The imbalance of supply and demand during the pandemic has caused a variety of challenges for retailers. Here’s how artificial intelligence can help.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 1,876
Genetic Variants May Explain High Levels of Antibodies Against Epstein-Barr Virus in MS, Study Suggests
Genetic variants may contribute to increased levels of antibodies against proteins of the Epstein-Barr virus — a known environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) — in MS patients and their siblings, a study suggests.
The study, “EBNA-1 titer gradient in families with multiple sclerosis indicates a genetic contribution,” was published in the journal Neurology, Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation.
Studies in mice give clues to combatting changes in aging muscle stem cells
Our muscles start to shrink and weaken when we reach our 50s and 60s in a process called sarcopenia, but new research in mice from the University of Michigan offers new insights into why this loss may occur, and how we might begin to prevent it.
Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass in aging, and it’s linked to other age-related pathologies such as osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as an overall reduction in function and independence.
The research, led by Carlos Aguilar, a U-M assistant professor of biomedical engineering, focused on muscle stem cells since they are dedicated solely to keeping muscles healthy. And to better understand stem cell function during aging, testing was conducted on two sets of mice, one “young” and one “old,” before and after muscle injury.
New MIT Syringe Technology Could Enable Injection of Concentrated Biologic Drugs
Researchers have designed a simple, low-cost device for subcutaneous injection of viscous formulations.
MIT researchers have developed a simple, low-cost technology to administer powerful drug formulations that are too viscous to be injected using conventional medical syringes.
The technology, which is described in a paper published today in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials, makes it possible to inject high-concentration drugs and other therapies subcutaneously. It was developed as a solution for highly effective, and extremely concentrated, biopharmaceuticals, or biologics, which typically are diluted and injected intravenously.
Asteroid 2018 VP₁ may be heading for Earth. But there’s no need to worry
“you can rest easy. The asteroid does not pose a threat to life on Earth. Most likely, it will sail harmlessly past our planet. At worst, it will burn up harmlessly in our atmosphere and create a firework show for some lucky Earthlings.” 🤔.
Social media around the world lit up over the weekend, discussing the possibility that an asteroid (known as 2018 VP₁) could crash into Earth on November 2.
It seemed only fitting. What better way to round off a year that has seen catastrophic floods, explosions, fires, and storms—and, of course, a global pandemic?
But you can rest easy. The asteroid does not pose a threat to life on Earth. Most likely, it will sail harmlessly past our planet. At worst, it will burn up harmlessly in our atmosphere and create a firework show for some lucky Earthlings.
More peaches implicated in Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak
Federal, state and local authorities continue to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to peaches as new retailers are added to the related recall list.
All of the implicated peaches were packed or supplied by Prima Wawona or Wawona Packing Co., both of California.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that epidemiologic evidence indicates peaches are the likely source of this outbreak. As of Aug. 19, the CDC reported a total of 68 confirmed patients across nine states. The Food and Drug Administration’s investigation to identify a source of contamination is ongoing.
New UK space projects to boost global sustainable development receive £3.4 million cash boost
💥💥💥💥💥💥💥Humanitarian Day, the UK Space Agency announced £3.4 million of new funding for 10 leading-edge projects, backing UK academics using space to tackle global development problems – from the spread of malaria to human trafficking and forced labor. In 2018, there were an estimated 228 million cases and 405,000 deaths from malaria alone.
These projects will develop solutions to global challenges that will open up new opportunities for UK space expertise to help countries overseas to deal with myriad problems. Among the others being backed are space-based solutions that will help protect wildlife habitats in Kenya and another that will improve resilience to flooding in Bangladesh, which is suffering the most prolonged monsoon rains in decades.
On World Humanitarian Day, the UK Space Agency announced £3.4 million of new funding for 10 leading-edge projects, backing UK academics using space to tackle global development problems – from the spread of malaria to human trafficking and forced labor. In 2018, there were an estimated 228 million cases and 405,000 deaths from malaria alone.
Using satellite, air-borne and ground-based sensing technology, academics at The Open University will detect where mosquitoes are most likely to breed, and support efforts to tackle this deadly disease at its source. Once identified, ‘sprayer drones’ will release biocontrol agents that will kill mosquito larvae without affecting other species, as part of the DETECT project.
Uganda is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. A project backed by the cash injection announced today will see UK academics at the University of Nottingham apply Earth observation technology from satellites to Uganda’s anti-human trafficking and forced labor efforts.
Millions of people worldwide die every year from waterborne diseases because of a lack of affordable, practical disinfection technologies
To address this need, researchers have developed a strong, flexible filter out of a silica aerogel that efficiently kills bacteria, resists getting clogged, and needs just a quick dip in dilute bleach to renew its disinfecting properties.
Read about the loofah-inspired aerogel here: https://bit.ly/3lhulJo?fbclid=IwAR3mLvaN1ruT0KRaTWynbxoTe9O9…3d-jDXqNUU