Proficiency..

 

New Year..

The Year of the Snake is a year in the Chinese zodiac that symbolizes wisdom, transformation, and personal growth. It is a time to be patient, plan, and make thoughtful decisions. 

People born in the Year of the Snake are said to be intelligent, perceptive, and graceful. 
They are also said to be good at adapting to change, understanding complex situations, and learning from their experiences. 
They are thought to have an intuitive sense of others' feelings, making them thoughtful and empathetic companions. 
It is a time for reflection, deep thought, and personal growth. 
It is a time to shed the ego, let go of the past, and release unrealistic expectations of loved ones. It is a time to get rid of bad habits and seek self-improvement. 
 

Happy New Year

siRNA

 

Zerlasiran is a siRNA (short interfering RNA) in development for high lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a genetically determined cardiovascular risk factor affecting around 20% of the world’s population.

Zerlasiran is a gene ‘silencing’ therapy – one that is designed to temporarily block a specific gene’s message that would otherwise trigger an unwanted effect. In this case, it aims to ‘silence’ LPA, a gene that tells the body to make a specific protein that is only found in Lp(a). By silencing the LPA gene, the levels of Lp(a) are lowered, which in turn is expected to lower the risk of heart diseases, heart attacks and strokes.

Results presented showed that zerlasiran (300 mg every 16 weeks, 300 mg every 24 weeks or 450 mg every 24 weeks) produced greater than 80% mean time-averaged placebo-adjusted reductions from baseline in Lp(a) concentrations over 36 weeks.

AI..

 

A surge in popularity of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek has sparked a selloff of shares in major tech companies after it overtook rivals such as ChatGPT to become the top-rated free app on Apple's App Store.

Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta were set to open down on Monday and the development knocked European share prices.

The app has grown in popularity since its launch, challenging the widely held belief that the US is the unassailable leader in AI and prompting questions about the scale of investments US firms are planning.

It is powered by the open-source DeepSeek-V3 model, which its researchers claim was developed for less than $6m - significantly less than the billions spent by rivals. 

Just a thought.

Plants..

 

Research suggests that the low cancer prevalence in Mediterranean populations may be due to the high consumption of olive oil, Plant-Based Foods, and fish. A review of studies linked high olive oil intake with a reduced risk of several types of cancer, including:

• Any type of cancer: 31% lower risk
• Gastrointestinal cancer: 23% lower risk
• Breast cancer: 33% lower risk
• Urinary tract cancer: 54% lower risk
• Upper aerodigestive cancer (lung, head, and neck): 26% lower risk

The antioxidant-rich phenolic compounds in olive oil, including hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein, protect cells from damage from free radicals.

Bar..

 

Hurumphph..

FBI..

 

Arsenal..

 

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has arrested two illegal migrants who the agency says were running a drugs and narcotics operation in Maryland and Georgia.

Officials say they busted the two migrants on Thursday, just one day after prosecutors in Queens indicted 10 Tren de Aragua gang members and their associates for similar operations in New York City.

The agency also posted images of the arsenal of guns and ammunition they seized as part of their operation. They said they seized more than 30 weapons.

The Duck..

 

Framed by the Defence IQ International Armored Vehicles conference, which took place between January 21 and 23, the British Army announced that it is evaluating the possibility of equipping its Challenger 2 tanks with anti-drone cages based on experience gained from the war in Ukraine. 

Additionally, possible alternatives were presented to equip British armored vehicles with new active protection systems against drones, including electronic countermeasures and kinetic interceptors.

As previously mentioned, exploring such alternatives is mainly due to lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, where drones have undoubtedly become a frequent threat to tanks.