- Cold water immersion benefits are not backed by quality science, report says
- ‘Polio Paul,’ who spent most of the past 70 years in an iron lung, dies at 78
- Some perplexing animal mysteries stumped scientists during the 2017 eclipse. Here’s why
- Interacting with dogs may affect multiple areas of the brain, study finds
- CAR-T cells can shrink deadly brain tumours — though for how long is unclear
- First cell therapy for solid tumours heads to the clinic: what it means for cancer treatment
Cold water immersion benefits are not backed by quality science, report says
報告稱，冷水浸泡的好處沒有得到科學的支持
Health
Wim Hof, a Dutch extreme athlete and motivational speaker, is well-known for his ability to withstand the cold. Hof attributes his success to his training method, which focuses on a commitment to practicing cold water therapy with a specific form of breathing. The training reduces stress, improves sleep, bolsters the immune system, and increases energy, focus and willpower, according to Hof. While some research did hint at “promising” anti-inflammatory effects from a combination of cold water immersion and the Wim Hof method of breathing, “more research of higher quality” would be needed to verify that finding, the researchers noted.
---from CNN
Wim Hof是一位荷蘭極限運動員和勵志演說家，以耐寒能力而聞名。 Hof將他的成功歸功於他的訓練方法，該方法的重點是專注於練習以一種特定的呼吸方式進行的冷水療法。Hof表示，這種訓練可以減輕壓力、改善睡眠、增強免疫系統、提高精力、注意力和意志力。 研究人員指出，雖然一些研究確實暗示冷水浸泡和Wim Hof呼吸法相結合具有「有希望的」抗發炎作用，但仍需要「更多更高質量的研究」來驗證這一發現。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
‘Polio Paul,’ who spent most of the past 70 years in an iron lung, dies at 78
過去70年的大部分時間都以鐵肺度日的「小兒麻痺 Paul」去世，享年78歲
Health
Paul Alexander, who spent the vast majority of the past 70 years in an iron lung and defied expectations by becoming a lawyer and author, died Monday afternoon at the age of 78, according to his brother Philip Alexander. The exact cause of Paul’s death is unclear. He was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago due to a Covid-19 infection but was no longer testing positive this week, Philip said. “Paul, you will be missed but always remembered. Thanks for sharing your story with us,” Christopher Ulmer, organizer of the GoFundMe fundraiser, said on the page. Paul was also an advocate for polio vaccination. In his first TikTok video, he said, “the millions of children not protected against polio. They have to be, before there’s another epidemic.”
---from CNN
據Paul Alexander的弟弟Philip Alexander表示，Paul Alexander於週一下午去世，享年78 歲。在過去70 年的大部分時間裡，他都是以鐵肺度日，並出人意料地成為了一名律師和作家。 Paul 的確切死因尚不清楚。 Philip說，三週前他因感染 Covid-19 入院，但本週檢測結果不再呈陽性。 「Paul，我們會想念你，也會永遠記得你。 謝謝你與我們分享你的故事，」GoFundMe籌款活動的發起人Christopher Ulmer在網頁上說道。 Paul也是小兒麻痺疫苗接種的倡導者。在他的第一個TikTok影片中，他說，「數百萬的兒童沒有被小兒麻痺疫苗的保護。他們必須這樣做，否則就會發生另一場流行病。」
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Some perplexing animal mysteries stumped scientists during the 2017 eclipse. Here’s why
2017年日蝕期間，一些令人費解的動物之謎困擾著科學家。其原因在此
Culture
During the Great American Eclipse of 2017, zoo animals acting strangely took researchers by surprise — the giraffes gathered and broke into a gallop, the Galápagos tortoises began to mate, and the gorillas started to get ready for bed. These odd behaviors were just a few of several anomalies that scientists stationed at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, observed during the historic solar event spanning the United States, according to a March 2020 report. Why do animals react to the eclipse? The researchers studied 17 species during the 2017 event and found behavioral responses to the eclipse in approximately 75% of the zoo animals observed, with the majority either displaying evening activities or behaviors that signal anxiety. Hartstone-Rose believes there are two possible reasons for the animals’ responses to the eclipse. First, the animals were reacting to the natural light dimming and the temperature dropping as the sun disappeared behind the moon. Second, the animals were reacting to the crowd of zoo goers’ excitement and commotion while the eclipse was happening.
