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There is nothing about red pandas in this issue. Photo by Michael Payne on Unsplash
I’m sure they meant well. Have you ever gotten a surprise gift that you really didn’t want? But the giver(s) put a lot of effort into getting it for you, so you just go along to make the best of it? This story is something like that. Only worse.
French Fighter Jet Joy Ride Goes Très, Très Wrong
Imagine: You work hard your whole life in the French defense industry, and when it's time to retire, your co-workers want to give you something more memorable than a gold watch or a set of golf clubs. So they set up a coveted back-seat ride in a Dassault Rafale B fighter jet, the kind of perk that requires serious connections.
Just one problem: nobody asked one particular 64-year-old civilian whether he ever wanted such a ride, or showed him much about what to expect.
You can see where this is going, right? Here’s a hint:
Apparently the quick and dirty safety briefing failed to properly emphasize the fact that the black-and-yellow striped loop in the middle of the seat, between his legs, was not a grab handle but the trigger for the ejection seat.
Just read the whole thing!
Avocado is good for you! It’s not me saying that, it’s Science. Eating avocado twice a week cuts risk of heart disease by a fifth, study finds:
Eating two or more servings of avocado a week can cut the risk of heart disease by a fifth, new research has found.
Researchers identified a link between consuming healthy fats and heart health, finding that those who ate avocado frequently slashed their risk of coronary heart disease by 21 per cent, compared with those who did not.
I guess paying extra for guac is worth it!
The Independent has more details about the study, along with 8 tasty ways to eat more avocados.
Good and good for you. Photo by Gil Ndjouwou on Unsplash
Good news about a health condition that’s been in the news. We’re not going to go into all the drama at the Oscars earlier this week, but the incident did bring attention to the immune disorder alopecia — and perhaps by coincidence, there is a promising development for treating that condition: Common Arthritis Drug Offers New Hope For Treating Severe Alopecia
Rheumatoid arthritis and a severe form of hair loss called alopecia areata might not seem like they have much in common. One causes joint pain and swelling, while the other leads to dramatic, patchy loss of hair.
But in both cases, the immune system has decided that the body's own cells are a threat – in alopecia, this leads to the immune system attacking the hair follicles, while in arthritis, it's attacking tissues in the joints.
Excitingly, however, a new study of a phase three clinical trial has shown that the treatments for these two conditions could also be similar, with an arthritis drug called baricitinib effectively treating alopecia areata in one-third of patients.
Stepping back a bit, one thing I like about this story is that it is repurposing an existing drug to treat a different — but evidently in some way similar — condition. There are tens of thousands of medications that have already gone through the FDA approval process as treatments for certain conditions. I believe many of them could also offer relief for other diseases — which is good, because the heavy lifting (and heavy spending) of developing these drugs has already been done. It is simply a matter (well, noting is simple with drugs, but you know what I mean) of doing some additional research and testing to see what other benefits those medications might have. Doctors already prescribe drugs “off label” for many conditions. But I believe there is a lot of opportunity to do more such beneficial repurposing in a more systematic way, so I am always happy to see this kind of research happening.
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