Health
Brain Implant Allows Fully Paralyzed Patient to Communicate
In 2020 Ujwal Chaudhary, a biomedical engineer then on the College of Tübingen and the Wyss Middle for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, watched his pc with amazement as an experiment that he had spent years on revealed itself. A 34-year-old paralyzed man lay on his again within the laboratory, his head linked by a cable to a pc. An artificial voice pronounced letters in German: “E, A, D…”
The affected person had been recognized a couple of years earlier with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which results in the progressive degeneration of mind cells concerned in movement. The person had misplaced the power to maneuver even his eyeballs and was completely unable to speak; in medical phrases, he was in a very locked-in state.
Or so it appeared. Via Dr. Chaudhary’s experiment, the person had discovered to pick out — in a roundabout way together with his eyes however by imagining his eyes transferring — particular person letters from the regular stream that the pc spoke aloud. Letter by painstaking letter, one each minute or so, he formulated phrases and sentences.
“Wegen essen da wird ich erst mal des curry mit kartoffeln haben und dann bologna und dann gefuellte und dann kartoffeln suppe,” he wrote at one level: “For meals I need to have curry with potato then Bolognese and potato soup.”
Dr. Chaudhary and his colleagues have been dumbstruck. “I personally couldn’t consider that that is doable,” recalled Dr. Chaudhary, who’s now managing director at ALS Voice gGmbH, a neurobiotechnology firm based mostly in Germany, and who not works with the affected person.
The examine, printed on Tuesday in Nature Communications, gives the primary instance of a affected person in a totally locked-in state speaking at size with the skin world, stated Niels Birbaumer, the chief of the examine and a former neuroscientist on the College of Tübingen who’s now retired.
Dr. Chaudhary and Dr. Birbaumer performed two related experiments in 2017 and 2019 on sufferers who have been fully locked-in and reported that they have been capable of talk. Each research have been retracted after an investigation by the German Analysis Basis concluded that the researchers had solely partially recorded the examinations of their sufferers on video, had not appropriately proven particulars of their analyses and had made false statements. The German Analysis Basis, discovering that Dr. Birbaumer dedicated scientific misconduct, imposed a few of its most extreme sanctions, together with a five-year ban on submitting proposals and serving as a reviewer for the muse.
The company discovered that Dr. Chaudhary had additionally dedicated scientific misconduct and imposed the identical sanctions for a three-year interval. Each he and Dr. Birbaumer have been requested to retract their two papers, they usually declined.
The investigation got here after a whistle-blower, Martin Spüler, a researcher, raised considerations concerning the two scientists in 2018.
Dr. Birbaumer stood by the conclusions and has taken authorized motion towards the German Analysis Basis. The outcomes of the lawsuit are anticipated to be printed within the subsequent two weeks, stated Marco Finetti, a spokesman for the German Analysis Basis. Dr. Chaudhary says his legal professionals anticipate to win the case.
The German Analysis Basis has no data of the publication of the present examine and can examine it within the coming months, Mr. Finetti stated. In an e mail, a consultant for Nature Communications who requested to not be named declined to touch upon the small print of how the examine was vetted however expressed confidence with the method. “We now have rigorous insurance policies to safeguard the integrity of the analysis we publish, together with to make sure that analysis has been performed to a excessive moral commonplace and is reported transparently,” the consultant stated.
“I’d say it’s a strong examine,” stated Natalie Mrachacz-Kersting, a brain-computer interface researcher on the College of Freiburg in Germany. She was not concerned within the examine and was conscious of the beforehand retracted papers.
However Brendan Allison, researcher on the College of California San Diego, expressed reservations. “This work, like different work by Birbaumer, must be taken with an enormous mountain of salt given his historical past,” Dr. Allison stated. He famous that in a paper printed in 2017, his personal crew had described with the ability to talk with fully locked-in sufferers with primary “sure” or “no” solutions.
The outcomes maintain potential promise for sufferers in equally unresponsive conditions, together with minimally acutely aware and comatose states, in addition to the rising variety of folks recognized with ALS worldwide yearly. That quantity is projected to achieve 300,000 by 2040.
“It’s a game-changer,” stated Steven Laureys, a neurologist and researcher who leads the Coma Science Group on the College of Liège in Belgium and was not concerned within the examine. The expertise might have moral ramifications in discussions surrounding euthanasia for sufferers in locked-in or vegetative states, he added: “It’s actually nice to see this transferring ahead, giving sufferers a voice” in their very own choices.
