[CNN] MAN WITH PARALYSIS WALKS NATURALLY AFTER BRAIN, SPINE IMPLANTS
New research reveals how a medical device helped one man with paralysis walk naturally again, more than a decade after an injury.
Dr. Grégoire Courtine and colleagues from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne developed and implanted a “brain-spine interface” that creates a direct neurological link between the brain and spinal cord. Implants in the brain track intentions for movement, which are wirelessly transferred to a processing unit that a person wears externally, like a backpack. The intentions are translated into commands that the processing unit sends back through the second implant to stimulate muscles.
The research findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, outline successful outcomes for one study participant from the Netherlands. ... Oskam said he can walk at least 100 meters (about 330 feet), depending on the day, and stand without using his hands for a few minutes. He said it’s useful in his daily life, like when he recently had something to paint but had no one to help, so he stood and did it himself.
Previous research has shown that targeted electrical pulses can stimulate areas of the leg needed to walk. But this new technology allows for smoother movements and better adaptations to changing terrain because it reconnects two regions of the central nervous system that were interrupted because of a spinal cord injury, according to the researchers. ... Courtine said this stimulation is different because Oskam has “full control over the parameter of stimulation, which means that he can stop, he can walk, he can climb up staircases.”
After surgeries to implant the devices, the neurological communication channels were established quickly. Oskam was taking steps within a day of training. ... And the connection has remained reliable for more than a year, including time Oskam spent at home. Walking independently with aid from the “digital bridge” has also helped him regain enough strength to take some steps even when it is turned off. ...https://us.cnn.com/2023/05/24/health...4KYNnTkb6Bpk50
New research reveals how a medical device helped one man with paralysis walk naturally again, more than a decade after an injury.
Dr. Grégoire Courtine and colleagues from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne developed and implanted a “brain-spine interface” that creates a direct neurological link between the brain and spinal cord. Implants in the brain track intentions for movement, which are wirelessly transferred to a processing unit that a person wears externally, like a backpack. The intentions are translated into commands that the processing unit sends back through the second implant to stimulate muscles.
The research findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, outline successful outcomes for one study participant from the Netherlands. ... Oskam said he can walk at least 100 meters (about 330 feet), depending on the day, and stand without using his hands for a few minutes. He said it’s useful in his daily life, like when he recently had something to paint but had no one to help, so he stood and did it himself.
Previous research has shown that targeted electrical pulses can stimulate areas of the leg needed to walk. But this new technology allows for smoother movements and better adaptations to changing terrain because it reconnects two regions of the central nervous system that were interrupted because of a spinal cord injury, according to the researchers. ... Courtine said this stimulation is different because Oskam has “full control over the parameter of stimulation, which means that he can stop, he can walk, he can climb up staircases.”
After surgeries to implant the devices, the neurological communication channels were established quickly. Oskam was taking steps within a day of training. ... And the connection has remained reliable for more than a year, including time Oskam spent at home. Walking independently with aid from the “digital bridge” has also helped him regain enough strength to take some steps even when it is turned off. ...https://us.cnn.com/2023/05/24/health...4KYNnTkb6Bpk50
FEELING THE UNSEEN: AMPUTEES REDISCOVER LOST SENSATIONS THROUGH GROUNDBREAKING TECHNOLOGY
Researchers have developed a groundbreaking bionic technology that allows amputees to feel the temperature of objects with their phantom limb, providing a sense of reconnecting to the missing limb. By using thermal electrodes (thermodes) placed on the residual arm to non-invasively provide temperature feedback, patients can feel if an object is hot or cold and even discern the material of the object, offering a more realistic touch experience with their prosthetics.
... This innovative technology empowers amputees to feel the temperature of objects, ranging from hot to cold, directly with their phantom hand. This development creates new pathways for non-invasive prosthetics.
“When I touch the stump with my hand, I feel tingling in my missing hand, my phantom hand. But feeling the temperature variation is a different thing, something important… something beautiful,” says Francesca Rossi.
