Random News Items

[JCon]

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/leaning-san-francisco-skyscraper-tilting-3-inches-year-engineers-rush-rcna11389

[Tracker]

 

 

                                        

[Noeller]

I know several people who suffer from MS, including my mother in law.....this is more great news, re: mRNA vaccines: 
 

 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/extremely-rare-photo-of-billy-the-kid-and-pat-garrett-surfaces-could-be-worth-millions

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/four-people-including-baby-found-dead-near-canada-u-s-border-rcmp-1.5747830

[FrostyWinnipeg]

Stowaway who hid in the wheel section of a cargo plane survived 11-hour flight between South Africa and Amsterdam, police say. https://nbcnews.to/3IBgVCT

[blue_gold_84]

Not at all surprising. These people are scum.

[Tracker]

2 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Not at all surprising. These people are scum.

And they represent about 3% of truckers, but it doesn't take many skunks to make a big stink.

[iHeart]

https://www.tmz.com/2022/01/29/dr-oz-help-man-collapsed-unconscious-republican-caucus-meeting/

 

I couldn't put it in the US politics thread (he hasn't won yet)

[Tracker]

This Breakthrough Cancer Treatment Has Prevented Leukemia Relapse for Over a Decade

Doug Olson was 49 years old with a wife and four kids when he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 1996. His initial treatments were pretty successful, but by 2010 almost 50 percent of his bone marrow was cancerous again.

That’s when he enrolled into a clinical trial of a new cancer therapy led by his oncologist, David Porter from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, together with one other patient. The experimental treatment, also known as CAR T-cell therapy, would tweak Olson's own immune cells to spot and kill leukemia cells, and reintroduce them into his body through blood infusion—something that previously showed promise only in trials on mice.

Olson started physically feeling the results after just a couple of weeks. “That’s when Dr. Porter came into my hospital room and he announced, hot off the press, that 18 percent of my white cells were CAR T-cells,” Olson said during a press conference Tuesday. “I will tell you that moment, I was absolutely convinced that this thing was working and that I was gonna be okay.”

The next week, Porter told Olson the clinicians couldn’t find a single cancer cell in his body.

It’s been more than 10 years now, and Olson is still cancer free.

In a peer-reviewed study published today, in the journal Nature, Porter and the clinicians who followed Olson’s journey document the experimental treatment and its results. The findings show that even after ten years, Olson and the other patient have remained cancer-free thanks to CAR T-cell therapy—validating its incredible efficacy and opening the door for its use in many more cases of leukemia and other cancers in the future.

“It was an exciting new therapy, but we've all been involved in many, many, many, many different new therapies and it is rare to hit on something to work so dramatically,” said Porter, lead author of the new paper. “The responses have been beyond our, certainly my, wildest expectations.”

T-cells are an essential component of the immune system. They can both direct other immune cells to attack invading pathogens, as well as kill pathogens themselves. T-cells live for a very long time, and can form a lifelong memory of what they’ve recognized before, like from viral exposure in childhood.

In CAR T-cell therapy for cancer, a patient’s own T-cells are collected and genetically engineered to produce a molecule called a Chimeric Antigen Receptor, or CAR. These CARs enable the T-cells to identify cancer cells with a laser-eyed focus and eliminate them. Millions upon millions of CAR T-cells are made in the lab, and then re-inserted in the patient through a blood infusion. In theory, CAR T-cells should be able to swoop in and clear out tumor cells with extreme precision and speed. And since they retain such good memory and can circulate in the body for a long time, they should be able to prevent the same cancer from popping up again.

But Porter and his colleagues were stunned to see the therapy prevent a resurgence of cancer cells for such a long time in this latest study, given the high rate of remission for leukemia. They suspect CAR T-cells evolve within patients over time to learn better ways to hunt down tumor cells.

“[CAR T-cells are] wearing multiple hats,” Joseph Melenhorst, a UPenn immunologist and co-author of the new paper, told reporters Tuesday. “We've called these cells, you know, a living therapy. The major finding that shows in this paper is that 10 years down the road, you can find them, but they have evolved.”