Myriad strategies have been used to speak with unresponsive sufferers. Some contain primary pen-and-paper strategies devised by household family members. In others, a caregiver factors to or speaks the names of things and appears for microresponses — blinks, finger twitches from the affected person.
Lately a brand new methodology has taken middle stage: brain-computer interface applied sciences, which intention to translate an individual’s mind alerts into instructions. Analysis institutes, personal firms and entrepreneurial billionaires like Elon Musk have invested closely within the expertise.
The outcomes have been combined however compelling: sufferers transferring prosthetic limbs utilizing solely their ideas, and people with strokes, a number of sclerosis and different situations speaking as soon as once more with family members.
What scientists have been unable to do till now, nonetheless, is talk extensively with folks like the person within the new examine who displayed no actions by any means.
In 2017, earlier than changing into completely locked-in, the affected person had used eye actions to speak together with his household. Anticipating that he would quickly lose even this capability, the household requested for an alternate communication system and approached Dr. Chaudhary and Dr. Birbaumer, a pioneer within the area of brain-computer interface expertise, each of whom labored close by.
With the person’s approval, Dr. Jens Lehmberg, a neurosurgeon and an creator on the examine, implanted two tiny electrodes in areas of the person’s mind which are concerned in controlling motion. Then, for 2 months, the person was requested to think about transferring his arms, arms and tongue to see if these would generate a transparent mind sign. However the effort yielded nothing dependable.
Dr. Birbaumer then urged utilizing auditory neurofeedback, an uncommon method by which sufferers are skilled to actively manipulate their very own mind exercise. The person was first offered with a word — excessive or low, similar to sure or no. This was his “goal tone” — the word he needed to match.
He was then performed a second word, which mapped onto mind exercise that the implanted electrodes had detected. By concentrating — and imagining transferring his eyes, to successfully dial his mind exercise up or down — he was capable of change the pitch of the second tone to match the primary. As he did so, he gained real-time suggestions of how the word modified, permitting him to intensify the pitch when he wished to say sure or decrease it for no.
This strategy noticed fast outcomes. On the person’s first day making an attempt, he was capable of alter the second tone. Twelve days later, he succeeded in matching the second to the primary.
“That was when every part grew to become constant, and he might reproduce these patterns,” stated Jonas Zimmermann, a neuroscientist on the Wyss Middle and an creator on the examine. When the affected person was requested what he was imagining to change his personal mind exercise, he replied: “Eye motion.”
Over the subsequent 12 months, the person utilized this talent to generate phrases and sentences. The scientists borrowed a communication technique that the affected person had used together with his household when he might nonetheless transfer his eyes.
They grouped letters into units of 5 colours. A computerized voice first listed the colours, and the person replied “sure” or “no,” relying on whether or not the letter he wished to pick out was in that set. The voice then listed out every letter, which he chosen in related style. He repeated these steps set by set, letter by letter, to articulate full sentences.
On the second day of his spelling endeavor he wrote: “First I wish to thank Niels and his birbaumer.”
A few of his sentences concerned directions: “Mother head therapeutic massage” and “everybody should use gel on my eyes extra typically.” Others described cravings: “Goulash soup and candy pea soup.”
Of the 107 days that the person spent spelling, 44 resulted in intelligible sentences. And whereas there was nice variability in pace, he wrote at about one character per minute.
“Wow, it blew my thoughts,” stated Dr. Mrachacz-Kersting. She speculated that locked-in sufferers who can hold their minds stimulated might expertise longer, more healthy lives.
Dr. Mrachacz-Kersting emphasised, nonetheless, that the examine was based mostly on one affected person and would must be examined on many others.
Different researchers additionally expressed warning in embracing the findings.
Neil Thakur, chief mission officer of the ALS Affiliation, stated, “This strategy is experimental, so there’s nonetheless quite a bit we have to study.”
At this stage the expertise can also be far too advanced for sufferers and households to function. Making it extra user-friendly and dashing up communication pace will probably be essential, Dr. Chaudhary stated. Till then, he stated, a affected person’s family members will most likely be happy.
“You may have two choices: no communication or communication at one character per minute,” he stated. “What do you select?”
Maybe the largest concern is time. Three years have handed because the implants have been first inserted within the affected person’s mind. Since then, his solutions have grow to be considerably slower, much less dependable and infrequently unimaginable to discern, stated Dr. Zimmermann, who’s now caring for the affected person on the Wyss Middle.
The reason for this decline is unclear, however Dr. Zimmermann thought it most likely stemmed from technical points. As an example, the electrodes are nearing the tip of their life expectancy. Changing them now, nonetheless, can be unwise. “It’s a dangerous process,” he stated. “Unexpectedly you’re uncovered to new sorts of micro organism within the hospital.”
