Free Republic

In an unexpected discovery, researchers have identified what appears to be a significant vascular defect in patients with moderately severe Parkinson's disease. The finding could help explain an earlier outcome of the same study, in which the drug nilotinib was able to halt motor and non-motor (cognition and quality of life) decline in the long term. The researchers say their finding suggests that blood vessel walls called the blood brain barrier, which normally act as a crucial filter to protect the brain against toxins as well as allow passage of nutrients to nourish it, doesn't work correctly in some Parkinson's...

Army officials are telling soldiers who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 that they aren't getting booted immediately, but they can't stay in the service for a career. In a memo to the force last week, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said active-duty soldiers, reservists and Guardsmen who refuse the vaccine will be "flagged," meaning they will be barred from reenlistment, promotions and potentially most schools. But soldiers won't be outright removed automatically. Hypothetically, a soldier with years left on their contract can still serve, but will see no progress in their career and will not be allowed to serve beyond...

Chronic inflammation caused by obesity may trigger the development of cells that break down bone tissue, including the bone that holds teeth in place, according to new University at Buffalo research that sought to improve understanding of the connection between obesity and gum disease. The study found that excessive inflammation resulting from obesity raises the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), a group of immune cells that increase during illness to regulate immune function. MDSCs, which originate in the bone marrow, develop into a range of different cell types, including osteoclasts (a cell that breaks down bone tissue). Bone loss...

On Friday, the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) voted to soften the language used to refer to sex offenders in the state board's standards and guidelines. The board voted 10-6 to change the term sex offenders to "adults who commit sexual offenses" in its Standards and Guidelines for the Assessment, Evaluation, Treatment and Behavioral Monitoring of Adult Sex Offenders. "The language change applies only to the SOMB Standards; the term 'sex offender’ will continue to be used in Colorado statute and the criminal justice system, including courts, law enforcement and the Colorado Sex Offender Registry. The name of the...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The families of most of those killed and wounded in the 2018 Florida high school massacre announced Monday have reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the federal government over the FBI’s failure to stop the gunman even though it had received information he intended to attack. Attorneys for 16 of the 17 killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and some of those wounded said they have reached a monetary settlement with the government over the FBI’s failure to investigate a tip it received about a month before the massacre. The 17th family...

Exposure to loud noise is the most common preventable cause of hearing loss. Research suggests that 12% or more of the world population is at risk for noise-induced loss of hearing. Loud sounds can cause a loss of auditory nerve cells in the inner ear, which are responsible for sending acoustic information to the brain, resulting in hearing difficulty. However, the mechanism behind this hearing loss is not fully understood. Now, a new study links this type of inner ear nerve damage to a condition known as endolymphatic hydrops, a buildup of fluid in the inner ear, showing that these...

To the editor: I was born and raised in England, and after many years in the U.S. I am still bewildered by how the 2nd Amendment has been manipulated by a powerful minority. ("Will Rittenhouse acquittal lead to more armed confrontations at protests?" Nov. 19) The origins of this amendment, ratified in 1789, are clearly rooted in the desire to form state militias to frustrate any perceived overreach by a stronger federal government. The progenitor was the English Bill of Rights Act of 1689, which had a provision allowing the people to bear arms and possibly protect a newly formed...

"When we pay too little attention to the underlying causes and characteristics of individuals in the criminal justice system, we make significant errors, which can lead to greater problems," Milwaukee County district attorney John Chisholm wrote in a 2019 paper about criminal justice reform. That was before Chisholm conceded Monday that he had set an "inappropriately low" bail amount earlier this month when Darrell Edward Brooks Jr., the lead suspect in Sunday's deadly car rampage in Waukesha, Wis., was arrested for domestic abuse and eluding police. Chisholm has been a leading figure among "progressive prosecutors," leftwing lawmen who favor diversionary...

Reduced levels of coenzyme A (CoA) worsen heart failure and likely help exacerbate cardiac dysfunction during heart failure, according to a new study. In addition, the findings suggest certain metabolic pathways may be disproportionately affected by reduced CoA levels. CoA is a critical molecule in the metabolism. Fluctuations in the amount of the enzyme are often observed in foundational development of many diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. Prior to this study, the link between CoA levels and heart failure had not been investigated. Using mice that lacked a specific enzyme for CoA production, physiologists at the Diabetes and Obesity...

APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) - Sunday afternoon’s incident in Waukesha is now on the minds of area parade organizers, who say the 50th annual Appleton Christmas Parade will still march down College Avenue Tuesday night. The event is set to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and Action 2 News has learned extra precautions are in place for the safety of everyone there. While a festive feeling is in downtown Appleton in anticipation of the parade, there’s also a small sense of sadness and concern after what happened just two hours to the south of the city Sunday. While it will be...