The researchers don’t know if there are still leukemia cells forming in Olson’s body and simply being rapidly killed by the CAR T-cells on patrol; or whether there has truly been an absence of cancerous activity in the patient since 2010. What they do know, however, is that when Olson’s CAR T-cells were taken out of his body and confronted with leukemia in the lab, they were still able to kill.

Since that clinical trial in 2010, CAR T-cell therapy has now been FDA approved for six different indications, and acute leukemia is treated routinely with this therapy worldwide. But these are the first results to establish how long-lasting it could work for the tens of thousands who’ve already been treated.

The major barrier for patients, unfortunately, is price. CAR T-cell therapy can cost anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000. Researchers are trying to create less expensive over-the-counter therapies that have the same approach, with cells made from other donors in large amounts.

Then, hopefully, it’ll be possible to expand this therapy to tackle solid cancers too, like breast cancer, lung cancer, or pancreatic cancer. Trials are currently underway, but the results so far haven’t been particularly encouraging.

And although the two cases explored in the new paper have had very positive outcomes, the long-term effects of CAR T-cell therapy still need more extensive study. Some patients report worse side-effects because CAR T-cells do have some unique toxicities. Even Olson’s positive outcome was tempered by a bout with tumor lysis syndrome, where the rapid destruction of cancer cells leads to an adverse immune reaction and causes flu-like symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and joint pains.

And there are some instances where the CAR T-cells lose some of their efficacy, especially in trials against solid tumors.

“The biology of long-lived persisting CAR T-cells isn’t fully understood,” Sara Ghorashian, a CAR T-cell researcher from University College London who was not involved in the study, told The Daily Beast. It’s not entirely clear yet why some patients will see CAR T-cells that last for years, while others might experience fading efficacy in less than six months.

A host of unknown factors could be at play, and Ghorashian cautioned against extrapolating the findings to all CAR T therapy settings.

Still, within the span of a decade, CAR T-cells have broken out as a game-changing form of cancer treatment. And findings like Porter’s and his colleague’s will only fuel more efforts to learn more about how this therapy works and how we can make it accessible to more patients who are fighting for their lives.

CAR T-Cell Therapy Prevented Leukemia Cancer Remission in Patients for Over 10 Years (thedailybeast.com)

[iHeart]

this is incredible probably the biggest shipwreck find since the titanic (unless there have been others since that)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10470553/Shipwreck-confirmed-Captain-Cooks-Endeavour-22-year-search.html

[FrostyWinnipeg]

After performing the autopsy of a woman who died after a cesarean section in a clinic in Mexicali, the medical examiner classified the death as undetermined after they discovered the body was delivered with no organs. http://4.nbcla.com/JyZjRtg

[FrostyWinnipeg]

On 2022-02-03 at 9:43 AM, iHeart said:

this is incredible probably the biggest shipwreck find since the titanic (unless there have been others since that)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10470553/Shipwreck-confirmed-Captain-Cooks-Endeavour-22-year-search.html

Bismarck, Erebus & Terror.

Still missing is Amelia Earhart's plane and MH370

[Tracker]

A new HIV vaccine is in phase one trials. But scientists aren't holding their breath just yet.  Years of false starts have made hopeful researchers wary of claims that an HIV vaccine is finally here


Future historians studying the 2020s may disagree about many things, but it is safe to assume all of them will agree that the COVID-19 pandemic was transformative. It has changed the way we socialize and do business, led to collective trauma and was likely a critical factor in President Joe Biden's election. When it comes to humanity's ongoing war against infectious diseases, this pandemic accelerated development of a new vaccine platform known as mRNA technology, one that scientists believe could some day be used against everything from malaria and tuberculosis to all strains of influenza. There was even an early hopeful sign with HIV vaccine research, with researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announcing in December that an experimental mRNA vaccine had successfully treated an HIV-virus relative in mice and rhesus macaques.