Dr. Zimmermann and others on the Wyss Middle are growing wi-fi microelectrodes which are safer to make use of. The crew can also be exploring different noninvasive methods which have proved fruitful in earlier research on sufferers who should not locked-in. “As a lot as we need to assist folks, I feel it’s additionally very harmful to create false hope,” Dr. Zimmermann stated.
On the similar time, Dr. Laureys of the Coma Science Group stated there can be no worth in fostering a way of “false despair” when viable improvements have been showing on the horizon.
“I’m extraordinarily excited as a caregiver, as a clinician,” he stated. “I feel it’s fantastic that we provide these new scientific insights and expertise to very weak and dramatic situations.”
Health
Scientists May Be Able to Make Grapefruits Compatible With Medications They Currently Interfere With
You may be among the millions of people who have seen a surprisingly specific warning like this on the labels of drugs you take:
Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication.
Such warnings are issued for dozens of substances, including docetaxel, a cancer drug; erythromycin, an antibiotic; and some statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to more than a third of American adults over 40.
The problem is a set of molecules, furanocoumarins. High levels of furanocoumarins interfere with human liver enzymes, among other processes. In their presence, medications can build up to unhealthy levels in the body. And grapefruits and some related citrus fruits are full of them.
But there is no such warning for other kinds of citrus, such as mandarins and other oranges. Citrus researchers at the Volcani Center in Israel reported Wednesday in the journal The New Phytologist that, by crossing mandarins and grapefruit, they’ve uncovered genes that produce furanocoumarins in some citrus fruits. It’s a finding that opens the possibility of creating grapefruit that doesn’t require a warning label.
Scientists had worked out the compounds’ structures and pieced together a basic flowchart of how they are made years ago, said Yoram Eyal, a professor at the Volcani Center. But the precise identities of enzymes catalyzing the process — the proteins that snip off a branch here, or add a piece there — remained mysterious. He and his colleagues knew that one way to identify them was to breed citrus high in furanocoumarins with those without. If the offspring of such a cross had varying levels of the substances, it should be possible, by digging into their genetics, to pinpoint the genes for the proteins.
“We were afraid to approach it, because it’s very time-consuming and it takes many years,” he said, noting how involved it can be to grow new trees from seeds and assess their genetics. “But finally, we decided we have to dive in.”
When they examined the offspring of a mandarin and a grapefruit, the researchers saw something remarkable. Fifty percent of the young plants had high levels of furanocourmains, and 50 percent had none. That particular signature meant something very specific, in terms of how the ability to make these substances is inherited.
“We saw there was only one gene that could have controlled it,” said Livnat Goldenberg, a Volcani Center researcher who is the lead author of the new study.
The researchers soon identified the gene controlling the production of furanocoumarins in leaves and fruit, which produces an enzyme called 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, or 2OGD for short. Mandarins, it turns out, have a mutated form of this gene that keeps the enzyme from functioning properly. This version cropped up in all the mandarin and orange varieties the researchers checked, explaining why they do not cause the same problems as grapefruit in people taking prescription medications. In these plants, furanocoumarin production is paused.
With gene editing technology, it should be possible to alter the gene in grapefruit as well, Dr. Eyal suggests. The team at the Volcani Center is now exploring that project.
Looking at how widespread this mutated version is in mandarins and some other citrus, the scientists speculate that some gene nearby on the genome must play an important role in a highly prized trait. A long-ago citrus breeder, selecting for some unknown quality, must have unwittingly spread this furanocoumarin-busting version of the gene to an ancestor of modern varieties of mandarins and oranges.
All these years later, that person’s work is coming to light, under the gaze of geneticists, who may, someday, put grapefruit back on the menu.
Cases of tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” are on the rise in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis, the disease commonly infects rabbits, hares and rodents. However, it is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans.
The bacteria is a “tier-1 select agent,” a classification given to agents and toxins that “present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy, critical infrastructure or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety,” per the CDC.
SUPERBUGS DUE TO ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE COULD KILL 39 MILLION PEOPLE BY 2050, LARGE STUDY FINDS
Although tularemia is relatively rare, with only 2,462 diagnoses between 2011 and 2022, cases have risen 56% compared to the prior decade (2001 to 2010), as reported in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Cases of tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” are on the rise in the U.S., according to a new report from the CDC. (iStock)
“Increased reporting of probable cases might be associated with an actual increase in human infection, improved tularemia detection or both,” the report states.
Millions of new cases of diabetes and heart disease every year are caused by sugary drinks, according to newly published research.
Tufts University in Boston led the study, which found that about 2.2 million new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease were attributed to sugar-sweetened sodas and juices each year, according to a press release.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine this week.
HEART ATTACK RISK COULD RISE WITH ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER CONSUMPTION, STUDY FINDS
The highest rates were found in Colombia, where 48% of new diabetes cases were linked to sugary drinks, and in Mexico, where nearly a third of cases were attributed to them.
Meanwhile, in Latin America, more than 24% of new diabetes cases were linked to sugary beverages, and 21% in sub-Saharan Africa, the study found.
About 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year worldwide due to consuming sugar-sweetened soda and juices, according to the findings of a new study. (iStock)
In South Africa, 27.6% of new diabetes cases and 14.6% of cardiovascular disease cases were attributed to sugary drinks.
Sugary drinks are rapidly digested, causing a spike in blood sugar levels with little nutritional value.
Sugary drinks cause blood sugar to spike because they are “rapidly digested,” the research team said.
When consumed on a long-term basis, these types of beverages, in addition to increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, can also lead to weight gain and insulin resistance, the researchers added.
Men are more likely than women to suffer the consequences of sugary drink consumption, as are younger adults compared to their older counterparts, a new study asserts. (iStock)
Professor Dariush Mozaffarian, the study’s senior author, said in a university press release, “Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations.”
He added, “Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well-equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences.”
FRIENDS, FAMILY MAY PROTECT AGAINST HEART ATTACK, STROKE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES, STUDY SUGGESTS
Certain groups are more likely to experience negative health effects from sugary drinks, including men and younger adults, the researchers noted, as news agency SWNS also noted.
New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, who was not involved in the research, said the findings were to be expected, as diets rich in added sugars are more likely to increase the risk of chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes.
When consumed on a long-term basis, these types of beverages can also lead to weight gain and insulin resistance, experts say. (iStock)
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are a major cause of added sugar in the diet and easy to overconsume, as they provide little fullness,” she told Fox News Digital.
“The high calorie content and lack of satisfaction due to little protein, fat or fiber in these drinks can lead to excess calorie consumption, which can lead to weight gain — especially gains in visceral fat (belly fat), which has been found to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes,” she went on.
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are easy to overconsume, as they provide little fullness.”
Palinski-Wade pointed out that there were some limitations to the new research.
“This was an observational study, not a causation study, and shows only an association between diets containing sugar-sweetened beverages and diabetes,” she noted.
“It does not prove that those drinks alone trigger an onset of type 2 diabetes.”
What needs to change?
To remedy the issue, the study authors called for a “multi-pronged approach,” including public health campaigns, regulations on advertising and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, the release stated.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease,” first author Laura Lara-Castor, now at the University of Washington, said in the release.
Approximately 65% of adults in the U.S. consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily. (iStock)
Mexico implemented a sugary drinks tax in 2014, which has shown to be effective in reducing consumption, the researchers stated.
“Much more needs to be done, especially in countries in Latin America and Africa, where consumption is high and the health consequences severe,” wrote Mozaffarian.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
“As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.”
Many different factors are involved in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, Palinski-Wade noted.
“As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.”
“However, reducing your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages can go a long way toward improving overall blood sugar regulation and future health.”
The new research was supported by the Gates Foundation, the American Heart Association and Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for further comment.
Indiana State Police arrest woman accused of helping man wanted for allegedly shooting deputy
2024 marks the hottest year in Iowa’s recorded history
‘Chicago’ performer celebrating a homecoming to Kansas City
Andrew Carr is questionable to play vs. Mississippi State
Louisiana lawmakers introduce essential needs kit for parents of newborns
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Trump Blames L.A. Wildfires on Newsom Using Familiar Tactics
'Deeply disgusted': GOP senator shreds Biden admin in scathing letter on new immigrant deportation shield
US Supreme Court critical of TikTok arguments against looming ban
Tiktok’s Final Appeal to the Supreme Court Didn’t Go Too Well
Drone Collision Grounds Firefighting Plane in Los Angeles
-
Business1 week agoThese are the top 7 issues facing the struggling restaurant industry in 2025
-
Culture1 week agoThe 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
-
Sports1 week agoThe top out-of-contract players available as free transfers: Kimmich, De Bruyne, Van Dijk…
-
Politics1 week agoNew Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
-
Politics1 week agoCarter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
-
Politics6 days agoWho Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health5 days agoOzempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
World1 week agoIvory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades