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Scientists have identified which parts of the immune system go awry and contribute to autoimmune diseases in individuals with Down syndrome. The work adds to the research team's findings, showing that people with Down syndrome have less frequent but more severe viral infections. Studying lab specimens from volunteers with Down syndrome, the investigators identified cytokines and a B cell subtype—key players in the adaptive immune response—as the potential culprits for most autoimmunity in people with the disorder. Strikingly, the researchers found that many people with Down syndrome are in a perpetual state of inflammation comparable to those without Down syndrome...

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A family of Welsh farmers broke their own Guinness World Record when they harvested a sunflower head that weighed 14.21 pounds. Cwbran farmer Kevin Fortey, 44, grew the massive sunflower with help from his brother, Gareth; son, Jamie; and mother, Marjorie. The sunflower weighed 2.71 pounds more than the Fortey family's previous record-breaking sunflower head, which was harvested in 2021. "I was shocked by the weight of this monster flower," Fortey told Guinness World Records. The sunflower is from a family seed line called the Fortey Giant Sunflower. The family said the line stretches back more...

These are large patches on rural property. I've narrowed it down to two methods. One is to use a burner which will cost me ~$100. The other is to use a backhoe which will cost me ~$35,000. Suggestions? This is very rural property with very large patches of blackberries.

In 1985 I was a young physician in internal medicine training. In that year, pharmaceutical companies were allowed to advertise not only to physicians as had been true in the past, but were now free to promote their medications to the general public. At the time, I wondered why Pharma would want to spend more money less efficiently. Over the years, as I have observed little evidence in support of direct-to-patient marketing, the question remained. Recent events, however, have opened my eyes. At the end of January, Project Veritas released a video featuring a senior executive physician at Pfizer caught...

The father of the 43-year-old alleged Michigan State University shooter is asking lawmakers to change laws so “nobody can buy guns no more.” The Detroit News indicated that 67-year-old Michael McRae now says he does not know where his son got the two 9mm pistols he allegedly had on his person during the February 13, 2023, attack. He had originally claimed his son bought the guns at a pawn shop.

Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s, I had the opportunity to work in Senegal for several months. My very first experience in-country was that the rental vehicle wouldn’t start. While the friendly and talkative mechanic repaired the jeep, he inquired if this was my first trip to Africa. “No,” I replied. “Ahhh!” he said, “then I don’t have to explain the meaning of ‘TIA’ to you.” But I’d never heard that term or what it meant. When I asked, he explained, saying, “This is Africa; nothing works!” Indeed, in my travels, it was much the same in Latin...

Another sign of a not healthy economy is housing. New Home Sales collapsed -19.4% from January 2022 (aka, year-over-year or YoY). If I were Joe Biden, I would be touting the month-over-month numbers, up 7.20% from December to January. But the reality is that year-over-year new home sales are down -19.4%.

Russia told the West on Friday that it would view as an attack on itself any actions that threatened Russian peacekeepers in Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, one day after Moscow accused Ukraine of deploying troops near the region's border. The warning comes amid increased concerns in Moldova, a small ex-Soviet republic bordering Ukraine, of a possible Russian threat to its own independence. Its pro-European president, Maia Sandu, this month accused Moscow of plotting to overthrow Moldova's government. On Thursday, Russia accused Kyiv of planning to invade Transdniestria, which borders Ukraine. The mainly Russian-speaking territory broke from Moldova's control in 1990,...

Is it the very unseemliness of the death watch over poor Jimmy Carter that has forced everyone to talk balls? We human beings often react this way when we catch ourselves doing something that's in poor taste or otherwise undignified. We break wind in a reception line, we tell a dirty joke within earshot of a toddler, and in our mortification we turn on the motor mouth. Hovering ghoulishly over the deathbed of a celebrated stranger for endless days, as members of our nation's press corps are doing, waiting for him to hurry up and croak already and wandering the...

The Biden administration has the East Palestine, Ohio, toxic train wreck all figured out. Just blame Trump. No wonder it hasn't done jack for the battered Ohio community, whose residents had to flee their homes based on toxic fumes from the wreck, and who continue to fear for their safety as officials assure them that all's safe. After all, there's no evidence these guys actually care if they get poisoned. Why should they? If it happens, they will blame Trump. Here's how bad it is, according to a splendid editorial from Issues & Insights titled "Amtrak Joe couldn't be bothered...