Now Moderna — which, along with Pfizer/BioNTech, was one of the first pharmaceutical companies to develop a successful COVID-19 vaccine — has announced that it is in phase one of a clinical trial for an HIV vaccine. Just as they did when fighting COVID-19, Moderna is using mRNA technology to develop this new vaccine. The fact that it is in phase one means that they are still very early in developing the inoculation, but are confident enough in its safety and potential effectiveness that they were willing to put experimental shots in people's arms. Nor is Moderna working alone on this: The trial, known as IAVI G002, is being conducted in partnership with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and is partially funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

[Tracker]

This New Implant Reversed Paralysis Within a Single Day. Three paralyzed patients regained the ability to walk, cycle, and even swim.

For years now, researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne have been working on a groundbreaking approach to reverse paralysis in people with spinal cord injuries, by reactivating dormant neurons with electrical stimulation.

The treatment has now taken a massive leap forward, thanks to new findings published in Nature Medicine in which vertebrae implants restored the ability to walk and move around in three paralyzed patients—all in just a matter of hours.

“All three patients were able to stand, walk, pedal, swim and control their torso movements in just one day, after their implants were activated,” Grégoire Courtine, a neuroscientist at EPFL and senior author of the new study, said in a press release.

Past versions of the implants have successfully helped paralyzed patients to some extent. But the newest versions tested in this study utilize an AI-powered software that automatically applies stimulation in specific ways based on the patient’s own injury as well as what kind of physical activity they’re looking to do.

That opens up a wider range of possible movements. Each of the three patients were able to not just walk around, but also cycle around in a moving vehicle and swim in the water. All patients have to do is select a desired activity from a tablet, and a pacemaker in the abdomen will relay signals that let the implants know which neurons in what regions of the spine need to be stimulated so the legs and body can move accordingly.

One of the patients, Michel Roccati, an Italian man paralyzed from a motorcycle accident, described using the implants with the aid of a walker to take his first steps forward in four years.

“The first few steps were incredible—a dream come true,” he said in a press release. “I can now go up and down stairs, and I hope to be able to walk one kilometer by this spring.”

A great deal more testing among a larger group of participants is needed to fully demonstrate how effective the implants are in reversing paralysis. Courtine and his colleagues will also need to improve the AI software so it’s able to treat a more diverse range of injuries as well.

But so far, the fast action of the implants has changed the lives of the three patients overnight, and has enabled rapid progress in regaining muscle mass and independent movement over just a few months. The ultimate goal is to use this technology to fully rehabilitate patients so the injuries are fully healed and the implants are no longer needed. For now, things are moving in a very encouraging direction. 

[Tracker]

Quantum Theory Proves That Consciousness Moves To Another Universe After Death

A book titled “Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to Understanding the Nature of the Universe” has stirred up the Internet, because it contained a notion that life does not end when the body dies, and it can last forever. The author of this publication, scientist Dr. Robert Lanza who was voted the 3rd most important scientist alive by the NY Times, has no doubts that this is possible.
Lanza is an expert in regenerative medicine and scientific director of Advanced Cell Technology Company. Before he has been known for his extensive research which dealt with stem cells, he was also famous for several successful experiments on cloning endangered animal species. But not so long ago, the scientist became involved with physics, quantum mechanics and astrophysics. This explosive mixture has given birth to the new theory of biocentrism, which the professor has been preaching ever since. Biocentrism teaches that life and consciousness are fundamental to the universe. It is consciousness that creates the material universe, not the other way around.
Lanza points to the structure of the universe itself, and that the laws, forces, and constants of the universe appear to be fine-tuned for life, implying intelligence existed prior to matter. He also claims that space and time are not objects or things, but rather tools of our animal understanding. Lanza says that we carry space and time around with us “like turtles with shells.” meaning that when the shell comes off (space and time), we still exist.
The theory implies that death of consciousness simply does not exist. It only exists as a thought because people identify themselves with their body. They believe that the body is going to perish, sooner or later, thinking their consciousness will disappear too. If the body generates consciousness, then consciousness dies when the body dies. But if the body receives consciousness in the same way that a cable box receives satellite signals, then of course consciousness does not end at the death of the physical vehicle. In fact, consciousness exists outside of constraints of time and space. It is able to be anywhere: in the human body and outside of it. In other words, it is non-local in the same sense that quantum objects are non-local.

