The Life Technology™ News Blog: 10/23/20

Friday, October 23, 2020

Glomerular diseases linked to higher risk of cardiovascular conditions

Adults with glomerular diseases—which affect the kidney's filtering units where blood is cleaned—face a high risk of developing heart problems, according to a study that will be presented online during ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined October 19-October 25.

Questionnaire-based tool measures fatigue in patients receiving dialysis

A recent study has validated a new patient-reported outcome measure that assesses fatigue in patients receiving long-term dialysis treatments. The results appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN.

'Foreign disinformation' social media campaigns linked to falling vaccination rates

'Foreign disinformation' social media campaigns are linked to falling vaccination rates, reveals an international time trends analysis, published in the online journal BMJ Global Health.

Vaccine to treat and prevent lung, bowel and pancreatic cancer shows promise in the lab

An experimental vaccine, designed to enlist the body's own immune system to target cancer cells, has shown promise for treating and preventing cancer in mice.

Nobel Prize winner says scientific research has to be 'passion-driven'

Scientists cannot be expected to drop everything they're working on to turn their attention to beating COVID-19, according to the winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe.

Scientists develop new way to test for COVID-19 antibodies

When Dr. Stephen Smith of Seattle Children's Research Institute came down with muscle aches, gastrointestinal distress and a sudden loss of smell in late February, he suspected he had COVID-19. The testing criteria had yet to be expanded to include individuals with Smith's symptoms and so he did what many scientists with his expertise would do: he developed a way to test himself.

Big data firm Palantir working with US on vaccine effort

Big data company Palantir is working with US health officials on a project to track the production and distribution of future COVID-19 vaccines.

Intel shares tumble as pandemic hits results

Computer chipmaker Intel saw shares slide Thursday after reporting weak sales for its data center and internet of things operations that overshadowed improvement in the personal computer market.

Slovakia imposes partial curfew

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic said Thursday the EU member would impose a partial curfew to battle a huge uptick in coronavirus cases.

Convalescent plasma of limited use for COVID-19: study

Plasma taken from the blood of people who have recovered from COVID-19 and given to people sick with the disease does not reduce their chances of getting seriously ill or dying, new research has found.

Placebo group: What happens after a COVID vaccine is authorized?

If a coronavirus vaccine is authorized in the United States before the end of the year, will trial participants who received a placebo rush out to get vaccinated?

Rust Belt upstart Lordstown Motors set to make Nasdaq debut

Could a new Tesla-like upstart be the savior of a once-mighty Ohio steel region ravaged by deindustrialization?

Sweden sticks to its guns as COVID cases rise

Sweden is seeing an uptick in coronavirus infections and introducing targeted measures, but the country that famously refused to lock down is sticking to its guns and insisting coercive methods are not the way to go.

Huawei sales up, but growth slows under virus, US pressure

Chinese tech giant Huawei, one of the biggest makers of smartphones and switching equipment, said Friday its revenue rose 9.9% in the first nine months of this year, but growth decelerated in the face of U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic.

Tesla 'full self-driving' vehicles can't drive themselves

Earlier this week, Tesla sent out its "full self-driving" software to a small group of owners who will test it on public roads. But buried on its website is a disclaimer that the $8,000 system doesn't make the vehicles autonomous and drivers still have to supervise it.

Computer chipmaker Intel saw shares slide Thursday after reporting weak sales for its data center and internet of things operations that overshadowed improvement in the personal computer market.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-intel-pandemic-results.html

Ultimate absentee ballot: US astronaut votes from space station

At least she didn't have to wait in line.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-ultimate-absentee-ballot-astronaut-votes.html

Hong Kong needs tougher laws to tackle wildlife crime say researchers

Hong Kong is thriving as a transnational wildlife smuggling hub because its laws are not strong enough to tackle organised crime running the lucrative trade, researchers said Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-hong-kong-tougher-laws-tackle.html