Volodymyr Bieliaiev never wanted to leave his beloved Ukraine — even after Russian forces charged into his homeland on Feb. 24, 2022. But when a rocket demolished his neighbor’s house — and a family friend begged him to save his wife and daughter while he went to the front lines — the 65-year-old doctor knew it was time to go. It was just 20 days into what has become the biggest European invasion since the end of World War II. Bieliaiev, who was only allowed to leave the country because of his age, packed up what he could of his...

Poor oral health may increase the incidence of Meniere disease, according to a study. Jung-Hyun Park and colleagues examined the association between oral health and Meniere disease. Participant data were retrieved from the National Health Insurance Database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The analysis included 2.24 million adults undergoing oral health screening by dentists in 2003 with a median 16.7 years of follow-up. The researchers found that 5.0 percent of participants developed Meniere disease. There were significant associations observed between poor oral health status (periodontitis: adjusted hazard ratio, 1.18) and an increased number of missing teeth (≥15: adjusted...

Keith Moses used the tired line, “I can’t breathe.” Watch the graphic bodycam footage of the arrest of spree killer Keith Moses near Orlando, Florida. He murdered 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, 9-year-old T’yonna Major, and @MyNews13 reporter Dylan Lyons. Moses critically wounded T-yonna’s mother and the photojournalist for News 12, Jesse Walden. He murdered Natacha Augustin at 11 am in her car, then returned to shoot the reporters in their car, and then shot T-yonna and her mother in their home ina murderous spree after returning to the scene later in the day. Police don’t have a motive. Police said he...

They say that Governor Ron DeSantis is President Trump with more charm. I guess so. Let's check out this encounter between Andrea Mitchell and the governor's legislation. A few days ago, Miss Mitchell was interviewing VP Kamala Harris and said this: “Let me ask you, what does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about black history and the black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?”Of course, that's FAKE NEWS with capital letters. What the governor is rejecting is that the revolution was fought to defend slavery. He is also...

God’s merciful love is always revealed in response to a cry from the heart. The Bible has a lot to say about that humble cry for deliverance. “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; he heard my voice from his temple, and my cry came before him, even to his ears” (Psalm 18:6 NKJV). “Many times he delivered them; but they rebelled in their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry” (Psalm 106:43-44). A cry to God will always be answered! No...

"We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Col. 1:9). Godly living results from being controlled by the principles of God’s Word. Paul's prayer for the Philippians (Phil. 1:9-11) is closely paralleled by his prayer for the Colossians (Col. 1:9-12). Both epistles were written from the same Roman prison at about the same time in Paul's life. Both prayers focus on godly living, but each approaches it from a slightly different perspective. The Philippians were gracious people who needed to...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared his country’s year-long fight with Russia a “year of invincibility” on Friday, as he marked the anniversary of the invasion of his nation. “It was a year of resilience. A year of care. A year of bravery. A year of pain. A year of hope. A year of endurance. A year of unity,” Zelensky said in an address to the Ukrainian people. “The year of invincibility,” he added. “The furious year of invincibility.” Russian President Vladimir Putin first ordered troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, launching his “special military operation” into its neighbor to...

“I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said ‘I want to be let alone!’ There is all the difference.” ― Greta Garbo On February 2, Americans were treated to the spectacle of a giant balloon floating over Montana wilderness that would go on to traverse the entire length of the United States. Of Chinese origin, this giant balloon was loaded with what appeared to be potential reconnaissance or communications equipment. Depending on what side of the political aisle observers were on, there was one of two responses from the public: First, shoot it down. We don’t appreciate...

As we launch into another What the Heck, a befuddled survey of some of the things that caused me bewilderment and frustrated confusion this last week, I feel compelled to start on the streets. Here's an image that was sent to me by a reader. I can't be sure if this is something they found online or if it's a picture that they took themselves while parked at a stoplight. Either way, it's just *chef's kiss* in every way: I, like everyone else with a functioning brain, have giggled at the corniness of those who put the classic "coexist" bumper...

Good News Friday: 02/24/23 by Editor | Feb 24, 2023 | Newsletter | 0 comments Dear Patriots, It has been a tough week but there are some glimmers of sanity and goodness in a deluge of grim news. While we were pleased to see that Speaker McCarthy released the 41,000 hours of J-6 video, we were not thrilled that it was given to Fox New host,Tucker Carlson. This evidence, in our opinion, should have been released to the public to watch and dig through. We can not trust the corporate interests at Fox News to be open about this material...