According to a study deep learning model is known to provide rapid detection of stroke-causing blockages. Large vessel occlusions are blockages in the arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the brain. These account for a significant proportion of ischemic strokes, the most common type of stroke. Prompt diagnosis is critical in its treatment. Currently CT angiography (CTA) is the gold standard for detecting these occlusions, but is not always available. Matthew T. Stib, MD, a radiology resident at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, together with his colleagues, explored the use of a sophisticated type of artificial intelligence (AI) called deep learning, to help rapidly detect these blockages. The model has already proven to be extremely effective and, once fully developed, could be a useful asset in medical centres or hospitals that don’t have the expertise for reading large vessel occlusion CTA images.
Ventilation Systems May Increase Risk of COVID-19 Exposure
A team from the University of Cambridge found that widely-used ‘mixing ventilation’ systems, which are designed to keep conditions uniform in all parts of the room, disperse airborne contaminants evenly throughout the space. These contaminants may include droplets and aerosols, potentially containing viruses. The evidence increasingly indicates that the virus is spread primarily through larger droplets and smaller aerosols, which are expelled when we cough, sneeze, laugh, talk or breathe. In addition, the data available so far indicate that indoor transmission is far more common than outdoor transmission, which is likely due to increased exposure times and decreased dispersion rates for droplets and aerosols. The research was published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.
Researchers Develop New Compound for Treating Cancer
It has been known for a while now that a protein called Aurora (more precisely: Aurora-A kinase) often causes cancer. The dream of many scientists is therefore to develop a drug that not only inhibits the tumour-promoting protein but makes them disappear completely. A promising approach along this path could be a new class of substances with the scientific name “PROTAC.” Researchers at the universities of Würzburg and Frankfurt have now developed one for Aurora. The team was able to show that this PROTAC completely degrades the Aurora protein in cancer cells in a laboratory environment. The team hopes to open up new treatment options in the future with their research.
