In the last half-century, the prevalence of autoimmune disease — disorders in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the body — has increased sharply in the developed world. Our bodies are confused by this 21st-century world.An estimated one in 13 Americans has one of these often debilitating, generally lifelong conditions. Many, like Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, are linked with specific gene variants of the immune system, suggesting a strong genetic component. But their prevalence has increased much faster — in two or three generations — than it's likely the human gene pool has changed.
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The few residents of the burned-out Northern California city of Paradise who were able to inspect their property on Saturday saw nothing but disappointment. Nearly the entire city of 27,000 residents lay in ruins and most were still barred from returning to the still hazardous town where small fires continued to flare. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Saturday 14 additional bodies were found, bringing the death toll to 23. The victims have not been identified. Two people were found dead in a wildfire in Southern California, bringing the total number of fatalities for the state to 25.
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A same-sex gentoo penguin couple has welcomed the birth of their first baby, er, chick, together, Australia’s Sea Life Sydney Aquarium announced On October 25, 2018. Dads Sphen and Magic, a couple known as “Sphengic,” were given an egg that they incubated and protected for nearly five weeks in their nest. The little fluffball hatched last week and weighed 3.2 ounces. Its sex is to be determined — a blood test will be administered when it’s a bit older. Sea Life Sydney Aquarium said penguin dads Sphen and Magic, who were given an egg to incubate, are “in love” with their new chick.
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The interstitium, the shock-absorbing tissue underneath the skin, gut and blood vessels, has been identified as an organ for the first time according to a new study. Researchers think the layers of the body previously believed to be dense, connective tissues are in fact interconnected compartments filled with fluid. According to the team co-led by New York University's (NYU) School of Medicine, the interstitium is an organ in its own right and one of the largest in the body. If the research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is widely accepted, the interstitium could be regarded as the body's 80th organ. Supported by a mesh of strong and flexible connective tissue proteins, the interstitium protects the organs, muscles and vessels that keep our bodies alive by absorbing bumps and shocks.
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Dr. Yevgeny Solomonov, head of the surgical department at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, used advanced technology to freeze liver cancer metastasis using liquid nitrogen as part of an operation in a patient with secondary cancer - liver metastasis from a cancerous colon source. The patient, in his 60s, had colon cancer a few years ago and was treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but recently the disease was found recurring in his liver. The medical team treated the patient to remove the left lobe of the liver, and the remaining part of the liver underwent an innovative medical procedure - cryotherapy, which means freezing the metastasis using special ProSense devices developed and manufactured by an Israeli company, IceCure Medical.