Researchers have developed a groundbreaking bionic technology that allows amputees to feel the temperature of objects with their phantom limb, providing a sense of reconnecting to the missing limb. By using thermal electrodes (thermodes) placed on the residual arm to non-invasively provide temperature feedback, patients can feel if an object is hot or cold and even discern the material of the object, offering a more realistic touch experience with their prosthetics.
... This innovative technology empowers amputees to feel the temperature of objects, ranging from hot to cold, directly with their phantom hand. This development creates new pathways for non-invasive prosthetics.
“When I touch the stump with my hand, I feel tingling in my missing hand, my phantom hand. But feeling the temperature variation is a different thing, something important… something beautiful,” says Francesca Rossi.
Virtual AI Radiologist: ChatGPT Passes Radiology Board Exam
The most recent version of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed for language interpretation and response generation, has successfully passed a radiology board-style exam, demonstrating both its potential and limitations, according to research studies published in the Radiological Society of North America’s journal.
The latest version of ChatGPT passed a radiology board-style exam, highlighting the potential of large language models but also revealing limitations that hinder reliability, according to two new research studies published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). ... The questions did not include images and were grouped by question type to gain insight into performance: lower-order (knowledge recall, basic understanding) and higher-order (apply, analyze, synthesize) thinking. The higher-order thinking questions were further subclassified by type (description of imaging findings, clinical management, calculation and classification, disease associations).
The performance of ChatGPT was evaluated overall and by question type and topic. Confidence of language in responses was also assessed.
... GPT-4 answered 81% (121 of 150) of the same questions correctly, outperforming GPT-3.5 and exceeding the passing threshold of 70%. GPT-4 performed much better than GPT-3.5 on higher-order thinking questions (81%), more specifically those involving description of imaging findings (85%) and application of concepts (90%).
... “We were initially surprised by ChatGPT’s accurate and confident answers to some challenging radiology questions, but then equally surprised by some very illogical and inaccurate assertions,” Dr. Bhayana said. “Of course, given how these models work, the inaccurate responses should not be particularly surprising.”
ChatGPT’s dangerous tendency to produce inaccurate responses, termed hallucinations, is less frequent in GPT-4 but still limits usability in medical education and practice at present.
Both studies showed that ChatGPT used confident language consistently, even when incorrect. This is particularly dangerous if solely relied on for information, Dr. Bhayana notes, especially for novices who may not recognize confident incorrect responses as inaccurate. “To me, this is its biggest limitation. At present, ChatGPT is best used to spark ideas, help start the medical writing process and in data summarization. If used for quick information recall, it always needs to be fact-checked,” Dr. Bhayana said.
The most recent version of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed for language interpretation and response generation, has successfully passed a radiology board-style exam, demonstrating both its potential and limitations, according to research studies published in the Radiological Society of North America’s journal.
The latest version of ChatGPT passed a radiology board-style exam, highlighting the potential of large language models but also revealing limitations that hinder reliability, according to two new research studies published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). ... The questions did not include images and were grouped by question type to gain insight into performance: lower-order (knowledge recall, basic understanding) and higher-order (apply, analyze, synthesize) thinking. The higher-order thinking questions were further subclassified by type (description of imaging findings, clinical management, calculation and classification, disease associations).
The performance of ChatGPT was evaluated overall and by question type and topic. Confidence of language in responses was also assessed.
... GPT-4 answered 81% (121 of 150) of the same questions correctly, outperforming GPT-3.5 and exceeding the passing threshold of 70%. GPT-4 performed much better than GPT-3.5 on higher-order thinking questions (81%), more specifically those involving description of imaging findings (85%) and application of concepts (90%).
... “We were initially surprised by ChatGPT’s accurate and confident answers to some challenging radiology questions, but then equally surprised by some very illogical and inaccurate assertions,” Dr. Bhayana said. “Of course, given how these models work, the inaccurate responses should not be particularly surprising.”
