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  • Data Show Association Between Unsaturated Lipids and Alzheimer Disease

    Data Show Association Between Unsaturated Lipids and Alzheimer Disease

    Women with Alzheimer disease (AD) have lower unsaturated plasma lipid levels compared with healthy patients, according to results in a study published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia. In the study, investigators analyzed the lipidome of patients who were healthy, mildly cognitively impaired (MCI), or had AD.1

    Investigators find this association primarily affects female patients when compared with male patients. | Image Credit: Artur – stock.adobe.com

    “Our findings reveal significant sex-specific differences in lipid associations with AD, contributing to the growing evidence that AD may manifest differently on the molecular level between women and men,” the study authors said.1 “The main difference in women was a deficit of molecular lipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids, which in turn showed to be partially mediated by cholesterol, LDL [low-density lipoprotein], and ApoB.”

    In the United States, nearly two-thirds of Americans with AD are women. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, women in their 60s are approximately twice as likely to develop AD compared with breast cancer, and approximately 4.4 million people aged 65 years and older have AD. At 65 years, the Alzheimer’s Association states that the estimated lifetime risk for women is 1 in 5.2

    Although the causes of AD and dementia are not known, a study published in BMC Public Health found that there was a correlation between cardiometabolic multimorbidity and dementia for younger patients and patients who were female. Cardiometabolic diseases linked with dementia could be due to the disease inducing chronic systemic inflammation, which results in proinflammatory molecules crossing the blood-brain barrier.3

    In the current study, investigators included 841 patients; 306 had AD, 165 had MCI, and 370 were cognitively healthy, and the mean age was 73.04 years. Blood samples were collected after a 2-hour fasting period. The average AD duration was 3.74 years, and patients with AD were older on average than healthy patients and patients with MCI. There was also a higher proportion of APOE ε4 carriers, according to the study authors.1

    The results showed that patients with AD had higher total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but there were no significant differences for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or total triglycerides. Female patients had higher levels of cholesterol, LDL, and HDL when compared with male patients, but no differences in total triglycerides were evident. For male patients, there were no significant associations between AD and lipoprotein. Further, the study authors reported that there was a large reduction in unsaturated lipids that were associated with AD, and there was an association between increases in saturated and monounsaturated lipids and AD. There were 32 lipids associated with AD for female patients and no lipids associated for male patients. Of the 32 lipids, 15 were positively associated with AD, which included saturated and monosaturated lipids, and 17 lipids were negatively associated with AD, which included highly unsaturated lipids.1

    “Our data revealed that lipid associations with AD were predominantly driven by female participants. Of the 11 lipid modules identified through correlation-based grouping, 4 were associated with AD in the full cohort,” the study authors concluded.1 “Interestingly, 3 of these modules showed significant associations in the female subset, while only 1 was found associated with AD in the male subset.”

    READ MORE: Neurology Resource Center

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    REFERENCES
    1. Wretlind A, Xu J, Chen W, et al. Lipid profiling reveals unsaturated lipid reduction in women with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2025;21(8):e70512. doi:10.1002/alz.70512
    2. Alzheimer’s Association. Women and Alzheimer’s. Accessed August 25, 2025. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/women-and-alzheimer-s
    3. Gallagher A. Cardiometabolic diseases are tied to higher dementia risk in younger and female patients. Drug Topics. July 8, 2025. Accessed August 25, 2025. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/cardiometabolic-diseases-linked-with-increased-dementia-risk-for-younger-female-patients

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  • YouTube secretly tested AI video enhancement without notifying creators

    YouTube secretly tested AI video enhancement without notifying creators

    Is it a conspiracy? For months, YouTubers have been quietly griping that something looked off in their recent video uploads. Following a deeper analysis by a popular music channel, Google has now confirmed that it has been testing a feature that uses AI to artificially enhance videos. The company claims this is part of its effort to “provide the best video quality,” but it’s odd that it began doing so without notifying creators or offering any way to opt out of the experiment.

    Google’s test raised eyebrows almost immediately after it began rolling out in YouTube Shorts earlier this year. Users reported strange artifacts, edge distortion, and distracting smoothness that gives the appearance of AI alteration. If you’ve ever zoomed in close after taking a photo with your smartphone only to notice things look oversharpened or like an oil painting, that’s the effect of Google’s video processing test.

    According to Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s head of editorial, this isn’t quite like the AI features Google has been cramming into every other product. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ritchie said the feature is not based on generative AI but instead uses “traditional machine learning” to reduce blur and noise while sharpening the image. Although, this is a distinction without a difference—it’s still AI of a sort being used to modify videos.

