Lifeboat Foundation

face_with_colon_three circa 2008.

Opportunistic fungal pneumonias are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates [ 1–3]. Although invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is the most common type of fungal pneumonia, other angioinvasive molds, such as Fusarium and Zygomycetes species, are increasingly encountered in severely immunocompromised hosts. Because early institution of high-dose antifungal therapy is associated with improved outcomes [ 4, 5], early recognition of invasive fungal disease is important. However, cultures of respiratory secretions are neither sensitive nor specific, and lavage and invasive procedures often cannot be done for these patients because of coagulation abnormalities and thrombocytopenia [ 6, 7]. Thus, diagnosis of invasive pulmonary fungal disease relies heavily on imaging [ 8]. CT is often used in an attempt to identify fungal pneumonia in a timely fashion.

The reversed halo sign (RHS) is a CT finding, a focal round area of ground-glass attenuation surrounded by a ring of consolidation, which has been described in cryptogenic organizing pneumonia [ 9, 10].

Continue reading “Reversed Halo Sign in Invasive Pulmonary Fungal Infections” »

Vivjoa (oteseconazole) is the first and only FDA approved medication for chronic yeast infections. Here’s what you need to know about the medication.

A once-tiny spot on the sun’s surface grew over the weekend to the size of Earth, potentially threatening our planet with radio blackout-causing solar flares and plasma eruptions that could trigger aurora displays.

The sun has been lively in the past few weeks, treating skywatchers at high latitudes and astronauts onboard the International Space Station to beautiful aurora displays. There may be more of those storms to come, as the sunspot AR3085 keeps growing and rotating toward Earth.

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) celebrated the opening of its Pilot Fuel Manufacturing (PFM) facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on August 18 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour attended by assistant secretary for nuclear energy Kathryn Huff, Tennessee lieutenant governor Randy McNally, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R.), representatives from the offices of Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R.) and Bill Hagerty (R.), and other distinguished guests. The next day, radiological operations began at the privately funded facility, which was designed and built in less than twelve months within an existing industrial building purchased by USNC in 2021.

According to Heritage Daily, the legendary temple was discovered when a joint research team between the University of Seville and the Institute of Andalusian Historical Heritage (IAPH) used LiDAR, a laser remote sensing technique, to scan the Bay of Cádiz.

LiDAR images reveal hidden structures – (Image: IAPH).

They recognized a large rectangular structure submerged under water that Dr Francisco José Gacía, director of the University of Seville’s Department of Prehistory and Archeology, described to El Pais as a “spectacular find”.

You can now join the waitlist to talk to Google’s experimental AI chatbot, LaMDA 2. The bot is accessible through Google’s AI Test Kitchen app.

Circa 2002 face_with_colon_three

New approach could help men with injuries or deformities.

Circa 2016 face_with_colon_three aging reversed.

Cellular reprogramming by transient expression of Yamanaka factors ameliorates age-associated symptoms, prolongs lifespan in progeroid mice, and improves tissue homeostasis in older mice.

Inward Ca²⁺ currents conducted by voltage-gated Ca²⁺ (Ca_v) channels couple action potentials and other depolarizing stimuli to many Ca²⁺-dependent intracellular processes, including neurotransmission, hormone secretion, and muscle contraction (Zamponi et al., 2015). In presynaptic nerve terminals, Ca_v2.1, Ca_v2.2, and Ca_v2.3 channels conduct P/Q-type, N-type, and R-type Ca²⁺ currents that trigger rapid neurotransmission (for review, see Olivera et al., 1994; Zamponi et al., 2015; Nanou and Catterall, 2018). However, only P/Q-type Ca²⁺ currents conducted by Ca_v2.1 channels can mediate short-term synaptic facilitation at the calyx of Held in mice (Inchauspe et al., 2004), pointing to a unique role of these Ca²⁺ channels in short-term synaptic plasticity.

In transfected nonneuronal cells, Ca²⁺ entry mediated by Ca_v2.1 channels causes calcium-dependent facilitation (CDF) and inactivation (CDI) during single depolarizations and in trains of repetitive depolarizing pulses (Lee et al., 1999, 2000; DeMaria et al., 2001; Catterall and Few, 2008; Christel and Lee, 2012; Ben-Johny and Yue, 2014). Both CDF and CDI of Ca_v2.1 channels are dependent on calmodulin (CaM; Lee et al., 1999, 2000; DeMaria et al., 2001). CaM preassociates with the C-terminal domain of the pore-forming α1 subunit of Ca_v2.1 channels (Erickson et al., 2001). Following Ca²⁺ binding, CaM initially interacts with the nearby IQ-like motif (IM) and causes CDF, whereas further binding of Ca²⁺/CaM to the more distal CaM-binding domain (CBD) induces CDI of Ca_v2.1 channels (DeMaria et al., 2001; Lee et al., 2003). Introducing the IM-AA mutation into the IQ-like motif of Ca_v2.