Lifeboat Foundation

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have uncovered compelling evidence that children with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a rare genetic disorder affecting airway function, are significantly more likely than children without PCD to have asthma. The findings, recently published in a JAMA Network Open research letter, highlight the importance of routine asthma screening for children with PCD and suggest some children with asthma may have undiagnosed PCD.

An estimated 1 in 10,000 to 30,000 people in the United States have PCD. It affects the microscopic, hair-like structures called cilia that line the airways and help clear mucus, leading to an increased risk of serious breathing problems and infections in people with the inherited condition.

“The connection between PCD and asthma has not previously received much attention,” said Benjamin Gaston, MD, the Billie Lou Wood Professor of Pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine, who co-led the study. “Our data analysis revealed an undeniable link, showing children with PCD were 22 times more likely to have asthma compared to children without PCD characteristics.”

Researchers optimized portable low-field MRI with machine learning to improve brain morphometry and white matter hyperintensity detection, making Alzheimer’s diagnosis more accessible and cost-effective.

Our genetic code works a bit like DALL-E, apparently.

Researchers uncover how the skin autonomously produces antibodies through specialized immune structures, maintaining microbial balance and preventing infections.

Photonic space-time crystals enhance light interaction and amplification, offering new applications in optical information processing.

Photonic space-time crystals are advanced materials designed to enhance the performance and efficiency of technologies like wireless communication and lasers. These crystals have a unique structure that is periodically arranged in three spatial dimensions and also changes over time, allowing precise control of light’s behavior. Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in collaboration with Aalto University, the University of Eastern Finland, and Harbin Engineering University in China, have demonstrated how these four-dimensional materials can be applied in real-world technologies. Their findings were published in Nature Photonics.

Photonic Time Crystals

The continued resilience of high-paying remote work jobs, and remote work in general, comes in an environment in which prominent CEOs and politicians have recently pushed to bring workers back to the office full time.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common, contagious virus that affects your respiratory system. It spreads easily and leads to cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose and cough.

Most people with RSV have mild symptoms that go away on their own in a week or two. But RSV can lead to serious complications, especially for babies, older adults, and people with certain conditions.

If you have RSV and you can’t breathe well or you’re dehydrated, you may need to go to the hospital. You may need IV fluids, oxygen, or ventilation (which helps with your air flow).

And it can generate sentences trained on their own writing.

Just 37% of kids have gotten flu shots this year, according to new CDC data. That’s down seven percentage points, from 44% of kids getting shots by this same time last year.

The data concerns health officials, especially since a record number of children died of flu-related causes last year.

Ultimately, 55% of kids got vaccinated against the flu during the 2023–24 flu season, which was the lowest rate in 12 years, a CDC official told NBC News. Vaccination rates have fallen for a variety of childhood vaccines in recent years. The trend has been blamed on vaccine fatigue after the pandemic as well as misinformation about the safety of childhood shots.