NASA’s interim administrator Sean Duffy was fired up on Wednesday when he joined a teleconference to talk about new scientific findings that concerned the potential for life to have once existed on Mars.
“This is exciting news,” said Duffy about an arrow-shaped rock on Mars found by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The rock contained chemical signatures and structures that could have been formed by ancient microbial life. The findings were intriguing, but not conclusive. Further study of the rocks in an advanced lab on Earth might prove more definitive.
Duffy was ready, he said, to discuss the scientific results along with NASA experts on the call with reporters. However, the very first question—and for any space reporter, the obvious one—concerned NASA’s on-again, off-again plan to return rocks from the surface of Mars for study on Earth. This mission, called Mars Sample Return, has been on hold for nearly two years after an independent analysis found that NASA’s bloated plan would cost at least $8 billion to $11 billion. President Trump has sought to cancel it outright.
Duffy faces the space press
“What’s the latest on NASA’s plans to retrieve the samples from Perseverance?” asked Marcia Dunn, a reporter with the Associated Press, about small vials of rocks collected by the NASA rover on Mars.
“So listen, we’re looking at how we get this sample back, or other samples back,” Duffy replied. “What we’re going to do is look at our budget, so we look at our timing, and you know, how do we spend money better? And you know, what technology do we have to get samples back more quickly? And so that’s a current analysis that’s happening right now.”
A couple of questions later, Ken Chang, a science reporter with The New York Times, asked Duffy why President Trump’s budget request called for the cancellation of Mars Sample Return and whether that was still the president’s intent.
“I want to be really clear,” Duffy replied. “This is a 30-year process that NASA has undertaken. President Trump didn’t say, ‘Hey, let’s forget about Mars.’ No, we’re continuing our exploration. And by the way, we’ve been very clear under this president that we don’t want to just bring samples back from Mars. We want to send our boots to the Moon and to Mars, and that is the work that we’re doing. Amit (Kshatriya, the new Associate Administrator of NASA) even said maybe we’ll send our equipment to test this sample to Mars itself. All options are on the table.”
Could abbreviated biparametric magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI) emerge as the new standard of care for prostate cancer (PCa) detection?
For a new multicenter study, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers compared abbreviated bpMRI (utilizing T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)) and multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) for 490 biopsy-native men (median age of 65 and median PSA level of 5.6) with raised suspicion of PCa. The cohort was derived from 22 centers in 12 countries, according to the study.
The study authors found that abbreviated bpMRI detected clinically significant PCa (csPCa) in 29.2 percent of the cohort in comparison to 29.6 percent for mpMRI.
In a multicenter study of men with clinical suspicion of prostate cancer (PCa), researchers found that abbreviated bpMRI offered comparable detection rates to mpMRI for clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa).
The researchers also noted comparable numbers between abbreviated bpMRI and mpMRI with respect to sensitivity (98 percent vs. 99.3 percent), specificity (61.6 percent vs. 60.1 percent), positive predictive value (PPV) (53.1 percent vs. 52.5 percent) and negative predictive value (NPV) (98.6 percent vs. 99.5 percent).
The researchers also noted similar detection rates between abbreviated bpMRI and mpMRI for clinically insignificant PCa (9.2 percent vs. 9.6 percent).
“The PRIME study demonstrates that a shorter and less resource-intensive biparametric MRI detects as much clinically significant cancer as the full multiparametric MRI, without increasing the diagnosis of clinically insignificant cancer. Despite earlier concerns that lack of contrast information would lead to more biopsy recommendations, this study found no evidence of this, with biopsy rates being very similar between biparametric MRI and multiparametric MRI,” noted lead study author Alexander Ng, MBBS, who is affiliated with the Division of Surgery and Interventional Science at University College London in the United Kingdom, and colleagues.
Three Key Takeaways
Comparable diagnostic accuracy. Abbreviated biparametric MRI (bpMRI) demonstrated nearly identical detection rates for clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) compared to multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), with similar sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV.
No increase in overdiagnosis or biopsy rates. bpMRI showed similar detection of clinically insignificant prostate cancer and did not lead to higher biopsy recommendations, addressing prior concerns about omission of contrast.
Practical advantages. bpMRI offers shorter scan times, avoids gadolinium contrast, improves throughput, and reduces risks and costs, making it a promising alternative to mpMRI for broader clinical use.
Noting the potential ramifications of these findings in light of approximately four million prostate MRI exams being performed annually in the United States, the researchers emphasized the advantages of an abbreviated bpMRI protocol with respect to improved access, efficiency and safety.
“The significant benefits of a biparametric MRI approach include a shorter scan for the patient, improved scanner throughput for the health care system, avoiding the need for gadolinium contrast, elimination of cannulation and contrast-agent safety risks, avoiding the need for a physician to be present during scanning, and reduced environmental toxicity,” added Ng and colleagues.
