Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Autoimmune disease occurs from the body’s immune system attacking its healthy cells. Unfortunately, the mechanism that would normally prevent autoimmunity is not present in some individuals. T cells are the immune cell population responsible for killing or lysing invading pathogens. In the context of autoimmunity, T cells attack and lyse healthy cells. The thymus gland educates or prepares T cells to become activated and target foreign pathogens. T cells are exposed to different molecules and surface markers which further train these cells on how to respond when they come into contact with foreign markers. Autoimmune disorders are rare and can often be detected in children. However, there are limited treatment options, and a cure has not been found. Researchers are currently working to better treat autoimmune disorders and improve the quality of life in patients.

A recent article published in Nature, by a team led by Dr. Thomas Korn, reported a previously unknown mechanism underlying autoimmune disease. Korn is a Professor of Experimental Nueroimmunology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Principal Investigator at the Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). His lab focuses on T cell biology and the underlying mechanisms of autoimmune disorders. Korn and others demonstrated that another immune cell population, B cells, aid in T cell education in the thymus gland. Korn and others point out that B cells are part of T cell development and play a critical role in autoimmune disorder.

Researchers used both animal models and human tissue samples to conduct their research to investigate T cell development. The autoimmune disorder Korn and his team used as a model is known as neuromyelitis optica, which is similar to multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers chose this specific model due to the well-known fact that T cells respond to the protein AQP4 in this autoimmune disorder. Interestingly, AQP4 is highly expressed in the nervous system, which becomes the target of autoimmunity. Researchers discovered that B cells also express AQP4, which present this protein to the T cells in the thymus. Interestingly, if the B cells did not express AQP4, then T cells would not become reactive to the surface protein and target healthy nervous system cells. Epithelial cells also expressed the AQP4 protein and resulted in the same autoimmune reaction. However, B cells were found to significantly impact T cell development compared to other cells in the thymus.

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Objectives: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) represents one of the most powerful manifestations of neuropathic pain. The diagnostic criteria, as well as its therapeutic modalities, stand firmly established. The percutaneous radiofrequency thermorhizotomy of the gasserian ganglion and posterior root of the trigeminal nerve stands as a widely employed procedure in this context. In this retrospective observational investigation, we undertake a comparative analysis of patients subjected to treatment employing continuous radiofrequency (C-rF) versus pulsed radiofrequency (P-rF).

Materials and methods: A cohort of 128 patients afflicted with essential neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve, all under the care of the distinguished author (JCA), underwent percutaneous radiofrequency thermorhizotomy between the years 2005 and 2022. They were stratified into two cohorts: Group 1 encompassed 76 patients treated with C-rF, while Group 2 comprised 52 patients subjected to P-rF intervention. All participants met the stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria for TN, with a notable concentration in the V2 and V3 territories accounting for 60% and 45%, respectively. The post-procedural follow-up period exhibited uniformity, spanning from six months to 16 years. Preceding the intervention, all patients uniformly reported a visual analog scale (VAS) score surpassing 6/10. Additionally, everyone had been undergoing pharmacological management, involving a combination of antineuropathic agents and low-potency opioids.

Results: The evaluation of clinical improvement was conducted across three temporal domains: the immediate short-term (less than 30 days), the intermediate-term (less than one year), and the prolonged-term (exceeding one year). In the short term, a noteworthy alleviation of pain, surpassing the 50% threshold, was evident in most patients (94%), a similarity observed in both cohorts (98% in Group 1 and 90% in Group 2). The VAS revealed an average rating of 3/10 for Group 1 and 2/10 for Group 2. Moving to the intermediate term, more than 50% improvement in pain was registered in 89% of patients (92% in Group 1 and 86% in Group 2). The mean VAS score stood at 3.5÷10, marginally higher in Group 2 at 4/10 compared to 3/10 in Group 1. In the final assessment, a 50% or greater reduction in pain was reported by 75% of patients, with no discernible disparity between the two cohorts. Among the cohort, 18 individuals necessitated a subsequent percutaneous intervention (10 in Group 1 and eight in Group 2), while microvascular decompression was performed on six patients (equitably distributed between the two groups), and radiosurgery was administered to three patients in Group 1.

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Colombia’s government on Friday announced an expedition to remove items of “incalculable value” from the wreck of the legendary San Jose galleon, which sank in 1708 while laden with gold, silver and emeralds estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The 316-year-old wreck, often called the “holy grail” of shipwrecks, has been controversial, because it is both an archaeological and economic treasure.

Culture Minister Juan David Correa told AFP that more than eight years after the discovery of the wreck off Colombia’s coast, an underwater robot would be sent to recover some of its bounty.

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Superintelligent AI might solve all the world’s problems. It could cure cancer, eliminate human aging, create a world of abundance for all.

Superintelligent AI might also prove completely uncontrollable and destroy humanity, whether intentionally or as mere collateral damage in the path of achieving other goals.

The clashing viewpoints about the potential and dangers of peak AI live at the heart of the battle of techno-optimists and doomsayers, accelerationists vs doomers.

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Beijing researchers made a pseudo-CMOS architecture for sub-picowatt logic computing that uses self-biased molybdenum disulfide transistors.

As transistors are scaled to smaller dimensions, their static power increases. Combining two-dimensional (2D) channel materials with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) logic architectures could be an effective solution to this issue because of the excellent field-effect properties of 2D materials. However, 2D materials have limited polarity control. The transistors have a gapped channel that forms a tunable barrier—thus circumventing the polarity control of 2D materials—and exhibit a reverse-saturation current below 1 pA with high reliability and endurance.

They use the devices to make homojunction-loaded inverters with good rail-to-rail operation at a switching threshold voltage of around 0.5 V, a static power of a few picowatts, a dynamic delay time of around 200 µs, a noise margin of more than 90% and a peak voltage gain of 241. They also fabricate fundamental gate circuits on the basis of this pseudo-CMOS configuration by cascading several devices.

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Despite preventive strategies, cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a leading cause of disease after solid organ transplantation. Indirect effects of CMV infection include organ-specific complications (e.g., chronic allograft nephropathy, cardiac vasculopathy) as well as more-general effects including excess risk for rejection and death. After lung transplantation, chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) is the most important limitation to long-term survival. Thus, investigators sought to determine the role of CMV in CLAD.

Among 668 lung transplant recipients, 647 had evaluable data. CLAD developed in 39% and was associated with high-risk (CMV donor positive/recipient negative) serostatus and, to a lesser degree, intermediate-risk (CMV recipient positive) serostatus. CLAD was not associated with CMV DNAemia. By contrast, CMV DNAemia was associated with the combined endpoint of death or re-transplantation, and higher CMV levels were associated with increased risk.

The causes of CLAD remain obscure, frustrating efforts to improve outcomes after lung transplantation. The authors speculate that CMV replication limited to the allograft — and possibly combined with episodes of CMV DNAemia without lung involvement — might explain the association of CLAD with CMV as determined by serostatus but not DNAemia. Further research is necessary to determine if serosorting (i.e., only transplanting lungs from CMV-negative donors into CMV-negative recipients) or life-long CMV prophylaxis in high-risk recipients is justified.

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