Stanford scientists make leukemia ‘grow up’ and eat itself
A team at Stanford’s School of Medicine has reportedly uncovered a potent new treatment method for combating one of leukemia’s most aggressive forms — and they did it pretty much by accident. While survival rates for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a particularly nasty form of white blood cell cancer, have risen to about 85 percent over the past decade thanks to the advent of stem cell therapies, the prognosis for this disease in the presence of a Philadelphia chromosome mutation remains quite poor. But thanks to a chance observation by Dr. Scott McClellan, the Stanford team believes it’s figured out way to neutralize the disease using its own cancerous cells against it.
The research effort began when, in the lab one day, McClellan noticed that a number of leukemic cells had transformed from cancerous cells into “mature” macrophages. These are a type of immune cell tasked with not only directly consuming cellular debris, pathogens and cancers but also with recruiting other immune cells for the fight. “B-cell leukemia cells are in many ways progenitor cells that are forced to stay in an immature state,” Dr. Ravi Majeti, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford, said in a statement. But with the addition of various transcription factors — proteins capable of latching onto and activating specific DNA sequences — Majeti and McClellan essentially forced these deadly cancer cells to “grow up” into fully formed macrophages.
What’s more, the researchers discovered that this process didn’t just neutralize that specific cancer cell. It also instigated the newly made macrophage to begin digesting the cancerous plague and call in the rest of the immune system to actively fight the mutation. “Because the macrophage cells came from the cancer cells, they will already carry with them the chemical signals that will identify the cancer cells, making an immune attack against the cancer more likely,” Majeti said. Now that the cellular mechanism is known, the team’s next challenge is finding a drug that instigates the same response and can be leveraged as the basis for a new therapy regimen. The team’s research appears in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Filed under: Science
Source: Stanford University
T-Mobiles latest Un-Carrier 9.0 is all about business
This morning John Legere took to the stage to announce the next big move for T-Mobile and the Un-Carrier initiative. The announcement came with three new titles to know, Un-Carrier 9.0, Carrier Freedom and Un-Contract. Un-Carrier 9.0 is squarely faced at business accounts out there. T-Mobile is making business accounts extremely easy to understand and […]
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Runtastic finally releases the Runtastic Libra Weight Tracker on Android, works with Runtastic Libre smart scale
Runtastic has been offering the Libre smart scale for some time, but iOS users were the only ones that had an app that worked with it. Well Runtastic finally woke up and released an app for Android.
The Runtastic Libre app works in conjunction with the $129 Libre scale. You will be able to measure your weight, body fat, bone mass, muscle mass, body water content, and more. The app lets you define and set goals for weight loss, weight gain, or reducing body fat. All the data from the Libre scale will transfer to your smartphone via Bluetooth LE. And of course there is MyFitnessPal integration and the ability to save your body metrics and progress to Runtastic.com.
You can grab the Libre Scale from the Runtastic website and we have Google Play download links below.
Come comment on this article: Runtastic finally releases the Runtastic Libra Weight Tracker on Android, works with Runtastic Libre smart scale
Target’s proposed data breach settlement pays victims up to $10k each
Target has agreed to a $10 million settlement with lawyers for victims of its 2013 data breach, and CBS News reports it could pay individuals up to $10,000 each in damages. It has yet to be approved by a judge, but Target spokesperson Molly Snyder says the company is “pleased to see the process moving forward.” In case you’ve already forgotten, the retailer discovered in December 2013 that hackers had stolen information for some 40 million credit and debit cards, while its security ignored breach alerts for 12 days. The company’s CEO stepped down in May saying he felt “personally accountable” for the lax security. KSTP TV5 in Minnesota has posted a copy of the form victims will fill out to receive their damages if the settlement is approved, which you can see here.
Filed under: Internet
Uber cars now outnumber yellow cabs in New York City
You may see yellow taxis as virtually synonymous with New York City transportation, but you might have to reconsider that image before too long. New Taxi and Limousine Commission data shows that Uber cars now outnumber cabs on NYC streets, with 14,088 black and luxury vehicles versus 13,587 taxis. It’s not hard to see why the ridesharing service has grown so quickly since its arrival in 2011, mind you. Uber drivers can earn much more in the right circumstances, and they don’t have to worry about fixed schedules, complicated licensing or cheapskates who don’t pay. This milestone probably won’t thrill city officials, who are worried that Uber is both depriving them of tax revenue (since drivers don’t need medallion licenses) and playing fast and loose with regulations. However, it’s doubtful that there’s any going back now — Uber is huge enough in New York that commuters would notice if it went away.
[Image credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Source: New York Post
T-Mobile brings Un-Carrier strategies to business segment
You may already be familiar with T-Mobile’s Un-carrier branding as of late. It means no more annual contracts, overages and inflated international roaming fees, and the start of anytime upgrades, Wi-Fi calling and texting, free inflight messaging and Data Stash for its customers.