---from CNN
在2017年美國大日蝕期間，動物園動物的奇怪行為讓研究人員大吃一驚—長頸鹿聚集在一起開始奔跑，加拉巴哥象龜開始交配，大猩猩開始準備睡覺。 根據2020年3月的一份報告，這些奇怪的行為只是在南卡羅來納州哥倫比亞Riverbanks動物園和花園的科學家在美國歷史上的日蝕期間觀察到的幾種異常現象中的一小部分。 為什麼動物會對日蝕有反應？ 研究人員對2017年日蝕期間的17種動物進行研究，動物園中約有75%的動物對日蝕有行為反應，大多數動物表現出夜間活動或是焦慮的行為。 Hartstone-Rose認為，動物對日蝕的反應可能有兩個原因。第一個原因是，當太陽消失在月球後面時，動物們對自然光變暗和溫度下降有反應。第二個原因是，日蝕發生時，動物們對動物園遊客的興奮和騷動有反應。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
Interacting with dogs may affect multiple areas of the brain, study finds
研究發現與狗互動可能會影響大腦的多個區域
Culture
Multiple studies have shown the emotional, physiological and cognitive benefits of interactions with animals, especially dogs — such as boosted energy, increased positive emotions or lowered risk for memory loss. That’s why animal-assisted health interventions are being increasingly used in diverse fields, the study authors said. In this new study, Onyoo Yooa, a doctoral student in the department of bio and healing convergence, and colleagues aimed to find out how mood was affected by specific activities — rather than just general interaction with a dog — by both objectively measuring brain activity and asking participants about their subjective emotions. Different activities had varying effects on participants’ brain waves. Playing and walking with a dog increased the strength of the alpha-band oscillations, the authors found, which generally indicate stability and relaxation. Alpha wave activity has been linked with improved memory and reduced mental stress, according to the study. Grooming, playing and gently massaging the dog was linked with strengthened beta-band oscillation, which is associated with heightened attention and concentration. Participants also felt significantly less depressed, stressed and fatigued after interacting with the poodle.
---from CNN
多項研究顯示，與動物（尤其是狗）互動在情緒、生理和認知方面都有好處，例如增強能量、增加積極情緒或降低失憶的風險。該研究的作者說，這就是為什麼動物輔助療法越來越多地應用在不同領域。 在這項新研究中，生物與治療融合系的博士生Onyoo Yooa和同事旨在透過客觀測量大腦活動並詢問參與者的主觀情緒，來了解特定活動如何影響情緒，而不僅僅是與狗的一般互動。 不同的活動對參與者的腦波有不同的影響。 作者發現，與狗玩耍和散步會增加α波段振盪的強度，這通常表示穩定和放鬆。研究顯示，α波活動與改善記憶力和減少精神壓力有關。 給狗狗梳理毛髮、玩耍和輕輕地按摩狗與增強的β波段振盪有關，而這與注意力和注意力的提高有關。在與貴賓犬互動後，參與者的憂鬱、壓力和疲勞感也明顯減輕。
---摘錄翻譯自CNN
CAR-T cells can shrink deadly brain tumours — though for how long is unclear
CAR-T細胞可以縮小致命的腦腫瘤—但能持續多久尚不清楚
Sciences
A pair of papers published on 13 March, one in Nature Medicine and the other in New England Journal of Medicine, describe the design and deployment of immune cells called chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cells against glioblastoma, an aggressive and difficult-to-treat form of brain cancer. The average length of survival for people with this tumour is eight months. Both teams found early hints of progress using CAR T cells that target two proteins made by glioblastoma cells, thereby marking those cells for destruction. CAR T cells are currently approved only for treating blood cancers such as leukaemia and are typically engineered to home in on only one target. But the new results add to mounting evidence that CAR T cells could be modified to treat a wider range of cancers. “It lends credence to the potential power of CAR-T cells to make a difference in solid tumours, especially the brain,” says Bryan Choi, a neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and a lead author of the New England Journal of Medicine study. “It adds to the excitement that we might be able to move the needle.”