Their return felt humiliating. As men, women and children trudged exhausted through the arrivals hall of Irbil airport, camera crews mobbed them and yelled questions about why they had left Iraq in the first place. Most of the families just kept their heads down. On the outbound journey they had been hopeful, ready for the new life in Europe that travel agents had promised. But it turned out they were unwitting pawns in Europe’s latest migration battle. The repatriation flight brought them back to the place they had spent life savings trying to leave. .... Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has...

An all Indiana University School of Medicine team found that chlorthalidone was effective in lowering blood pressure in individuals with advanced kidney disease. "Kidneys are key regulators of blood pressure. When an individual has chronic kidney disease, the kidneys are unable to control blood pressure," said Agarwal. "If a person suffers from chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure, it is more likely their kidney disease will advance even further and lead to other health issues such as heart failure." Chlorthalidone was approved by the FDA in 1960 for treatment of high blood pressure or hypertension. However, it was largely...

Fears a Las Vegas strip club tryout would turn into an Astroworld-esque fiasco got officials to shut down the event, and video shows organizers openly worrying they'd end up in the same shoes as Travis Scott. Club Ice is a new strip joint in Vegas, and owners hosted open tryouts for dancers this week at Blume Lounge. We're told more than 1,000 girls signed up to show off their stuff, but interested patrons also showed up in droves to watch the dancers. Problem is, too many people crowded into Blume ... pushing in from the back and squeezing people at...

After more than a week sleeping in a frigid encampment on the border between Belarus and Poland, and an abortive foray across the frontier repelled by pepper spray and police batons, Mohammad Faraj gave up this month and retreated to a warm hotel in Minsk, capital of Belarus. Soon after, however, he watched with surprise and excitement a video report on Facebook claiming that Poland was about to open its border and urging all those who wanted to enter the European Union to gather at a gas station near the encampment that the migrants had nicknamed “the jungle.” Mr. Faraj,...

Breaking: The facility could be shut for at least four weeks in connection to the state's vaccine mandate. ONG BEACH, NY — The emergency department in Long Beach, operated by Mount Sinai South Nassau, is closing temporarily due to nursing staff shortages related to the state vaccine mandate, the hospital announced. It will shutter as of 3 p.m. on Monday. Patients in Long Beach in need of emergency care will be directed to the hospital's main campus in Oceanside. An ambulance will be stationed around the clock at the Long Beach Emergency Department during the closure. "We regret having to...

Amid health system and state COVID-19 vaccination requirements, workers have been fired for noncompliance, and some have resigned or quit. Here are stats from 40 organizations, announced since June: Note: This list was updated Nov. 22. It is not exhaustive. 1. Crouse Health fired 45 employees because of the state vaccination mandate, the Syracuse, N.Y.-based health system confirmed to Becker's. The employees are eligible for rehire if they choose to get vaccinated. 2. Centra Health in Lynchburg, Va., fired five employees because they refused to comply with the hospital's vaccination mandate, a spokesperson confirmed to Becker's. There were also 31...

Joe Biden thinks a normal Midwest family is a group of domestic terrorists if they peacefully guard their family business against rioters, arsonists, and looters. Merrick Garland says concerned parents are domestic terrorists if they attend public school board meetings to speak about the policies of the district and its academic curricula. AOC and her infamous "Squad" say that Trump-supporters who attend rallies are domestic terrorists if they show up while wearing MAGA hats. Most of the time, normal people don't need to be told what constitutes domestic terrorism. Normal Americans have seen it, again and again, on their streets...

The far-left New York Times is telling its readers that unvaccinated kids must “eat quickly” during Thanksgiving and wear masks while not eating. That was the Times’ sociopathic advice for a reader dumb enough to ask the Times for advice. “If our child, 9, and a cousin, 10, have each received one dose of the vaccine two weeks prior to Thanksgiving,” the reader asked, “is it safe for us to eat indoors? There will be about 20 guests, all vaccinated, and the 65 and older crowd have all received boosters?” Here’s the Times’ sadistic reply: I’m glad to hear that...

The NBA announced on Monday afternoon that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will receive a one-game suspension, and lose out on a game check of $284.004 as a result, for hitting Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, who received a two-game suspension and will miss out on $45,201 in game checks for his role in the incident, in the third quarter of Sunday's game. James was assessed a Flagrant-2 foul, which resulted in an automatic ejection, while Stewart was also ejected after getting two technicals for unsportsmanlike conduct during the incident. This is the first suspension of LeBron's NBA...

In China, my son had to study hard. Here in the U.S., he just needs to bring a ‘healthy snack’ to school. As a Chinese doctoral student raising a young son in the U.S., I am mystified by how American elementary schools coddle students. In China, schools are run like boot camps. What do the therapeutic comforts America showers on its youth portend for a growing competition with China? On Friday night my son came home announcing in bewilderment that he didn’t have any homework. In China students tend to receive twice as much homework on the weekend, given the...