Quantum Theory Proves That Consciousness Moves To Another Universe After Death - Science And Nature (sci-nature.vip)

[Mark F]

Interesting.

 

"B.C.’s cannabis regulations state that if a corporation is liable for a fine, a director who authorizes or allows the contravention is also liable for the penalty."

 

"Quantum Theory Proves That Consciousness Moves To Another Universe After Death"

 

the little I know about physics, there seems to be a point where  there isnt much difference from some religions. Not the christian, Jewish, Islamic.

the idea that something can be in two places at once.....

Edited February 10, 2022 by Mark F

[Tracker]

2 hours ago, Mark F said:

Interesting.

 

"B.C.’s cannabis regulations state that if a corporation is liable for a fine, a director who authorizes or allows the contravention is also liable for the penalty."

"Quantum Theory Proves That Consciousness Moves To Another Universe After Death"

the little I know about physics, there seems to be a point where  there isnt much difference from some religions. Not the christian, Jewish, Islamic.

the idea that something can be in two places at once.....

Quantum physics are not theoretical, but have become hard science. Quantum physics were used in designing the electronics underlying cellphones, computers and so forth. BTW, the Catholic Church has acknowledged bilocation for centuries  in lives of their saints. There is a wonderful book, "The Holographic Universe" which offers a coherent explanation of not only quantum phenomena, miracles, consciousness, and psychic phenomena.

[Mark F]

43 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Quantum physics are not theoretical, but have become hard science. Quantum physics were used in designing the electronics underlying cellphones, computers and so forth. BTW, the Catholic Church has acknowledged bilocation for centuries  in lives of their saints. There is a wonderful book, "The Holographic Universe" which offers a coherent explanation of not only quantum phenomena, miracles, consciousness, and psychic phenomena.

Nobody really understands gravity, but we use it every day, and can make calculations based on its effects.
 

Even their patron saint Feynman said 

"If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you dont understand quantum mechanics.

 

but... there are no end of actual scientists on different sides of this.The former head of the Harvard physics dpt. Says there is a ton of nonsense going around in the field.
 

Although I find it interesting, I am many levels below smart enough to have a useful opinion.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Mark F

[FrostyWinnipeg]

Prince Andrew settles sexual abuse case with Virginia Giuffre, will donate to her charity

[FrostyWinnipeg]

Relatives of 9 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre have reached a historic settlement with Remington, the maker of the rifle used in the shooting, attorneys for the families say. https://nbcnews.to/3Jtm2oX

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Prince Andrew settles sexual abuse case with Virginia Giuffre, will donate to her charity

Dumb bastard should have given her a useless castle before the **** hit the fan.

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Prince Andrew settles sexual abuse case with Virginia Giuffre, will donate to her charity

I fear this will end the criminal prosecution against Randy Andy.

42 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Relatives of 9 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre have reached a historic settlement with Remington, the maker of the rifle used in the shooting, attorneys for the families say. https://nbcnews.to/3Jtm2oX

It still amazes and saddens me about how, in the US, money salves all wounds and how few go to prison. A commentary on American society, i guess.

[Tracker]

Alec Baldwin Sued By Family Of 'Rust' Cinematographer Killed On Set

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of a cinematographer shot and killed on the set of the film “Rust” is suing Alec Baldwin and the movie’s producers for wrongful death, their attorneys said Tuesday.

Lawyers for the family of Halyna Hutchins announced the lawsuit filed in New Mexico in the name of Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, and their son, Andros, at a Los Angeles news conference.

At least three other lawsuits have been filed over the shooting, but this is the first directly tied to one of the two people shot.

The “reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures” of Baldwin and the film’s producers “led to the death of Halyna Hutchins,” attorney Brian Pannish said.