ChatGPT’s dangerous tendency to produce inaccurate responses, termed hallucinations, is less frequent in GPT-4 but still limits usability in medical education and practice at present.
Both studies showed that ChatGPT used confident language consistently, even when incorrect. This is particularly dangerous if solely relied on for information, Dr. Bhayana notes, especially for novices who may not recognize confident incorrect responses as inaccurate. “To me, this is its biggest limitation. At present, ChatGPT is best used to spark ideas, help start the medical writing process and in data summarization. If used for quick information recall, it always needs to be fact-checked,” Dr. Bhayana said.
Cracking the Code of Depression: New Research Sheds Light on the Neural Mechanisms Behind the Disorder
... Depression treatment is complex due to the disease’s remarkable diversity and intricacy. Drugs for depression are accessible, yet a third of patients do not react to these primary medications. Other interventions, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), have demonstrated potential in offering significant relief to patients, but past results have been inconsistent. To develop more tailored treatments and enhance patient outcomes, there’s a need for a deeper grasp of the neurophysiological underpinnings of depression.
Led by Sameer Sheth, MD, Ph.D., at Baylor College of Medicine, together with Wayne Goodman, MD, and Nader Pouratian, MD, Ph.D., the researchers collected electrophysiological recordings from prefrontal cortical regions in three human subjects, all of whom experienced severe treatment-resistant depression.
The prefrontal cortex plays a significant role in psychiatric and cognitive disorders, influencing one’s ability to set goals and form habits. These highly evolved brain regions are particularly difficult to study in non-human models, so data collected from human brain activity are particularly valuable. ... The researchers found that lower depression severity correlated with decreased low-frequency neural activity and increased high-frequency activity. They also found that changes in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) served as the best predictive area of depression severity. Beyond the ACC, and in alignment with the diverse nature of the pathways and symptoms of depression, they also identified individual-specific sets of features that successfully predicted severity. ...
... John Krystal, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, said of the work, “We now have a growing collection of approaches that can be applied to mapping the circuits and characterizing the neural codes underlying depression. This knowledge will guide next-generation brain stimulation treatments and inform the way we understand and treat depression, broadly.”
https://scitechdaily.com/cracking-th...-the-disorder/
... Depression treatment is complex due to the disease’s remarkable diversity and intricacy. Drugs for depression are accessible, yet a third of patients do not react to these primary medications. Other interventions, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), have demonstrated potential in offering significant relief to patients, but past results have been inconsistent. To develop more tailored treatments and enhance patient outcomes, there’s a need for a deeper grasp of the neurophysiological underpinnings of depression.
Led by Sameer Sheth, MD, Ph.D., at Baylor College of Medicine, together with Wayne Goodman, MD, and Nader Pouratian, MD, Ph.D., the researchers collected electrophysiological recordings from prefrontal cortical regions in three human subjects, all of whom experienced severe treatment-resistant depression.
The prefrontal cortex plays a significant role in psychiatric and cognitive disorders, influencing one’s ability to set goals and form habits. These highly evolved brain regions are particularly difficult to study in non-human models, so data collected from human brain activity are particularly valuable. ... The researchers found that lower depression severity correlated with decreased low-frequency neural activity and increased high-frequency activity. They also found that changes in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) served as the best predictive area of depression severity. Beyond the ACC, and in alignment with the diverse nature of the pathways and symptoms of depression, they also identified individual-specific sets of features that successfully predicted severity. ...
... John Krystal, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, said of the work, “We now have a growing collection of approaches that can be applied to mapping the circuits and characterizing the neural codes underlying depression. This knowledge will guide next-generation brain stimulation treatments and inform the way we understand and treat depression, broadly.”
https://scitechdaily.com/cracking-th...-the-disorder/
Revolutionizing Cultured Meat: Lab-Grown Fat Unlocks Realistic Flavor and Texture
Researchers have created lab-grown fat tissue that closely mirrors the texture and make-up of natural animal fat which could enhance the flavor and texture of cultured meat. The technique involves growing fat cells in a 2D layer, then aggregating them into a 3D mass using food-grade binders, overcoming previous challenges of cultivating fat tissue in bulk and potentially enabling mass production of more realistic lab-grown meat.
