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When fat accumulates in the liver, the immune system may assault the organ. Research identifies the molecule that trips these defenses, a discovery that helps to explain the dynamics underlying liver damage that can accompany type 2 diabetes and obesity. Researchers mimicked these human metabolic diseases by genetically altering mice or feeding them a high-fat, high-sugar diet. They then examined changes within the arm of the rodent's immune system that mounts defenses tailored to specific threats. When misdirected back on the body, this immune response, which involves B and T cells, damages the organs and tissues it is meant to...

Can you eat your way out of a kidney disease? Perhaps you can—according to a new study. Associate Professor Markus Rinschen has shown that the intake of the amino acid lysine, an over-the-counter food supplement, protects laboratory animals from kidney damage. The study was primarily conducted on rats with high blood pressure—hypertension—and associated kidney disease. But a small pilot study confirms that the amino acid could have similar effect in humans, without definite evidence for clinical effects on kidney disease. "We discovered that there is an accelerated transformation of the amino acid lysine in humans and animals with kidney disease....

Not all species that are not native to a specific location are invasive. To be considered as such, they must adapt to new areas easily and reproduce quickly. By outcompeting the native species, invasive species thrive and cause harm to the habitat and the economy. Humans have undoubtedly had a significant impact on the environment leading to catastrophic climate crises, and threatening the planet and its inhabitants. However, can we really say that humans are an invasive species? — The National Geographic Society defines an invasive species as an “organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area...

Illinois Democrat Sean Casten is very happy with his party's "historic" green energy spending. His latest financial disclosure may show why: The congressman holds up to $500,000 in a green energy company that will likely benefit from the spending.

Graffiti with a swastika in the Old City of Jerusalem 1936 The Old City of Jerusalem, a view of the Dormition Abbey, Jaffa Gate, Zion Gate, Guest embryos Looking at the Graffiti of a swastika and the inscription Hitler in English on a stone wall. Old City alleys, Policemen patrol the place. (From the Sherman Greenberg film collection) [Jan 1, 1936]https://jfc.org.il/news_journal/112166-2/114002-2/[Note:Hitler spelled Hiteler and the swastika spray painted at Zion gate. Beneath, the Star of David is deleted. Hence, done by Arabs]

We had rain today. It was beautiful. When was the last time you intentionally stayed out in the rain to get wet? I spent an hour laying in this hammock in a deluge of rain we have not had for a while.

“God’s Open, Narrow Door” (Luke 13:22-30)In our text today, someone asks Jesus a question: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” Well, that seems like a reasonable question, something you might ask a visiting rabbi. An interesting academic question, to be sure: “Are only a few people going to be saved?” But what was the question behind the question? Why did the guy ask this? Let’s consider the possibilities. Was it just idle curiosity, like, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” Could be. Or maybe this fellow thinks God is too loose, letting in...

California health officials Friday confirmed they are avoiding using the term "monkeypox" and will now refer to it as "mpox" or “MPX.”

Kidney cancer encompasses a wide spectrum and can present with extensive metastases or just a handful. However, today all patients are treated the same. They all receive medication. Investigators report the results of a clinical trial exploring the role of stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SAbR) for patients with a handful of metastases, or so-called oligometastatic disease. The study represents the first clinical trial for patients with untreated oligometastatic kidney cancer. Each year brings more than 430,000 new cases of kidney cancer worldwide and nearly 180,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. About 40% of patients develop metastatic disease. Metastatic...

I don’t often read food reviews, but when the article concerns one of your favorites, you just can’t resist, right? Well, as a Chicagoan, when I saw an internet article come up on my screen, by a newcomer to Chicago reviewing the best of Chicago’s Italian Beef sandwiches, I naturally had to click on it. I didn’t expect to find a political meaning in the piece – and frankly, I’m quite sure that the writer didn’t intend any political undertone either – but there it was, in the subtext, for anyone who knows Chicago. The Italian beef is a great...

Air Force Global Strike Command test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile Aug. 16, several days after delaying the test to avoid stoking tensions with China. The launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., took place at 12:49 a.m. Pacific time. The ICBM reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, AFGSC announced in a press release. Airmen from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and Sailors from the Navy’s Strategic Communications Wing executed the launch on board a Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft using the Airborne Launch Control...