    YouTuber Rhett Shull began investigating what was happening to his videos after discussing the issue with a fellow creator. He quickly became convinced that YouTube was applying AI video processing without notifying anyone—he calls this “upscaling,” though Google’s Ritchie contends this is not technically upscaling tech.

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  • US Open 2025 results: Petra Kvitova brings career to close at Flushing Meadows with Diane Parry defeat

    US Open 2025 results: Petra Kvitova brings career to close at Flushing Meadows with Diane Parry defeat

    Kvitova has been a fan favourite for many years thanks to her huge groundstrokes and booming left-handed serve.

    There were fears her career would end prematurely after she was stabbed in her left hand by an intruder at her home in 2016.

    The attack damaged tendons and nerves in her playing hand but she returned to playing in June 2017 and went on to reach the Australian Open final two years later.

    In recent years she has fallen down the rankings and last made the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam in 2020.

    Kvitova missed the entire 2024 season to have her son, Petr, and only returned to action in February.

    It took her five tournaments to register her first victory – which came against Irina-Camelia Begu on clay in Rome in May – but that was her only win since becoming a mother.

    Almost two months on from bidding a tearful goodbye to Wimbledon – which she called her “special place” – Kvitova called time on her career at the tournament where she twice reached the quarter-finals.

    After quickly going down a break against world number 107 Parry, she rallied to reach 40-0 on serve then saved a break point to get her first game on the board.

    But that proved to be her only success in a one-sided first set that Parry wrapped up in just 25 minutes.

    Kvitova exited the court between sets to regroup – already visibly emotional at the prospect of this being her last match – but the second followed a similar pattern.

    Winning just four points behind her own serve, Kvitova suffered a second-set bagel as Parry saw out a clinical victory.

    “Since I wake up this morning, I felt it. I felt it would be not good,” Kvitova added.

    “I couldn’t eat. I was really nervous. couldn’t move, I couldn’t swing, I couldn’t do anything.

    “It was really difficult but I’m glad I did it.”

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  • Google Pixel 10 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25: Clash of the Android Flagships – PCMag

    1. Google Pixel 10 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25: Clash of the Android Flagships  PCMag
    2. Powerful and proactive: Pixel 10 phones are here  The Keyword
    3. I Still Love the Look of Google’s New Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL  CNET
    4. Deals: the Google Pixel 10 series, Watch 4 and Buds 2a are now on pre-order – GSMArena.com news  GSMArena.com
    5. The Sideload 001: Google’s very strange Pixel 10 event  9to5Google

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  • Integrating a Microbiology Laboratory Improves the Attitudes and Performance of First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students

    Integrating a Microbiology Laboratory Improves the Attitudes and Performance of First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students


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  • Mother speaks out about ‘shame’ of husband’s alcohol addiction

    Mother speaks out about ‘shame’ of husband’s alcohol addiction

    Sacha Bigwood & Andy Bennett

    BBC News, West of England

    BBC A side-profile silhouette of a man and a woman facing one another.BBC

    A mother-of-two is encouraging other families to seek help for problems caused by addiction

    A mother has urged others affected by addiction in their families not to “suffer in silence”.

    Jo – not her real name – sought help from Wiltshire-based charity Families Out Loud when her husband’s alcoholism pushed her to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

    She said she felt blamed for his addiction and that at one point he needed intensive care, but that the charity gave her counselling and practical support.

    Jo said: “There’s always hope. Even when someone is in the worst possible place.”

    The mother said she had been trying to hold down her own job and support two teenagers on one income before seeking help.

    Speaking to the BBC, Jo said: “I remember feeling very alone and very lost because of the stigma associated with it – the worries over what other people may think of you, like ‘why didn’t you do enough, why didn’t you help enough?’”

    She continued: “I was the one trying to keep everything going, I was out of energy, emotion – the hope had gone.

    “I recognised that wasn’t me. I decided to try and get some help before I crawled under the duvet for ever.”

    Tanya Hughes Tanya, wearing glasses and a green dress in a pattern with lots of large leaves, speaks into a microphone at an outdoor event.Tanya Hughes

    Tanya Hughes is a councillor with Families Out Loud who herself has seen a family member go through addiction

    Encouraging others to get help, Jo said: “Admitting all of these things and laying it all out feels very raw and it’s quite a lot to go through but it’s so healing.

    “That’s the message we are trying to get out. Please don’t suffer in silence.”

    Jo was supported by Families Out Loud councillor Tanya Hughes, who herself has experienced the shame associated with addiction.

    “My mother was a life-long alcoholic,” Ms Hughes said.

    “It was awful being a teenager, there was a lot of stigma involved. We lived in a village, everyone knew she drank.”

    ‘Intensely embarrassing’

    Ms Hughes added: “My friends certainly thought it was a massive joke they had seen my mum staggering down the road.

