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Category: biotech/medical – Page 1,202

Investigating the intestinal transport of mercury ions with a gut-on-a-chip device

The transport of mercury ions across intestinal epithelial cells can be studied for toxicology assessments by using animal models and static cell cultures. However, the concepts do not reliably replicate conditions of the human gut microenvironment to monitor in situ cell physiology. As a result, the mechanism of mercury transport in the human intestine is still unknown.

In a new report now published in Nature Microsystems and Nanoengineering, Li Wang and a research team in and in China developed a gut-on-a-chip instrument integrated with transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) sensors and electrochemical sensors.

They proposed to explore the dynamic concept to simulate the physical intestinal barrier and mirror biological transport and adsorption mechanisms of mercury ions. The scientists recreated the cellular microenvironment by applying fluid shear stress and cyclic mechanical strain.

New nanowire sensors are the next step in the Internet of Things

A new miniscule nitrogen dioxide sensor could help protect the environment from vehicle pollutants that cause lung disease and acid rain.

Researchers from TMOS, the Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems have developed a sensor made from an array of nanowires, in a square one fifth of a millimeter per side, which means it could be easily incorporated into a silicon chip.

In research published in the latest issue of Advanced Materials, Ph.D. scholar at the Center’s Australian National University team and lead author Shiyu Wei describes the sensor as requiring no , as it runs on its own solar powered generator.

Brain Dead Vs. Coma Vs. Vegetative State: What’s The Difference?

In light of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina being found unconscious, there have been many headlines that said she in “a coma” or a “vegetative state” or even “brain dead”. First things first, patients who suffer brain death are not in coma. And patients who are in coma may or may not progress to brain death.

The brain has a number of vast jobs to complete every second and is a very complex organ. The brain controls not only an individual’s thought process and voluntary movements, but it controls involuntary movements and other vital body functions. These functions include auditory, olfactory, visual and tactile senses, regulation of body temperature, blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate (although the heart can continue to beat without the brain in “autotonic response”). The brain also produces hormones to control individual organ function. A good example is the brain’s production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). This hormone is produced to concentrate the urine in the kidneys, thus protecting against life-threatening dehydration.

MUST READ: “Brain Dead” Child Showing Signs Of Life

Stability AI’s Emad Mostaque, The Future of Generative AI, Real-Time Movies, Societal Impact

In the 46th episode, Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque discusses the future of AI. From being only years out from generating entire movies in real-time to how it’s revolutionizing the healthcare industry and could help identify cancer. Plus its benefits in education, charities, the potential regulations, and societal impact, and Stable Diffusion becoming the most popular open-source software in the world.

(0:00) Intro.
(1:03) Introducing Emad Mostaque.
(1:27) Generative AI
(9:52) Computing power and AI
(12:23) How Emad got into AI
(14:49) Open-source AI
(20:19) Growth of Stable Diffusion.
(21:57) Lensa.
(25:39) Power of Creativity.
(30:00) Ramifications of AI
(34:09) State of the industry.
(37:32) Business model for AI
(43:28) AI use cases.
(48:11) Societal impact.
(51:39) Becoming a public figure.
(55:41) Outro.

Mixed and edited: Justin Hrabovsky.
Produced: Andrew Nadeau and Rashad Assir.
Executive Producer: Josh Machiz.
Music: Griff Lawson.

🎙 Listen to the show.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three-cartoon-avatars/id1606770839
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGV…b0hJZkhWbg.

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How to Turn Air Pollution into Gleaming Diamonds

Year 2021 This also another use for air pollution into diamonds.

Mining diamonds is a notoriously destructive and exploitative process, both socially and environmentally. On a mission to produce diamonds sustainably and ethically, one company discovered a way to—quite literally—pull diamonds out of thin air.

According to the International Gem Society, 250 tons of soil are moved for each carat of mined diamond, wreaking havoc on ecosystems, wildlife, and the water table. Nearly 20 years have passed since the United Nations established the Kimberley Process, a certification to address human rights abuses in the mining industry and eradicate conflict diamonds from the global market. Also known as “blood diamonds,” conflict diamonds are mined in rebel-controlled areas and sold to help finance armed conflicts. The Human Rights Watch says that rebel rule, forced labor, and violence are still rampant in the industry.

Several years ago, Ryan Shearman was speaking to Dan Wojno, a former colleague from the jewelry industry who was living in Bangkok at the time. Wojno reported that air pollution in the area was so bad on some days that people wore masks. Inspired, they hatched an idea: If air pollution is mostly carbon-based, and diamonds are purely carbon, then why can’t we make diamonds directly from pollution?

A New Weapon Against Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

UNIGE researchers have discovered that a medication commonly used to treat herpes can combat an antibiotic-resistant bacterium by disrupting its defense mechanisms.

Antibiotic resistance, or the ability of bacteria to develop resistance to treatment with antibiotics, has become a major concern for global health. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers it one of the greatest threats to health. The overuse of antibiotics has contributed to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can cause serious illness and death. One example of an antibiotic-resistant pathogen is Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacterium commonly found in hospitals and known for its virulence. Without effective treatment options, we could see a resurgence of diseases such as pneumonia and salmonella, which were once easily treated with antibiotics.

Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have found that edoxudine, an anti-herpes molecule developed in the 1960s, can disrupt the protective surface of Klebsiella bacteria and make them more vulnerable to being eliminated by immune cells. The researchers’ findings were recently published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Ep. 102: Genetic engineering and the biological basis of intelligence. | Steven Hsu

Since the discovery of genetics, people have dreamed of being able to correct diseases, select traits in children before birth, and build better human beings. Naturally, many serious technical and ethical questions surround this endeavor. Luckily, tonights’ guest is as good a guide as we could hope to have.

Dr. Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. He has done extensive research in the field of computational genomics, and is the founder of several startups.

#geneticengineering #intelligence

AI is helping doctors spot and treat strokes much faster

“Brainomix specialise in the creation of AI-powered imaging biomarkers that enable precision medicine for better treatment decisions in stroke imaging”

https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/brainomix-stroke-imaging-solutions/122141/

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has helped to triple the number of patients who recover from a stroke in England.

Early-stage analysis of the Brainomix e-Stroke system technology, which has been rolled out in a number of stroke networks in the country, found it can greatly cut the time between diagnosis and treatment.

This is a critical window of time in an extremely time-sensitive diagnosis.

How these factors could lead to better nanomedicine treatments

Better treatments are definitely on the way.

Nanomedicines took the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are using these very small and intricate materials to develop diagnostic tests and treatments. Nanomedicine is already used for various diseases, such as the COVID-19 vaccines and therapies for cardiovascular disease. The “nano” refers to the use of particles that are only a few hundred nanometers in size, which is significantly smaller than the width of a human hair.

NIH Image Gallery/Flickr.

I’m a researcher studying overlooked factors in nanomedicine development. In our recently published research, my colleagues and I found that analyses of biological identity are highly inconsistent across proteomics facilities that specialize in studying proteins.

AI Enters The Mainstream With ChatGPT

Let me pick up where I left off ahead of Christmas by reiterating the fives themes for 2023 (‘War by Other Means’) that I had put together with David Skilling. The note details the trends we expect to materialise through the year as intense strategic competition between regions takes hold.

ChatGPT brings AI into our everyday lives, highlighting also its use in many other domains such as medicine and justice.

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