A randomized, double blind human clinical trial reveals that supplementation with GlyNAC—a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine—improves many age-associated defects in older humans and powerfully promotes healthy aging. This is relevant because until now, there have been no solutions toward improving many of these age-related declines in people. The study shows that older humans taking GlyNAC for 16-weeks improved many characteristic defects of aging. This includes oxidative stress, glutathione deficiency and multiple aging hallmarks affecting mitochondrial dysfunction, mitophagy, inflammation, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, genomic damage, stem cell fatigue and cellular senescence. These were associated with improvements in muscle strength, gait...

It is well-known TikTok is owned by Beijing-based technology company ByteDance, which was founded in 2012 by Chinese billionaire Zhang Yiming. For this reason, President Trump announced he was going to ban TikTok. Trump wisely issued three Executive Orders banning American businesses from working with TikTok (or WeChat). President Trump did not allow any branch of the Federal government to use the CCP’s TikTok. Joe Biden revoked President Trump’s TikTok Executive Orders in June of 2021. Even the head of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requested Apple and Google in June to remove TikTok from their app stores due...

A federal judge Thursday issued a permanent injunction against the Biden administration’s pause of new oil and gas leasing in federal lands.The injunction applies to the 13 states that sued the Biden administration over the moratorium in March 2021, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.Terry Doughty, the U.S. district judge for the Western District of Louisiana, ruled that the White House overreached in the ban.President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14008 on Jan. 27, 2021, banning all new oil and natural gas leases on federal lands and offshore waters. The...

When pharmacists dispense tablets or capsules they commonly advise when and how often to take them, and if this needs to be with or without food. You generally don't hear them tell you to lean to one side when swallowing. But preliminary research from Johns Hopkins University in the United States suggests this might improve how fast your medicine is absorbed and gets to work. The results are based on a computer simulation, rather than in actual patients, and may not equate to the real world. So it's too early to suggest you strike a yoga pose when taking your...

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Republicans have found success in Democratic strongholds like Maryland and Massachusetts when they have fielded moderate candidates who could appeal to voters in both parties. With Democrats facing headwinds this year, Republicans had hoped that strategy could pay off yet again. But Republican voters have nominated loyalists of former President Donald Trump in several Democratic states, including Maryland and Connecticut, making the GOP’s odds of winning those general election races even longer. Massachusetts will face its own test next month as GOP voters decide between a Trump-backed conservative and a more moderate Republican for the party's...

President Donald Trump endorsed Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz's reelection campaign on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. "Rep. Matt Gaetz is a relentless Fighter for the incredible people of Florida’s 1st Congressional District!" Trump posted. "Matt is a Champion of our MAGA Agenda, who tirelessly works to Drain the Swamp, Secure the Border, Support our Brave Veterans and Law Enforcement, Defend the Second Amendment, Stand Up to the Woke Mob, and Fight the Never-Ending Witch Hunts from the Radical Left that are destroying our Country!" Trump added that Gaetz "puts America First" and "has my Complete and Total Endorsement."...

The daughter of a close ally to Russia's President Vladimir Putin has reportedly been killed near Moscow.According to state media, Darya Dugina died after her car exploded in flames while she was travelling home. It is not clear if her father, the Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin who is known as "Putin's brain," was the intended target of an attack. Mr Dugin is a prominent ultra-nationalist ideologue who is believed to be close to the Russian president. According to Russian media outlet 112, the pair were due to travel back from an event on Saturday evening in the same car before...

The controversial online influencer and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate has been banned from Meta platforms Instagram and Facebook. Tate, a former kickboxer and reality TV star, was removed for violating Meta policies “on dangerous organizations and individuals”, the company confirmed by email. Tate first rose to prominence after appearing on the TV show Big Brother in 2016, when he was removed from the series after a video of him beating a woman outside the show surfaced. Since then, he has garnered backlash for his posts across social media, which domestic abuse charities have called “extreme misogyny”. He stated on Twitter...

Some of the wealthiest celebrities reportedly took advantage of the Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans offered by the U.S. government designed to aid desperate businesses hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic wreaked havoc on working-class citizens and forced millions of businesses around the globe to close, yet recent findings indicate that wealthy celebrities took advantage of PPP loans in spite of their wealth, according to the Daily Mail. Some of the reported celebrities included Tom Brady, Khloe Kardashian, Reese Witherspoon, Kanye West and Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul, according to Daily Mail. Kanye West’s apparel company, Yeezy LLC, reportedly borrowed...