--from Nature
3月13日發表的兩篇論文，一篇發表在《自然醫學》，另一篇發表在《新英格蘭醫學雜誌》上，描述了一種稱為嵌合抗原受體T (CAR T) 細胞的免疫細胞的設計和部署，這種細胞可以對抗膠質母細胞瘤，這是一種侵襲性且難以治療的腦癌。這種腫瘤患者的平均存活時間是8個月。 兩個研究小組都發現了早期的進展跡象。他們使用CAR-T細胞靶向膠質母細胞瘤細胞產生的兩種蛋白質，從而標記這些細胞以進行破壞。CAR-T細胞目前僅被批准用於治療血癌，如白血病，並且通常只標向一個靶點。 但新的研究結果進一步證明，CAR-T細胞可以被改造來治療更廣泛的癌症。 波士頓馬薩諸塞州總醫院的神經外科醫生、《新英格蘭醫學雜誌》的主要作者Bryan Choi表示：「它證明了CAR-T細胞在實體腫瘤、尤其是腦瘤方面的潛在力量。」「這讓我們更加興奮，因為我們或許能夠改變現狀。」
--摘錄翻譯自Nature
First cell therapy for solid tumours heads to the clinic: what it means for cancer treatment
第一個實體腫瘤細胞療法進入臨床：這對癌症治療意味著什麼
Sciences
More than 35 years after it was invented, a therapy that uses immune cells extracted from a person’s own tumour is finally hitting the clinic. At least 20 people with advanced melanoma have embarked on treatment with what are called tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), which target and kill cancer cells. The regimen, called lifileucel, is the first TIL therapy to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And it is the first immune-cell therapy to win FDA approval for treating solid tumours such as melanoma. Doctors already deploy immune cells called CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cells to treat cancer, but CAR-T therapy is used against only blood cancers such as leukaemia. TILs are a type of naturally occurring immune cell called a T cell. TILs recognize targets, called antigens, on the surfaces of cancer cells and burrow into solid tumours to kill them. They are the brainchild of Steven Rosenberg, a cancer researcher and surgeon at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, who first showed that TILs could shrink tumours in people with melanoma. In clinical trials, TIL treatment has put some people with melanoma in remission for up to 20 years. The FDA granted approval on 16 February to lifileucel, sold as Amtagvi by biotechnology company Iovance Biotherapeutics, based in San Carlos, California. The approval “is a great accomplishment”, says TIL specialist Nick Restifo, chief scientist at Marble Therapeutics in Boston, Massachusetts. He says that it will pave the way for TILs to be used to treat other cancers, including lung and pancreatic tumours, in the near future.
--from Nature
在發明超過35年之後，一種使用從人體自體腫瘤中提取的免疫細胞的療法終於進入臨床。至少有20名晚期黑色素瘤患者已開始接受所謂的腫瘤浸潤淋巴細胞 (TIL) 治療，這種細胞能夠標靶並殺死癌細胞。 這種名為lifileucel的治療方法，是第一個獲得美國食品藥物管理局(FDA)批准的TIL療法。這也是第一個獲得FDA批准用於治療黑色素瘤等實體腫瘤的免疫細胞療法。醫生已經使用稱為CAR（嵌合抗原受體）T細胞的免疫細胞來治療癌症，但CAR-T療法僅用於治療白血病等血癌。 TIL是一種自然產生的免疫細胞，稱為T細胞。TIL辨識癌細胞表面上的目標，即為抗原，並鑽入實體腫瘤中殺死它們。它們是馬里蘭州Bethesda國家癌症研究所的癌症研究員和外科醫生Steven Rosenberg的創意，他首先證明了TIL可以縮小黑色素瘤患者的腫瘤。在臨床試驗中，TIL治療已經使一些黑色素瘤患者的病情緩解長達20年。 FDA於2月 16日批准了lifileucel，該藥物由位於加州San Carlos的生物技術公司 Iovance Biotherapeutics銷售，商品名為Amtagvi。 馬薩諸塞州波士頓Marble Therapeutics的首席科學家、TIL專家Nick Restifo表示，此次批准「是一項偉大的成就」。他說，這將為 TIL在不久的將來用於治療其他癌症，包括肺癌和胰腺腫瘤。
--摘錄翻譯自Nature