Lifeboat Foundation

The immune system helps fight off disease and allows our bodies to maintain a state of healthy function, known as homeostasis. In this regard, the immune system is made of two distinct responses that act in concert with one another to provide a synergistic and complimentary response against invading pathogens. The first response is the innate immune response, which recognizes infections through various intercellular pathways. The cells then alert or communicate danger to surrounding cells generating a cascade effect. The innate immune system is known to be immediate and less specific than its counterpart the adaptive immune response.

In the second stage of immunity, the adaptive immune response attacks foreign pathogens with more specificity and rigor. The adaptive immune system is slow compared to the innate, however, once an infection infiltrates the immune system then immune memory toward that pathogen will develop. This immune memory will reduce the response time of the adaptive immune system and quickly get rid of the infection the second time. This is the concept behind vaccines. Through pre-exposure of a disease, the body can build up an immunity towards it and provide adequate response next time it encounters the disease. The two immune responses are inter-related and work together to create a strong, well-conducted barrier against invaders.

The immune system communicates in various ways to trigger a complete response. Cells release proteins or cytokines to send messages to one another to signal an attack on the immune system. Cytokines help to control an immune response including inflammation. However, researchers have previously discovered that too much release of cytokines can cause toxicity. This can occur during a severe infection when cells are trying to overcompensate and lyse the disease. As a result, abundant cytokines flood the infected area and generate cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or a “cytokine storm”. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CRS was a major point of concern as individuals were developing CRS toxicity in addition to the COVID-19 virus. Inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), are major components responsible for CRS. Therefore, many different treatments have been used to target these cytokines to avoid secondary infection.

Norovirus, a highly infectious virus that is the leading cause of diarrhea and vomiting in the U.S., has no approved therapeutics or vaccines to prevent its miserable effects. This is partly due to a lack of reliable animal models to study norovirus infection and predict how effective interventions would be in people. To solve this, NIAID scientists have developed an animal model to study human norovirus infection that could help facilitate the development of new vaccines and therapeutics to treat norovirus infection. Findings from this research were published Feb. 6 in Nature Microbiology.

Human norovirus causes illness in tens of millions of people in the U.S. each year and, in some cases, can result in hospitalization and even death. It is easily spread when people ingest foods, drinks or particles from surfaces contaminated by virus from the stool or vomit of an infected individual. Noroviruses are genetically diverse, with different genogroups—groups characterized by genetic similarity—of the virus infecting different species of animals. Several genogroups of noroviruses infect people without similarly infecting animals. This has led to difficulties in establishing an animal model for human norovirus infection.

Following up on earlier evidence that rhesus macaque monkeys could develop norovirus infections, a team of researchers led by scientists at NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center set out to determine whether macaques could serve as an effective animal model for the human disease. The macaques were challenged with several genotypes of human noroviruses at once. Throughout the experiment, the animals were kept in biocontainment, and their health and behavior were carefully monitored. Levels of virus in the animals’ stool were measured, and antibodies against norovirus in the animals’ blood serum were analyzed. The researchers found that the macaques were susceptible to viral infection with at least two genotypes of norovirus, with similar antibody responses, shedding of virus in stool, and pathology as in human norovirus infection. Notably, the infections in the animals did not result in clinical symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting.

Ageing, as you might expect, had a big impact on participants’ feelings of loneliness. The deaths of partners and loved ones was particularly difficult, while participants also commented on how loss of mobility restricted their social activities. Social skills were also identified as a risk factor: one participant noted that those without strong social skills may be more likely to suffer.

Emotionally, loneliness was (unsurprisingly) connected to feelings of emptiness, sadness and lack of meaning. One participant described herself as feeling “lost… and not having control, and sometimes it can lead you to not be able to make decisions and then it just gets worse”, whilst another described loneliness as “the feeling of nothing”

But many participants also commented on strategies they used to protect against loneliness. Though ageing was a risk factor, acceptance of ageing had more positive outcomes. As one participant put it: “I used to mountain climb… If I can’t walk anymore, I’ll crawl. You have to learn how to be realistic and not brood about it. I know I’m getting older, but I consider life a transition.” Compassion was also useful: being proactive about helping others, for example, helped some participants prevent being lonely.

Big plans at CERN! With a £12bn colossal atom-smasher on the drawing board, we’re one step closer to unlocking the cosmic secrets that surround us. Is this a worthy investment?

Explore the Future Circular Collider plans, a £12bn project. Will this supercollider be the key to unlocking the missing 95% of the universe?

Colorado scientists who were curious about why Castle Rock remains largely resistant to erosion have published a research paper that provides some answers. They have determined that opal is partially responsible for the notable Colorado rock’s durability.

Castle Rock is visible from several parts of central Douglas County and sits at the center of the city of Castle Rock. Dr. Hagadorn, a curator at Denver Museum of Nature & Science, describes it as an “iconic landmark.”

The study was authored by scientists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and states that “Castle Rock’s unique prominence and durability can be attributed to the presence of opal.”

Ziyan’s Shadow S3 sets new standards with a sub-7kg take-off weight, exceptional wind resistance, and an impressive 100-minute endurance.

More deathism from Mr Tyson. Really I’m a big fan but I dislike this sort of thinking. I commented on the vid.

What if we could live forever? Neil deGrasse Tyson takes us through life and death: if we could live forever what would life really mean? We explore why fresh flowers have meaning and why dogs make every day count. Learn about the Cretaceous-Tertiary Event, The Permian-Triassic Extinction, The Holocene Epoc, and how Earth is one killing machine.

Continue reading “Would We Want to Live Forever?” »

It’s possible to start a subscale deployment in just a few years. The climate effects would be tiny, but the geopolitical impact could be significant.

The chatbot’s creators, from the AI company Limbic, set out to investigate whether AI could lower the barrier to care by helping patients access help more quickly and efficiently.

A new study, published today in Nature Medicine, evaluated the effect that the chatbot, called Limbic Access, had on referrals to the NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression program, a series of evidence-based psychological therapies for adults experiencing anxiety disorders, depression, or both.

It examined data from 129,400 people visiting websites to refer themselves to 28 different NHS Talking Therapies services across England, half of which used the chatbot on their website and half of which used other data-collecting methods such as web forms. The number of referrals from services using the Limbic chatbot rose by 15% during the study’s three-month time period, compared with a 6% rise in referrals for the services that weren’t using it.