Lifeboat Foundation

Research indicates enhanced mental function in individuals who maintain an active lifestyle and engage in social interactions, alongside managing blood pressure and diabetes effectively.

As federal approval for more Alzheimer’s disease medications progresses, a recent study conducted by UC San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Washington reveals that tailored health and lifestyle modifications can postpone or prevent memory deterioration in older adults at increased risk.

The two-year study compared cognitive scores, risk factors, and quality of life among 172 participants, of whom half had received personalized coaching to improve their health and lifestyle in areas believed to raise the risk of Alzheimer’s, such as uncontrolled diabetes and physical inactivity. These participants were found to experience a modest boost in cognitive testing, amounting to a 74% improvement over the non-intervention group.

New sleep technology was a trend at CES 2024, and health company DeRucci showcased its new line of smart bed products — including a pillow to combat snoring.

At CES 2024, a Chinese-based company presented what it claims is the first smart, antisnoring pillow.

Health Care.

As the U.S. Struggles With a Stillbirth Crisis, Australia Offers a Model for How to Do Better.

Australia has emerged as a global leader in the effort to lower the number of babies that die before taking their first breaths. It’s an approach that could benefit America, which lags behind other wealthy nations in reducing stillbirths.

India has used traditional methods of agriculture for generations, but with 1.4 billion people now dependant on the crops farmers produce, some are turning to technology to boost productivity and profit.

For example on one vineyard, sensor devices are being used to check weather and soil health.

Continue reading “Artificial intelligence comes to farming in India | BBC News” »

FactorBioscience Announces U.S. Department of Defense Grant to Develop Gene-Edited Cell Therapies Read the latest here.

Factor Bioscience Inc. announced the award of a U.S. Department of Defense grant to develop next-generation cell therapy candidates using Factor’s patented mRNA, cell-reprogramming, and gene-editing technologies. The project will be led by Factor’s Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Christopher Rohde.

Under the award, Factor will generate the first scalable cell therapy specifically targeting muscle inflammation in DMD patients. To carry out the work, Factor will utilize its extensively patented technologies for engineering cells, including methods for reprogramming and gene-editing cells using mRNA.

Continue reading “Factor Bioscience Announces U.S. Department of Defense Grant to Develop Gene-Edited Cell Therapies” »

In a preclinical study, researchers led by City of Hope have discovered that a type of immune cell in the human body, known to be important for allergy and other immune responses, can also attack cancer. The cells, called human type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), can be expanded outside of the body and applied in larger numbers to overpower a tumor’s defenses and eliminate malignant cells in mouse models with cancer.

The findings are published in Cell in an article titled, “Therapeutic application of human type 2 innate lymphoid cells via induction of granzyme B-mediated tumor cell death.”

“The City of Hope team has identified human ILC2 cells as a new member of the cell family capable of directly killing all types of cancers, including blood cancers and solid tumors,” said Jianhua Yu, PhD, a professor in the department of hematology and hematopoietic cell transplantation at City of Hope and the study’s senior author. “In the future, these cells could be manufactured, preserved by freezing, and then administered to patients. Unlike T cell-based therapies, such as CAR T cells, which necessitate using the patient’s own cells due to their specific characteristics, ILC2s might be sourced from healthy donors, presenting a distinct potential therapeutic approach as an allogeneic and ‘off-the-shelf’ product.”

One approach to AI uses a process called machine learning. In machine learning, a computer model is built to predict what may happen in the real world. The model is taught to analyze and recognize patterns in a data set. This training enables the model to then make predictions about new data. Some AI programs can also teach themselves to ask new questions and make novel connections between pieces of information.

“Computer models and humans can really work well together to improve human health,” explains Dr. Grace C.Y. Peng, an NIH expert on AI in medicine. “Computers are very good at doing calculations at a large scale, but they don’t have the intuitive capability that we have. They’re powerful, but how helpful they’re going to be lies in our hands.”

Researchers are exploring ways to harness the power of AI to improve health care. These include assisting with diagnosing and treating medical conditions and delivering care.

We don’t have a cure for Parkinson’s disease yet, but a recently discovered mutation in mitochondrial DNA that seems to protect the body against the condition could one day point the way to one. Discovered in a small protein called SHLP2, the genetic variant is relatively rare – found in just 1 percent of Europeans. Yet an analysis of the health records of 16,167 people led by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) suggests…

This is definitely a good find. Helping the brain can help a lot as well as reducing inflammation. I’ll make use of the meditation feature of my Pixel watch.

The brain doesn’t always stay the same. Mental disorders, health issues, and lifestyle habits can alter the way it looks and works.