content of his most recent book, “Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will.”
Being held as a child, growing up in a collectivist culture, or experiencing any sort of brain trauma – among hundreds of other things – can shape your internal biases and ultimately influence the decisions you make. This, explains Sapolsky, means that free will is not – and never has been – real. Even physiological factors like hunger can discreetly influence decision making, as discovered in a study that found judges were more likely to grant parole after they had eaten.
This insight is key for interpreting human behavior, helping not only scientists but those who aim to evolve education systems, mental health research, and even policy making.
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Abstract: SLC26A4-gene mutations are a frequent cause of hereditary HearingLoss
SLC26A4-gene mutations are a frequent cause of hereditary HearingLoss.
https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI193812 Here, Tsai et al. report that targeted AAV delivery to the endolymphatic sac and cochlear lateral wall restores auditory physiology and ameliorates cochlear pathology in a mouse model of Slc26a4-related deafness. Pendred syndrome DFNB4.
The image shows an AAV-GFP–transduced spiral prominence, a structure within the cochlear lateral wall. GFP (green) marks successfully transduced cells, phalloidin-568 (red) labels the actin cytoskeleton, and DAPI (blue) stains nuclei, highlighting efficient gene transfer to inner ear tissues essential for auditory function.
Address correspondence to: Chen-Chi Wu, Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde St., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City 100,229, Taiwan. Phone: 886.2.2312.3456; Email: [email protected]. Or to: Yen-Fu Cheng, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shipai Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City 11,217, Taiwan. Phone: 886.2.2875.7642; Email: [email protected].
Find articles by Tsai, Y. in: | Google Scholar
1Institute of Brain Science, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Diabetes flips immune cells from repair to inflammation in peripheral artery disease, study finds
Type 2 diabetes can turn immune cells that help with tissue repair and anti-inflammatory responses into triggers of chronic inflammation. A recent study investigated why people with type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of severe complications from peripheral artery disease (PAD).
PAD is a common circulatory condition in which plaque buildup narrows the arteries, reducing blood flow, usually in the legs. This can lead to lower extremity infections and the formation of non-healing ulcers in people with diabetes.
Using RNA-sequencing and gene mapping, researchers discovered that diabetes causes certain immune cells called macrophages that express the protein TREM2 to reprogram their behavior from helping cells repair to causing harmful inflammation and preventing blood vessels from healing. The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine.