New Thomas revelations unlikely to result in congressional passage of Supreme Court ethics reform
Calls to implement tougher ethics standards on Supreme Court justices are likely to be stirred again following the publication of a new report about Clarence Thomas' lifestyle, though sources in both parties say there's no chance that Congress will pass new legislation.
1970-01-01 08:00
Kentucky governor's efforts to help storm-ravaged towns may dilute GOP advantage in rural areas
Gina Thorn’s life was uprooted when a tornado tore through her Kentucky hometown of Mayfield, but her family stuck it out and now they’re homeowners
1970-01-01 08:00
Barbie banned in Kuwait as Lebanon urges action
The blockbuster falls foul of authorities over its portrayal of social values.
1970-01-01 08:00
Cats given anti-Covid pills for humans after thousands die from feline virus in Cyprus
Cats in Cyprus are being treated with anti-Covid pills meant for humans after a feline virus killed thousands of animals on the island. An estimated 8,000 cats have died from Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), prompting the government to approve the use of stockpiled human coronavirus medication. The disease is almost always lethal if left untreated, but medication is effective in around 85 per cent of cases. However, the high price of the medication made it inaccessible to vets and pet owners in Cyprus, activists said. The government’s veterinary services director, Christodoulos Pipis said the first batch of 2,000 medication packages will be used to mitigate what has been called the “FCov-2023” outbreak, with a total of 80,000 pills becoming available later. Mr Pipis told the Guardian the health ministry rolled out the treatment on 8 August, celebrated as International Cat Day. Each pill will cost €2.5 (£2.16) and can be bought at local vets’ offices, after a formal examination and diagnosis. It is hoped the move will end the outbreak, first noticed in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia in January. FIP, which spreads through contact with cat faeces, has spread across the island four months later, the Pancyprian Veterinary Association said. Local animal activists claimed FIP has killed 300,000 cats, but PVA president Nektaria Ioannou Arsenoglou called that figure an exaggeration. The disease is unrelated to Covid-19 and cannot be contracted by human beings. However, the active ingredient in anti-Covid medication Lagevrio, molnupiravir, has proven effective in treating cats who’ve contracted FIP. The feline virus has been around since 1963, Ms Arsenoglou added, but previous epidemics in the UK, US, Taiwan, and Greece remained confined to catteries and eventually fizzled out without the use of any medication. However, the outbreak in Cyprus has also affected indoor cats. Read More Maui wildfires – live: Devastating wildfire burns historic town ‘to the ground’ in Hawaii and kills 36 Wildfire devastates Hawaii's historic Lahaina Town, a former capital of the kingdom A feline virus mutation in Cyprus caused far fewer cat deaths than claimed, veterinary leader says UK man bitten by cat contracts previously unknown and ‘extensive’ bacterial infection Ukraine war live: Putin ‘considers coming face to face with world leaders’ at G20 Poland to double troops number at border with Belarus
1970-01-01 08:00
AI can predict Parkinson’s subtype with up to 95% accuracy, study suggests
Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can classify four subtypes of Parkinson’s disease with up to 95% accuracy. Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in London “trained” a computer program to recognise the subtypes of the condition using images of stem cells from patients. The team said their work, published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, could pave the way for personalised medicine and targeted drug discovery. Sonia Gandhi, assistant research director and group leader of the Neurodegeneration Biology Laboratory at the Crick, said: “We understand many of the processes that are causing Parkinson’s in people’s brains. The hope is that one day this could lead to fundamental changes in how we deliver personalised medicine Sonia Gandhi, Francis Crick Institute “But, while they are alive, we have no way of knowing which mechanism is happening, and therefore can’t give precise treatments. “We don’t currently have treatments which make a huge difference in the progression of Parkinson’s disease. “Using a model of the patient’s own neurons, and combining this with large numbers of images, we generated an algorithm to classify certain subtypes – a powerful approach that could open the door to identifying disease subtypes in life. “Taking this one step further, our platform would allow us to first test drugs in stem cell models, and predict whether a patient’s brain cells would be likely to respond to a drug, before enrolling into clinical trials. “The hope is that one day this could lead to fundamental changes in how we deliver personalised medicine.” Parkinson’s is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years. Symptoms include involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles. But there is also a wide range of other physical and psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety, problems sleeping, and memory problems. These vary from person to person due to differences in the underlying mechanisms causing the disease. The researchers said that until now, there was no way to accurately differentiate Parkinson’s subtypes. It means people are given nonspecific diagnoses and do not always have access to targeted treatments, support or care, the team added. For the study, the researchers generated stem cells, which have the ability to develop into specialised cell types in the body, from patients’ own cells. The team then used those cells to chemically create four different subtypes of Parkinson’s: two involving pathways leading to toxic build-up of a protein called alpha-synuclein and two involving pathways associated with dysfunctional mitochondria, the cell’s battery packs. Working with the British technology company Faculty AI, the team developed machine-learning algorithms which were able to accurately predict the Parkinson’s subtype when presented with images it had not seen before. James Evans, a PhD student at the Crick and UCL, and first co-author of the study, said: “Now that we use more advanced image techniques, we generate vast quantities of data, much of which is discarded when we manually select a few features of interest. “Using AI in this study enabled us to evaluate a larger number of cell features, and assess the importance of these features in discerning (the) disease subtype. “Using deep learning, we were able to extract much more information from our images than with conventional image analysis. “We now hope to expand this approach to understand how these cellular mechanisms contribute to other subtypes of Parkinson’s.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Oxford scientists find no evidence to suggest Facebook not good for wellbeing Many adults would struggle to understand video-sharing platforms’ rules – Ofcom Ozzy Osbourne PlayStation tweet which failed to reveal link to Sony banned
1970-01-01 08:00
Meat drove grocery prices up in July
Grocery prices ticked up 0.3% in July, after staying flat in June, driven largely by rising beef prices.
1970-01-01 08:00
Before-and-after satellite images show Maui wildfires damage
Catastrophic wildfires are raging across the Hawaiian island of Maui. See what the region looked like before and after the fires.
1970-01-01 08:00
US inflation ticks higher in July on housing costs
The rate of price growth rose to 3.2% in July but analysts said the underlying picture showed progress.
1970-01-01 08:00
Lakers unveil plan for Kobe Bryant statue featuring his daughter, Gigi
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statute of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, late next year.It has been over three years since Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, were tragically and prematurely lost in a helicopter crash that killed seven others. The Los Angeles Lakers have since made ev...
1970-01-01 08:00
Tapestry Plans to Use Coach Playbook to Turn Around Michael Kors
Coach owner Tapestry Inc. needs to turn around the struggling Michael Kors brand to get the most out
1970-01-01 08:00
MATCHDAY: Man City starts Premier League title defense as Spanish and French seasons also begin
The Premier League begins with champion Manchester City playing away against promoted Burnley
1970-01-01 08:00
This Upcoming Book on Phil Mickelson Is Going to Be Wild
Golf Digest has published an excerpt from Billy Watters' upcoming book Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk. Walters was convicted of insider trading in 2017. H
1970-01-01 08:00