    “I found that intensely embarrassing and I had nobody to talk to about it.”

    Ms Hughes, who has since helped the charity set up support for teenagers, said that its councillors had “heard everything” from service users.

    “You get people who say ‘I don’t love my child any more’ and that’s absolutely fine,” she said.

    “When you’ve got an addict, you’ve got the person who is the person, then you’ve got the addict.

    “And when a person is in full addiction, most of the time you might not like that person.

    “That happens all the time. It’s a fact of life and there’s no shame in that.”

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  • Malicious apps with +19M installs removed from Google Play because spreading Anatsa banking trojan and other malware

    Malicious apps with +19M installs removed from Google Play because spreading Anatsa banking trojan and other malware

    Malicious apps with +19M installs removed from Google Play because spreading Anatsa banking trojan and other malware

    Pierluigi Paganini
    August 25, 2025

    Experts found 77 malicious Android apps with 19M+ installs on Google Play, spreading malware, including the Anatsa (TeaBot) banking trojan.

    While investigating Anatsa (Tea Bot) banking trojan infections, Zscaler’s ThreatLabs discovered seventy-seven malicious Android apps with more than 19 million installs. Several Anatsa decoy apps have each been downloaded more than 50,000 times. The malicious apps were delivering multiple malware families to Google Play users.

    “Alongside Anatsa, ThreatLabz identified and reported 77 malicious apps from various malware families to Google, collectively accounting for over 19 million installs.” reads the report published by ZScaler

    Anatsa, a banking trojan first seen in 2020, has evolved into a major threat. The latest variant now targets more than 831 financial institutions worldwide, including banks, fintech services, and even cryptocurrency platforms, expanding its reach to countries like Germany and South Korea. Unlike earlier versions, it no longer relies on dynamic code loading but directly installs its payload, making infections faster and harder to stop. It also uses DES encryption and device-specific restrictions to avoid detection.

    “Unlike in previous campaigns, the latest Anatsa campaigns implement various anti-analysis techniques. The parent installer now decrypts each string at runtime using a dynamically generated Data Encryption Standard (DES) key, making it more resistant to static analysis tools. Furthermore, Anatsa has enhanced its evasion strategies by performing emulation checks and verifying device models to bypass dynamic analysis environments.” continues the report. “After confirming that the C2 server is active and the device meets the necessary criteria, the installer proceeds to download Anatsa as an update. If these conditions are not met, the application displays a file manager view to the user, maintaining the appearance of a legitimate application, as shown in the figure below.”

    Anatsa employs advanced evasion by periodically changing package names and hashes, using APK ZIP obfuscation, and hiding DEX payloads in malformed archives that bypass static analysis. The malware requests accessibility permissions to auto-enable dangerous privileges, then establishes XOR-encrypted C2 communication. The malicious code captures banking credentials through fake login pages tailored to detected apps. Anatsa currently targets 831 financial apps, though many injection templates remain incomplete.

    ThreatLabz reports a surge in adware and malware like Joker, Harly, and Anatsa on Google Play, while Facestealer and Coper show a sharp decline.

    “Anatsa continues to evolve and improve with anti-analysis techniques to better evade detection. The malware has also added support for more than 150 new financial applications to target.” concludes the report. “Our research demonstrates the techniques that Anatsa and other Android malware families leverage for distribution through the official Google Play Store. Android users should always verify the permissions that applications request, and ensure that they align with the intended functionality of the application.”

    Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

    Pierluigi Paganini

    (SecurityAffairs – hacking, Google Play)


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  • How 3D printing and stem cells could heal spinal cord injuries

    How 3D printing and stem cells could heal spinal cord injuries

    Organoid scaffolds populated with spinal neural progenitor cells result in significant functional recovery in lab rats.

    Few injuries can be as devastating as those involving the spinal cord. Despite tens of thousands of persons in the United States alone suffering spinal cord injuries, there is no established procedure for completely reversing the damage and paralysis that can result.

    However, thanks to the work of a group of engineers and neuroscientists, there may be a way to address one of the biggest challenges in addressing spinal cord injuries: regrowing nerve fibers. A research team at the University of Minnesota recently published their latest work on combining 3D printing with stem cell biology and lab grown tissues to tackle this issue.

    Their approach involves creating a 3D printed framework for lab-grown organs, called an organoid scaffold, with microscopic channels populated with regionally specific spinal neural progenitor cells.

    “We use the 3D printed channels of the scaffold to direct the growth of the stem cells, which ensures the new nerve fibers grow in the desired way,” said Guebum Han in a University of Minnesota press release. “This method creates a relay system that when placed in the spinal cord bypasses the damaged area.” Han is a former mechanical engineering postdoctoral researcher and first author on the published research. 

    When the researchers transplanted these scaffolds into rats with surgically severed spinal cords, the cells inside them differentiated into neurons and extended their nerve fibers toward the rats’ heads and tails, forming new connections with existing nerves. According to the researchers, these new cells integrated seamlessly into the hosts’ spinal cord tissue over time, resulting in significant functional recoveries.

    “Regenerative medicine has brought about a new era in spinal cord injury research,” said Ann Parr, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota in the same release. “Our laboratory is excited to explore the future potential of our ‘mini spinal cords’ for clinical translation.”

    The team hopes to scale up production and continue developing this combination of technologies for future clinical applications. The results are published via open access in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

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  • Positive momentum for this Chinese tech stock is picking up, says Katie Stockton

    Positive momentum for this Chinese tech stock is picking up, says Katie Stockton

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  • The Google Pixel 10 got a big audio upgrade, and not enough people are talking about it

    The Google Pixel 10 got a big audio upgrade, and not enough people are talking about it

    Joseph Maldonado/ZDNET

    Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

    ZDNET’s key takeaways

    • Pixel 10 is the first US phone to get Bluetooth 6.
    • Bluetooth 6 adds upgrades, including precise channel sounding.
    • Both devices need Bluetooth 6 to fully take advantage, so adoption will be slow.

    Google’s Pixel 10 smartphones debuted with plenty of noteworthy features, including native magnetic wireless charging, an industry-first IP68 dust- and waterproof foldable phone design, and more intuitive AI features. One of the most significant updates, however, is the phone’s adoption of Bluetooth 6, making it the first in the US with the latest Bluetooth connectivity standard.

    Also: Every Pixel device announced at Made by Google: 10 Pro Fold, Watch, Buds, more

    In addition to improving wireless connections’ stability, power consumption, and strength, Bluetooth 6 introduces channel sounding, which makes device location tracking more accurate. Despite its 2024 release, Bluetooth 6 and Channel Sounding are in the painfully slow adoption process. Still, two Pixel devices are compatible with it. Here’s what it means for you now and in the future.

    What is channel sounding?

    Channel sounding builds on Bluetooth LE’s positioning technology to enable two devices to establish the distance between them. Currently, Bluetooth devices use signal strength to determine distance, but channel sounding measures the time it takes for the signal to travel. This more secure and accurate method provides device location information down to the centimeter.

    Current Bluetooth-enabled device tracking can tell you where your device is, in a general sense, but Channel Sounding should be able to alert you that your device is within 10 feet and low-lying to the right, wedged between your couch cushions.

    Also: This Pixel 10 Pro camera feature sets a high bar for the iPhone 17 Pro to beat

    According to Bluetooth, Channel Sounding, or precision location tracking, requires a hardware update. However, existing devices can be upgraded to support Bluetooth LE, which provides basic location awareness.

    Accurate location-tracking devices, like AirTags, have an internal ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, which aids in ultra-precise location tracking. UWB is incredibly precise, but it’s more expensive and complex than Bluetooth to implement universally.

    Which Pixel devices have Bluetooth 6?

    Google Pixel Watch 3 with camera feed from Pixel 9 Pro phone

    Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

    The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold support Bluetooth 6. Thanks to a recent Wear OS update, the Pixel Watch 3 also supports channel sounding. Google has not confirmed how it supplied the Pixel Watch 3 with this update, considering Bluetooth version updates historically require new hardware.

    Also: Google just copied the worst feature of modern iPhones (but not all hope is lost)

    Bluetooth 6 also brings faster Bluetooth device scanning, better-quality audio codecs, improved audio and video latency streaming for Bluetooth LE devices, and more efficient connections.

    What does this mean for the future?

    Bluetooth’s goal is to standardize technologies across devices. When introduced in 1999, Bluetooth intended to standardize our communication methods, eliminating wires for connecting to headphones, phones, and computers.

    Also: I’m a longtime iPhone user, but the Google Pixel 10 has me reconsidering my loyalty

    Today, wireless communication and connections are standard, and Bluetooth’s next challenge is standardizing channel sounding. It would implement secure and accurate location capabilities into all of our Bluetooth devices, one day enabling our smartphones to act as digital car and house keys.

    Gone would be the days of living within a device ecosystem to access device tracking features. Picture this: instead of purchasing a dedicated location tracker to find your gym bag, your headphones, earbuds, or tablet inside your bag could act as its Bluetooth tracker.

    Apple’s iPhone 17 and Samsung’s Galaxy 26 lineup, which are slated to release this fall and early next year, respectively, are the next smartphones to potentially receive Bluetooth 6 support.

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