Researchers have created lab-grown fat tissue that closely mirrors the texture and make-up of natural animal fat which could enhance the flavor and texture of cultured meat. The technique involves growing fat cells in a 2D layer, then aggregating them into a 3D mass using food-grade binders, overcoming previous challenges of cultivating fat tissue in bulk and potentially enabling mass production of more realistic lab-grown meat.
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Saturn’s iconic rings are disappearing
... A new analysis of data captured by NASA’s Cassini mission, which orbited the gas giant planet between 2004 and 2017, has revealed new insights into how long the rings have been around and when they may vanish from sight. The findings have been shared in three studies published in May. ... “Our inescapable conclusion is that Saturn’s rings must be relatively young by astronomical standards, just a few hundred million years old,” said Richard Durisen, professor emeritus of astronomy at Indiana University Bloomington and lead author of both Icarus studies, in a statement.
If you look at Saturn’s satellite system, there are other hints that something dramatic happened there in the last few hundred million years. If Saturn’s rings are not as old as the planet, that means something happened in order to form their incredible structure, and that is very exciting to study.”
It’s likely the seven rings were still forming when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, according to the researchers.
... Meanwhile, as meteoroids infiltrate the rings, they push material within the innermost rings toward Saturn at a rapid rate. Cassini observed that the rings were losing many tons of mass per second, which means the rings don’t have much time left, astronomically speaking. The researchers estimate that the rings will only be around another few hundred million years at most.
Previous research has suggested that the rings may disappear within 100 million years.
... But what created Saturn’s rings in the first place? Scientists still don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that gravitational instability destroyed some of the icy moons orbiting the giant planet, creating enough material to be pulled into rings of material encircling Saturn. ...
... A new analysis of data captured by NASA’s Cassini mission, which orbited the gas giant planet between 2004 and 2017, has revealed new insights into how long the rings have been around and when they may vanish from sight. The findings have been shared in three studies published in May. ... “Our inescapable conclusion is that Saturn’s rings must be relatively young by astronomical standards, just a few hundred million years old,” said Richard Durisen, professor emeritus of astronomy at Indiana University Bloomington and lead author of both Icarus studies, in a statement.
If you look at Saturn’s satellite system, there are other hints that something dramatic happened there in the last few hundred million years. If Saturn’s rings are not as old as the planet, that means something happened in order to form their incredible structure, and that is very exciting to study.”
It’s likely the seven rings were still forming when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, according to the researchers.
... Meanwhile, as meteoroids infiltrate the rings, they push material within the innermost rings toward Saturn at a rapid rate. Cassini observed that the rings were losing many tons of mass per second, which means the rings don’t have much time left, astronomically speaking. The researchers estimate that the rings will only be around another few hundred million years at most.
Previous research has suggested that the rings may disappear within 100 million years.
... But what created Saturn’s rings in the first place? Scientists still don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that gravitational instability destroyed some of the icy moons orbiting the giant planet, creating enough material to be pulled into rings of material encircling Saturn. ...
Hidden Views of Vast Stellar Nurseries Unveiled in Epic Million-Image Mosaic
Astronomers have used VISTA to create an infrared atlas of five stellar nurseries, offering unprecedented insights into star formation and revealing previously unseen objects. The VISIONS atlas will serve as a valuable resource for years and lay the foundation for future observations.
Using the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), astronomers have created an extensive infrared atlas of five nearby stellar nurseries by combining over one million images. This atlas provides insights into the complex process of star formation and reveals previously unseen objects. The VISIONS survey captured images of star-forming regions in various constellations and observed the same areas repeatedly to study the motion of young stars. The VISIONS atlas will be valuable for astronomers for years to come and will set the groundwork for future observations with other telescopes, such as ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
Astronomers have used VISTA to create an infrared atlas of five stellar nurseries, offering unprecedented insights into star formation and revealing previously unseen objects. The VISIONS atlas will serve as a valuable resource for years and lay the foundation for future observations.
