Posts in category: Uncategorized

In a new study, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have created the largest single-cell atlas of brain metastases from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with matched primary and extracranial metastases, enabling the discovery of key biological mechanisms driving an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in the brain distinct from that of the kidney or other metastatic sites. Findings were presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023.

The government owes the Zambian people an explanation over the mealie meal fiasco and its ramification.

As at yesterday bags of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) BAGS OF MEALIE MEAL FROM South Africa were selling in shops in Lusaka, but which bags were promptly confiscated by alleged government agents.

Three issues arise. 

Firstly, this maize meal was supposed to be in transit to border areas of our country that are facing demand pressure.  Therefore it was meant specifically for export and not domestic consumption.  This has not been the case and indeed the position was contradicted by the Minister of Finance and National planning Mr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, who clearly stated that imports were intended to assuage the critical maize meal deficit in the country.

This position was confirmed by periodic shortages of mealie meal in Lusaka and yet Lusaka is very much inland.  Clearly this GMO maize meal is already being consumed in the country.  This would appear to contradict the law, which requires strict authorization for GMO substance. This has not been done and yet the maize meal is here in circulation.

There has been an assurance from Mount Makulu regarding the safety of GMO maize meal, but such assurances contradict the law which provides for procedures of certification, before importation.  The procedures include publication of the desire to import in the media, to solicit objections or concurrence.  This was not done rendering the exercise illegal.

The current situation is totally ambiguous and is need of clarification by none other than government to assure Zambians that it is safe to consume GMO maize meal.

Secondly the government must clarify the lifting of import levies on this maize meal if indeed it is intended for export. This confirms the worry and concern by millers regarding the deleterious effect of imports on the local market, plagued by uncertainty, inconsistent supply and inadequate information.

It is reassuring that the millers met with the President who assured them of governments intention to limit market volatility which would imperil local business.

In spite of this assurance the government must spell out in no uncertain terms under what conditions imported maize meal will be sold internally otherwise unscrupulous traders will take advantage of exporting non GMO maize meal, packaged as GMO to evade law enforcement agencies and indeed take advantage of the waiver..

Lastly and most importantly the whole fiasco of this years maize shenanigans must be explained considering that exports were initially authorized by the government.  We still have trucks in the country waiting to load grain, having paid for tonnes as authorized by FRA but later withheld, a situation which may raise both legal and diplomatic problems.

These explanations are necessary to assure the Zambian people that nothing untoward can now be expected as the government struggles to stabilize the situation with regard to mealie meal supply.

At the core of the U.S. health care system there is a paradox, says Elliott Fisher, MD, MPH, a professor of health policy, medicine, and community and family medicine at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

In the fight against sepsis, one of the leading causes of death in hospitalized patients, clinicians are increasingly reliant on prediction tools trained on massive amounts of data stored in electronic health records. One of the most popular tools comes from Epic Systems and is used in more than half of United States hospitals. However, research has shown that its performance varies depending on the hospital in which it’s being used.

With the rise of TikTok, many people have wondered about its potential impacts on society, in particular surrounding mental health. According to a first-of-its-kind study from University of Minnesota Twin Cities computer science researchers, the social media platform and its unique algorithm can serve as both a haven and a hindrance for users struggling with their mental state.

More is not always better when it comes to hospital care. The same interventions that could save one patient’s life could lead to no benefit, higher hospital bills and even injury for another.

Obesity and its associated cardiometabolic issues are a major health concern in the U.S. and internationally. According to a study published in 2017, 12% of the world’s adult population was affected by obesity in 2016, double the percentage from 30 years earlier.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday warned the COVID pandemic was still volatile, saying there could be further trouble before the virus settles into a predictable pattern.

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has discovered a protein that appears to be pivotal for traumatic heterotopic ossification (HO), a condition in which bone forms in muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues after traumatic injury or surgery. The findings, published in Science Advances, could yield new ways to prevent this common complication, the researchers say.

Amid headlines about artificial intelligence’s implications for everything from education to the future of work itself, Abhinav Jha, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering and of radiology at the School of Medicine, both at Washington University in St. Louis, and his collaborators developed and evaluated two methods to quantitatively determine the realism of synthetic, or computer-generated medical images. The findings were published in the journal Physics in Medicine & Biology.