T-Mobile announced at its Un-Carrier for Business event today that, now, the company is bringing these strategies to businesses. Here is the company’s reasoning, according to President and CEO John Legere:
“We’re going to do for businesses, what we’ve already been doing for consumers. Eliminate pain points and force change. The majority of US businesses − a full 99.7% − have less than 500 employees and don’t have the money or resources to waste debating, negotiating and deciphering the carriers’ hidden pricing. Today, we’re upending how business buys wireless with 100% transparent pricing, the best rates, business family discounts, and more.”
Each line for businesses will cost $15, with every line after 1,000 costing $10. That comes with unlimited talk and text and up to 1GB of 4G data. Businesses can add high-speed data per line or add a data pool for employees to share.
Additionally, T-Mobile and GoDaddy have partnered to give a free .com domain and website structured for mobile viewing, as long as businesses have at least one line and paid data. This also comes with free .com email addresses powered by Microsoft Office 365.
Lastly, Un-Carrier’s Business Family Discounts considers a customer’s company-paid line as his or her first line on his or her family plan. This means a customer saves 50% over on a Simple Choice family plan.
The post T-Mobile brings Un-Carrier strategies to business segment appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Fantastical 2 for Mac gets teased with a March 25 launch date
If you’re a big fan of calendar app Fantastical, you’ll be stoked to know it’s set to get a big overhaul for Mac pretty soon.
Flexibits, the company behind the popular calendar app on both Mac and iOS, teased a March 25 launch date Fantastical 2 for Mac.
While there’s not much to glean from the teaser other than the launch date, Flexibits says that on March 25 it will “reinvent Fantastical,” which hints that quite the overhaul is coming.
Fantastical for iOS was updated to version 2 back in 2013, and brought a complete redesign for iOS 7. Presumably, the move to version 2 on the Mac will include a similar design overhaul to bring the app in-line with OS X Yosemite‘s aesthetics. In any event, we’ll bring you much more on Fantastical 2 for Mac when it drops on March 25.
Source: Flexibits
Apple Seeds New 7.1.5 and 6.2.5 Safari Betas to Developers for Mavericks, Mountain Lion [Mac Blog]
Following yesterday’s public release of Safari 8.0.4 for OS X Yosemite, Safari 7.1.4 for OS X Mavericks, and Safari 6.2.4 for OS X Mountain Lion, Apple has seeded Safari 7.1.5 and Safari 6.2.5 to developers for testing purposes. Safari 7.1.5 is for Mavericks users, while Safari 6.2.5 is for Mountain Lion users.
The Yosemite equivalent, Safari 8.0.5, is already available to developers and public beta testers as it is built in to OS X 10.10.3.
In the beta notes, Apple asks developers to focus on general website compatibility, extension compatibility, debugging using the Web Inspector, typing in the Smart Search Field using multiple displays, viewing videos on sites like Netflix and YouTube, Address and Password AutoFill, and more.
Tag Heuer partnering with Intel and Google for a smartwatch to be announced tomorrow
It was only a matter of time until traditional watchmakers jumped into the smartwatch craze. It appears Tag Heuer will be among the first as they are cooking up something with Intel and Google.
The world watch and jewelry show, Baselworld, kicks off tomorrow in Switzerland, and Tag Heuer is set to announce the new watch around 2:00 pm local time.
It’s expected that Tag Heuer will design the watch case and the crown, but of course, they won’t be able to do the hardware and software. Tag Heuer recognizes that the “craftsmanship” in making a smartwatch is very different than tradtional watches, and that is why they separated the research and development business into two departments.
It will be interesting to see what Tag Heuer comes up with. Will more traditional watch manufacturers follow suit?
source: Pocket-Lint
Come comment on this article: Tag Heuer partnering with Intel and Google for a smartwatch to be announced tomorrow
Deal: Pick up the Jive Jumbo Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker for 42% off
If you’ve ever tried relaxing in a pool or wanted more entertainment out of your pool party, you’d know that listening to music can sometimes be a hassle. The Jive Jumbo Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker may be a worry-free solution to that problem. The AA Deals Store currently has a pretty great deal on this Bluetooth speaker, so let’s see exactly what it offers.
This waterproof speaker offers up 10 watts of power, and will supply power for 12 straight hours. With its iPX7 rating, it can be submerged in up to three feet of water for 30 minutes at a time. It also has an approximate Bluetooth range of 33 feet, so you can keep your smartphone or tablet out of reach from potential damage. And if you want to use the speaker in the shower or in the kitchen, it also has a handy suction cup on the bottom, allowing you to stick it to your wall. If you have a Bluetooth-compatible device, this speaker will definitely work for you.
Thanks to the Android Authority Deals Store, you can grab this speaker for only $22.95, which is a full 42% off the suggested retail price. Considering all of the conveniences this will add to your life, we’d say this is a pretty great deal. If you’d like to pick one up for yourself, follow the link below.
AIVAnet 