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Archive for the ‘health’ category: Page 158

Mar 30, 2021

Machine Learning Faces a Reckoning in Health Research

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, robotics/AI

Univ. of Toronto Researcher: “I did not realize quite how bad [the lack of reproducibility and poor quality in research papers] was.”


Many areas of science have been facing a reproducibility crisis over the past two years, and machine learning and AI are no exception. That has been highlighted by recent efforts to identify papers with results that are reproducible and those that are not.

Two new analyses put the spotlight on machine learning in health research, where lack of reproducibility and poor quality is especially alarming. “If a doctor is using machine learning or an artificial intelligence tool to aid in patient care, and that tool does not perform up to the standards reported during the research process, then that could risk harm to the patient, and it could generally lower the quality of care,” says Marzyeh Ghassemi of the University of Toronto.

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Mar 30, 2021

Editing the Epigenome for Better Health and a Pathway to Antiaging

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Didn’t watch the video.


Prof David R. Liu, Professor at Harvard University, the Broad Institute, and HHMI was interviewed by the Sheeky Science Show. In the interview, they discussed how to make precise genome editing safe & efficient using the latest CRISPR tech advances in base editing and prime editing and taking it to the clinic (e.g Beam Therapeutics). They talked about the next frontier, epigenome editing.

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Mar 30, 2021

‘Discovery Accelerator,’ a new Cleveland Clinic-IBM partnership, will use quantum computer, artificial intelligence to speed up medical innovations

Posted by in categories: chemistry, health, quantum physics, robotics/AI

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Clinic and IBM have entered a 10-year partnership that will install a quantum computer — which can handle large amounts of data at lightning speeds — at the Clinic next year to speed up medical innovations.

The Discovery Accelerator, a joint Clinic-IBM center, will feature artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud data storage and quantum computing technologies. A hybrid cloud is a data storage technology that allows for faster storage and analysis of large amounts of data.

The partnership will allow Clinic researchers to use the advanced tech in its new Global Center for Pathogen Research and Human Health for research into genomics, population health, clinical applications, and chemical and drug discovery.

Mar 29, 2021

A Sleep Disorder Associated With Shift Work May Affect Gene Function

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, health, neuroscience

Sleep deprivation causes an inflammatory response that results in negative health outcomes.


Summary: Study sheds light on DNA methylation related to sleep deprivation in those with shift-work disorder.

Source: University of Helsinki

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Mar 29, 2021

Evolution drives autism and other conditions to occur much more frequently in boys

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution, genetics, health, neuroscience

In autism, male-female imbalance is especially pronounced. Boys are as much as four times more likely to have some form of autism and are also more likely to have severe symptoms.


HAMILTON, ON, March 3, 2021 — Evolutionary forces drive a glaring gender imbalance in the occurrence of many health conditions, including autism, a team of genetics researchers has concluded.

The human genome has evolved to favour the inheritance of very different characteristics in males and females, which in turn makes men more vulnerable to a host of physical and mental health conditions, say the researchers responsible for a new paper published in the Journal of Molecular Evolution.

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Mar 29, 2021

Study finds cancer cells may evade chemotherapy

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

In the study, the researchers found that when AML cells were exposed to chemotherapy, a subset of the cells went into a state of hibernation, or senescence, while at the same time assuming a condition that looked very much like inflammation. They looked similar to cells that have undergone an injury and need to promote wound healing—shutting down the majority of their functions while recruiting immune cells to nurse them back to health.


Cancer cells can dodge chemotherapy by entering a state that bears similarity to certain kinds of senescence, a type of “active hibernation” that enables them to weather the stress induced by aggressive treatments aimed at destroying them, according to a new study by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine. These findings have implications for developing new drug combinations that could block senescence and make chemotherapy more effective.

In a study published Jan. 26 in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, the investigators reported that this biologic process could help explain why cancers so often recur after treatment. The research was done in both organoids and mouse models made from patients’ samples of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) tumors. The findings were also verified by looking at samples from AML patients that were collected throughout the course of treatment and relapse.

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Mar 29, 2021

Living a Stress-Free Life May Have Benefits, but Also a Downside

Posted by in categories: health, neuroscience

Stress may improve intelligence. That does not mean you should desire problems.


Summary: People who experience fewer stressors in daily life report better emotional stability, moods, and overall health. However, those who are less stressed score lower on cognitive tests than those who experience daily stressors. Those who are stress-free are also less likely to give emotional support or experience positive things happening throughout the day.

Source: Penn State

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Mar 29, 2021

New study shows microplastics turn into ‘hubs’ for pathogens, antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food, health

“Most wastewater treatment plants are not designed for the removal of microplastics, so they are constantly being released into the receiving environment,” added Dung Ngoc Pham, NJIT Ph.D. candidate and first author of the study.


It’s estimated that an average-sized wastewater treatment plant serving roughly 400000 residents will discharge up to 2000, 000 microplastic particles into the environment each day. Yet, researchers are still learning the environmental and human health impact of these ultra-fine plastic particles, less than 5 millimeters in length, found in everything from cosmetics, toothpaste and clothing microfibers, to our food, air and drinking water.

Now, researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology have shown that ubiquitous microplastics can become ‘hubs’ for and pathogens to grow once they wash down household drains and enter treatment plants—forming a slimy layer of buildup, or biofilm, on their surface that allows pathogenic microorganisms and antibiotic waste to attach and comingle.

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Mar 29, 2021

Researchers Warn: Preservative Used in Hundreds of Popular Foods May Harm the Immune System

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, food, health

The FDA does not use modern updated science to retest chemicals in food. This study showed that a common food preservative can increase food allergies and damage the immune system.


New science suggests the FDA should test all food chemicals for safety.

A food preservative used to prolong the shelf life of Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, Cheez-Its and almost 1250 other popular processed foods may harm the immune system, according to a new peer-reviewed study by Environmental Working Group.

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Mar 29, 2021

DNA damage “hot spots” discovered within neurons

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, health, neuroscience

Furthermore, it implies that defects in the repair process, not the DNA damage itself, can potentially lead to developmental or neurodegenerative diseases.


Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have discovered specific regions within the DNA of neurons that accumulate a certain type of damage (called single-strand breaks or SSBs). This accumulation of SSBs appears to be unique to neurons, and it challenges what is generally understood about the cause of DNA damage and its potential implications in neurodegenerative diseases.

Because neurons require considerable amounts of oxygen to function properly, they are exposed to high levels of free radicals—toxic compounds that can damage DNA within cells. Normally, this damage occurs randomly. However, in this study, damage within neurons was often found within specific regions of DNA called “enhancers” that control the activity of nearby genes.

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