This sounds like a bad movie, but it’s real: right now, AI tech CEOs are handing out “recipes” for bioweapons — viruses as deadly as COVID or even worse — to anyone with an internet connection. New “bi
Category: biotech/medical – Page 60
Study suggests one common amino acid may affect how long men live
A large new study suggests that higher levels of a common amino acid called tyrosine may be linked to a shorter lifespan in men.
The research, published recently in the journal Aging, examined whether blood levels of two amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, were connected to how long people live.
Amino acids are building blocks of protein. They are found in protein-rich foods such as milk, eggs and meat, and are also sold as dietary supplements.
End Point–Based Threshold for the Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index
RESEARCH ARTICLE: End Point–Based Threshold for the Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index @jasta49 @melgarejo1024 @neurociencias @PPBoggia
BACKGROUND: The ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) is increasingly used in clinical research and practice. This individual-participant meta-analysis aims to consolidate the prognostic accuracy of AASI in the general population and to derive an end point–based AASI risk threshold. METHODS: In 12 558 individuals enrolled in 14 population studies (48.8% women; mean age, 59.3 years), AASI was derived by regressing 24-hour diastolic on systolic blood pressure (mm Hg/mm Hg). Using Cox regression, the risk-carrying AASI threshold was established by examining stepwise increasing AASI levels and by determining the AASI level, yielding a 10-year risk similar to an office systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg. RESULTS: Over 10.7 years (median), 3,027 all-cause deaths and 2,183 cardiovascular end points occurred.
Pearls & Oy-sters: Using Susceptibility-Based Imaging in Highly Active Late-Onset Multiple Sclerosis
Central vein sign and paramagnetic rim lesions can aid in an earlier diagnosis of late-onset multiple sclerosis and may circumvent the need for biopsy. Learn more in this Pearls & Oy-sters article.
CSF analysis revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis (41 total nucleated cells [normal 0–5/μL], 98% lymphocytes) and an elevated protein of 89 mg/dL (normal, 0–35 mg/dL) without hypoglycorrhachia. CSF kappa free light chains (KFLC) and IgG index were not elevated, and CSF-specific oligoclonal bands (OCBs) were absent. CSF cytology and flow cytometry were negative for malignancy. Extensive neural antibody testing was negative including serum aquaporin-4-immunoglobulin G, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-immunoglobulin G, and CSF glial fibrillary acidic protein antibody. Extensive rheumatological and infectious testing was also negative. Neurofilament light chain was elevated to 188 pg/mL (normal ≤19 pg/mL for age 60–65 years). Whole body PET was negative, and optical coherence tomography was normal.
Owing to concerns for neurosarcoidosis, lymphoma, or vasculitis, a percutaneous stereotactic biopsy of a right occipital lesion was performed. Pathology revealed a demarcated CD68/163+ macrophage-rich lesion with myelin loss, relative axonal preservation, and a CD3+ predominant lymphocytic infiltrate with rare CD20+ B cells, consistent with active demyelination (Figure 2). She initiated a 5-day course of high-dose oral prednisone (1,250 mg daily) followed by a taper. Within 2 days of treatment, she experienced mild improvement in dysarthria and ataxia, although her EDSS score remained 6 on discharge.
Open in Viewer.
Using AI to improve standard-of-care cardiac imaging
Heart disease is the leading cause of adult death worldwide, making cardiovascular disease diagnosis and management a global health priority. An echocardiogram, or cardiac ultrasound, is one of the most commonly used imaging tools employed by physicians to diagnose a variety of heart diseases and conditions.
Most standard echocardiograms provide two-dimensional visual images (2D) of the three-dimensional (3D) cardiac anatomy. These echocardiograms often capture hundreds of 2D slices or views of a beating heart that can enable physicians to make clinical assessments about the function and structure of the heart.
To improve diagnostic accuracy of cardiac conditions, researchers from UC San Francisco set out to determine whether deep neural networks (DNNs), a type of AI algorithm, could be re-designed to better capture complex 3D anatomy and physiology from multiple imaging views simultaneously. They developed a new “multiview” DNN structure—or architecture—to enable it to draw information from multiple imaging views at once, rather than the current approach of using only a single view. They then trained demonstration DNNs using this architecture to detect disease states for three cardiovascular conditions: left and right ventricular abnormalities, diastolic dysfunction, and valvular regurgitation.
How Zinc Protects Injured Arteries From Accelerated Aging
Researchers publishing in Aging Cell have discovered that the nuclei of the cells that line injured arteries quickly become misshapen and that this leads to accelerated cellular senescence. Delivering zinc to these cells partially alleviates this dysmorphism.
Two seemingly unrelated concepts
This paper begins with a discussion of two different concepts that, on the surface, appear to be unrelated. First, the researchers discuss vascular damage, particularly in the context of surgeries; even minimally invasive procedures that involve cutting, scraping, or burning arteries must cause some level of damage. This includes such procedures as catheter implantation as a treatment for heart disease [1] and the resection of cancerous tumors [2].