(Editor’s note: For related content, see “Could a Specificity Emphasis for MRI-Based T-Staging Reinvent Staging for Prostate Cancer?,” “MRI-Based Deep Learning Model Bolsters Prediction of PI-RADS 3 and 4 Lesions” and “Large Medicare Study Shows Black Men Less Likely to Receive PET and MRI for Prostate Cancer Imaging.”)
In regard to study limitations, the authors acknowledged the possibility of bias underestimating cancer detection with mpMRI and noted the study data was derived from centers with highly experienced radiologists and biopsy operators. The researchers also emphasized the importance of ensuring quality MRI scans prior to adopting an abbreviated MRI protocol for prostate cancer screening.
None of the 11 people killed in a US military strike on a boat in the Caribbean last week were members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s interior minister has said, while US media reported the attack came after the vessel had turned around and was heading back to shore.
The administration of Donald Trump has said the boat was transporting illegal narcotics, but has provided little further information about the incident, even amid demands from members of the US Congress for a justification for the action.
“They openly confessed to killing 11 people,” Venezuela’s interior minister and ruling party head, Diosdado Cabello, said on state television. “We have done our investigations here in our country and there are the families of the disappeared people who want their relatives, and when we asked in the towns, none were from Tren de Aragua, none were drug traffickers.
“A murder has been committed against a group of citizens using lethal force,” added Cabello, questioning how the US could determine whether drugs were on the boat and why the people were not instead arrested.
“How did they identify them as members of the Tren de Aragua? Did they have, I don’t know, a chip? Did they have a QR code and [the US military] read it from above in the dark?” Cabello said.
The Venezuelan government said after the incident that a video post by Trump of the strike was artificial intelligence.
US national security officials acknowledged during a closed briefing this week on Capitol Hill that the boat was fired on multiple times by the US military after it had changed course, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The emerging details came as several senators, Democrats and some Republicans, indicated dissatisfaction with the administration’s rationale and questioned the legality of the action. They view it as a potential overreach of executive authority in part by using the military for law enforcement purposes.
In a letter to the White House, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and two dozen other Democratic senators said the Trump administration has provided “no legitimate legal justification” for the strike.
“Our armed forces are not law enforcement agencies,” said Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a floor speech this week. “They are not empowered to hunt down suspected criminals and kill them without trial,” Reed said.
Reed said in his speech that the administration has offered “no proof that this vessel was engaged in an attack, or even that it was engaged in drug trafficking at the time.” He also said the administration has provided “no positive identification that the boat was Venezuelan, nor that its crew were members of Tren de Aragua or any other cartel.”
Republican Senator Rand Raul has said it was unlikely the boat was headed to US shores, which would be a lengthy trip for such a vessel.
Paul – a libertarian-leaning Republican with a long history of challenging executive overreach, particularly in national security matters – has argued the US cannot simply kill people suspected of wrongdoing without due process.
In response, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said “These were evil Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists trying to bring illegal drugs into our country and kill Americans” and that the “president acted in line with the laws of armed conflict”.
Kelly also said Nicolás Maduro was not the legitimate president of Venezuela and that he was a “fugitive”.
The Pentagon added that drug cartels will find “no safe harbor.”
“This strike sent a clear message: If you traffic drugs toward our shores, the United States military will use every tool at our disposal to stop you cold,“ chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.
The Trump administration has ratcheted up the US military presence in the southern Caribbean as part of what it says is a crackdown on drug smugglers, and ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield.
Maduro said early on Thursday his country would deploy military, police and civilian defenses at 284 “battlefront” locations across the country, his latest show of military capacity.
“We’re ready for an armed fight, if it’s necessary,” Maduro said from Ciudad Caribia, on the country’s central coast, in a broadcast on state television flanked by his defense minister.
“Along all the Venezuelan coasts, from the border with Colombia to the east of the country, from north to south and east to west, we have a full preparation of official troops,” he said.
Reuters witnesses in several cities around Venezuela did not note an increase in troop presence.
The US last month doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro to $50m over allegations of drug trafficking and links to criminal groups.
Maduro has always denied the accusations and his government says Venezuela is not a drug producer.
With Reuters and Associated Press
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Pentoxifylline (PTX), a methylxanthine derivative, has been recognized as a potential anti-inflammatory treatment across various conditions, yet its effects on inflammatory markers remain inconsistent. This systematic review/meta-analysis evaluated the impact of PTX on serum levels and gene expression of key inflammatory markers in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Methods
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and ProQuest up to May 2025. Search results were screened in two stages by two independent reviewers. Data was extracted and the quality of the studies included was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA -17. The present study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines.