Using the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), astronomers have created an extensive infrared atlas of five nearby stellar nurseries by combining over one million images. This atlas provides insights into the complex process of star formation and reveals previously unseen objects. The VISIONS survey captured images of star-forming regions in various constellations and observed the same areas repeatedly to study the motion of young stars. The VISIONS atlas will be valuable for astronomers for years to come and will set the groundwork for future observations with other telescopes, such as ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
Researchers have found that even modest amounts of desert dust can improve the health of the ocean’s microscopic, plant-like organisms.
A new study reveals that land-based mineral dust plays a crucial role in fertilizing oceanic phytoplankton, which are essential to Earth’s climate, carbon cycle, and marine food web.
In a new study published May 5 in the journal Science, a team of researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and NASA combined satellite observations with an advanced computer model to home in on how mineral dust from land fertilizes the growth of phytoplankton in the ocean. Phytoplankton are microscopic, plant-like organisms that form the center of the marine food web.
Phytoplankton float near the ocean surface primarily subsisting on sunlight and mineral nutrients that well up from the depths or float out to sea in coastal runoff. But mineral-rich desert dust—borne by strong winds and deposited in the ocean—also plays an important role in the health and abundance of phytoplankton.
... Phytoplankton play a large role in Earth’s climate and carbon cycle. Like land plants, they contain chlorophyll and derive energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. They produce oxygen and sequester a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide in the process, potentially on a scale comparable to rainforests. And they are at the bottom of an ocean-wide food pecking order that ranges from tiny zooplankton to fish to whales.
Dust particles can travel thousands of miles before falling into the ocean, where they nourish phytoplankton long distances from the dust source, said study coauthor Lorraine Remer ...
https://scitechdaily.com/blown-away-...ls-ocean-life/
A new study reveals that land-based mineral dust plays a crucial role in fertilizing oceanic phytoplankton, which are essential to Earth’s climate, carbon cycle, and marine food web.
In a new study published May 5 in the journal Science, a team of researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and NASA combined satellite observations with an advanced computer model to home in on how mineral dust from land fertilizes the growth of phytoplankton in the ocean. Phytoplankton are microscopic, plant-like organisms that form the center of the marine food web.
Phytoplankton float near the ocean surface primarily subsisting on sunlight and mineral nutrients that well up from the depths or float out to sea in coastal runoff. But mineral-rich desert dust—borne by strong winds and deposited in the ocean—also plays an important role in the health and abundance of phytoplankton.
... Phytoplankton play a large role in Earth’s climate and carbon cycle. Like land plants, they contain chlorophyll and derive energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. They produce oxygen and sequester a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide in the process, potentially on a scale comparable to rainforests. And they are at the bottom of an ocean-wide food pecking order that ranges from tiny zooplankton to fish to whales.
Dust particles can travel thousands of miles before falling into the ocean, where they nourish phytoplankton long distances from the dust source, said study coauthor Lorraine Remer ...
https://scitechdaily.com/blown-away-...ls-ocean-life/
In the new BMW 5-series sedan, unveiled Wednesday by the German luxury automaker, drivers will be able to change lanes on the highway just by looking to the side. ... With the new BMW system, if the car’s automated driving system suggests a lane change – say, if the car ahead is going too slowly – the driver only has to look at the corresponding side mirror and the car will do the rest. The system relies on a camera mounted behind the steering to monitor the direction of the driver’s gaze.
The car’s optional Highway Assistant system allows drivers to go long distances on major highways without touching the steering wheel or pedals. This sort of feature is now offered by a number of major automakers, but BMW adds this novel capability: Drivers will be able to change lanes just by looking at one of the outside mirrors.
https://us.cnn.com/2023/05/24/busine...nge/index.html
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