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Scientists build whole functioning thymus from human cells

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and University College London have rebuilt a human thymus, an essential organ in the immune system, using human stem cells and a bioengineered scaffold. Their work is an important step towards being able to build artificial thymi which could be used as transplants.

The thymus is an organ in the chest where T lymphocytes, which play a vital role in the immune system, mature. If the thymus does not work properly or does not form during foetal development in the womb, this can lead to diseases such as severe immunodeficiency, where the body cannot fight infectious diseases or , or autoimmunity, where the immune system mistakenly attacks the patient’s own healthy tissue.

In their proof-of-concept study, published in Nature Communications today, the scientists rebuilt thymi using taken from patients who had to have the organ removed during surgery. When transplanted into mice, the bioengineered thymi were able to support the development of mature and functional human T lymphocytes.

Progress:

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Chemicals used to make non-stick pans linked to rapid weight gain

Better doublecheck your kitchenware! 😃

The results indicate that environmental chemicals may be an important contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, it is practically impossible to avoid exposure to PFASs as they have been widely used in products like cookware, clothes, shoes, wrappers and furniture, to make them more stain-resistant, waterproof and/or nonstick.

Additionally, even though some PFASs (but not all) are no longer manufactured in the U.S., they continue to be in other countries around the globe. The long life of the chemicals and their ability to travel long distances through the air makes exposure possible even years after manufacturing and at completely different geographical locations.

Nevertheless, Sun gives one more reason to stop eating junk food: “We know that PFAS exist in food packaging materials, like fast-food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags. If you don’t eat those foods, you can possibly reduce your exposure.”

Why the Pandemic May Accelerate Airbus Investing in Greener Air Travel | WSJ

As much of the aviation industry fights to survive the coronavirus pandemic, some economists and engineers see the crisis as an opportunity to use stimulus funds to propel air travel to a carbon-neutral future. Photo illustration: George Downs.

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Bill Gates says bars and restaurants should ‘sadly’ be closed for 4–6 months, no return to ‘normal’ until 2022

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates believes a return to “normal” life is further down the road for the US than people expect, despite a Covid-19 vaccine being approved and distributed this week.

Conceding that by the summer of 2021, the US should be “way closer to normal than we are now,” Gates, who has donated millions to vaccination efforts through his foundation, believes a full return to normal will likely not be possible until after 2022.

The billionaire told CNN on Sunday that “unless we help other countries get rid of this disease” and see “high vaccination rates” within the US, the “risk of reintroduction” will be possible.

Dr. Ren Xiaoping — Pushing Surgical Boundaries — Head Transplantation (Cephalosomatic Anastomosis)

When one mentions the topic of “head transplantation” (or a related topic – the “brain transplant”), for most people, it remains a topic purely in the context and sphere of science fiction.

Yet most people are unaware of the following history:

In 1908, Nobel Prize winner Alexis Carrel, a French surgeon who had developed surgical methods to connect blood vessels in the context of organ transplantation, collaborated with the American Charles Claude Guthrie perform the first head grafts between dogs.

In 1954, Vladimir Demikhov, a Soviet surgeon who conducted important work to improve coronary bypass surgery, performed experiments in which he grafted a dog’s head and upper body, onto another dog; the effort was focused on how to provide blood supply to the donor head and upper body.

In 1965 American neurosurgeon Robert J. White did a series of experiments in which he attempted to graft the vascular system of isolated dog brains onto existing dogs monitoring brain activity with EEG and also monitored metabolism, and showed that he could maintain high levels of brain activity and metabolism by avoiding any break in the blood supply. In 1970 he did four experiments in which he cut the head off of a monkey and connected the blood vessels of another monkey head to it.

From 1970–1994, Paul A. Pietsch was a Professor in the School of Optometry and an Adjunct Professor of Anatomy at Indiana University, and conducted and published on a long series of “brain shuffling” / transplantation experiments in regenerative organisms between salamanders and frogs.

Continue reading “Dr. Ren Xiaoping — Pushing Surgical Boundaries — Head Transplantation (Cephalosomatic Anastomosis)” | >

7 Predictions For How Technology Will Shape Healthcare in 2021

From the COVID-19 vaccine to advances in machine learning, AI, improved W-Fi and 5G, and telemedicine, experts expect a move to “patient-centric” health next year.

COVID-19 accomplished what entrepreneurs, doctors, and activists couldn’t: Designing a healthcare system that works for patients instead of providers and health insurance companies.

The industry promised to be “patient-centered” for the last decade but only the harsh demands of COVID-19 have made this a reality. As Ian McCrae, CEO of Orion Health, described it, COVID-19 is ushering in the long-overdue transformation of the healthcare system and, finally, a move to “patient-centric” health.

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