Results
This study included 81 RCTs involving 7,058 participants. PTX treatment significantly reduced serum levels of CRP (SMD = −0.30, 95% CI: −0.47 to −0.13), IL-6 (SMD = −0.51, 95% CI: −0.81 to −0.22), TNF-α (SMD = −0.72, 95% CI: −0.95 to −0.48), and IL-8 (SMD = −1.14, 95% CI: −1.94 to −0.33) compared to controls. No statistically significant effects were observed for IL-1β, ESR, IL-10, or TNFR. High heterogeneity was noted in most outcomes, partly attributed to variations in age, treatment duration, dosage, geographic region, and health conditions. Subgroup analyses revealed that younger patients, shorter interventions, and lower PTX doses were associated with stronger anti-inflammatory responses.
Conclusion
PTX reduces TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP, supporting its role in chronic inflammatory diseases. Efficacy varies by age, dose, duration, geography, and disease, requiring personalized treatment. Contradictory biomarker effects and study limitations warrant high-quality trials with standardized protocols.
In this clip, Melissa Evans, CVT, LVT, VTS (ECC), owner and founder of Melissa Evans, VTS (ECC) Veterinary Nurse Consulting, talks about clinical signs that can help veterinary professionals quickly differentiate between hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS) when a patient with diabetes presents to the emergency room. She explains that differentiating between DKA and HHS can be challenging due to similar clinical signs. Patients with HHS, she explains, may present with lethargy, mental dullness, and in extreme cases, coma. Still, Evans emphasizes that the only way to truly differentiate between the two conditions is to analyze the patient’s blood values and to do calculations to determine hyperosmolar status. Signs of hypoglycemia, meanwhile, include anorexia, lethargy, unresponsiveness, immobility, seizures (including facial seizures), and twitching.
Related: Identifying diabetic emergencies
Below is a transcript of the video, which has been lightly edited for improved clarity.
Melissa Evans, CVT, LVT, VTS (ECC): So usually with hypoglycemia, we’ll have reports from the owners that [the patients] haven’t been eating or that they are a known [cat with diabetes] who may have gotten extra insulin. Clinical signs [of hypoglycemia] are usually lethargy. They may not be moving at all. They might not be responsive to things. Sometimes, they can have seizures. Or, a lot of owners say they start twitching, they have little focal facial seizures that [are] very common in hypoglycemia.
In DKA and HHS, it’s a little harder to differentiate. The symptoms are very similar. Usually, with hyperosmolar syndrome, the patients are much more lethargic. They’re very dull mentally. Sometimes they’re even obtunded. If it’s really bad, they can be in a coma, but the only way to really differentiate between the 2 is to do some math and to look at their blood values, and then to calculate if they are hyperosmolar or not.
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Margot Robbie Showcasing My Big Bold Beautiful Booty at Movie Premiere!!!
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Margot Robbie‘s fantabulously emancipating her famous posterior … wearing a dress so sheer her entire backside was on display while she walked the red carpet!
The actress hit the “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” premiere in the United Kingdom Thursday … and, when she turned around, we got an eyeful of her ‘Bombshell’ bottom.
Ya gotta see the pics for yourself … Margot’s glittering from chest to toes in a sparkling dress — with jewels obscuring the otherwise completely sheer fabric.
We can’t see everything Margot’s workin’ with … but, we can see a whole lot — including a hint of the thong that’s doing nothing to cover her up.
She’s also sporting a whole lotta sideboob … clearly not wearing a bra in this outfit — and, we’re sure it got one or two overexcited people Wolf (of Wall Street) whistling at the A-lister.
Robbie stars in “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” with Colin Farrell … which is rated R, BTW. However, that seems mainly because of strong language — don’t expect Margot to gallivant around in a dress like this in the flick! The new movie marks Margot’s first release since “Barbie” — and since becoming a new mom!
Once upon a time in Hollywood — circa 2023 — Margot was the biggest star on the planet … and, clearly, nothing’s changed.
An official in charge of nearly three decades of archaeological finds in Gaza has described how the artefacts were hurriedly evacuated from a Gaza City building threatened by an Israeli strike.
“This was a high-risk operation, carried out in an extremely dangerous context for everyone involved – a real last-minute rescue,” said Olivier Poquillon, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF), which housed the relics.
On Wednesday morning, Israeli authorities ordered EBAF – one of the oldest academic institutions in the region – to evacuate its archaeological storehouse on the ground floor of a residential tower in Gaza City that was due to be targeted.
The Israeli army did not confirm the warning when asked by AFP, but several sources said France, Unesco and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem played a key role in securing a brief reprieve that allowed most of the artefacts to be removed.
“With almost no international actors left on the ground, no infrastructure, nothing functioning, we had to improvise transport, labour and logistics,” said Poquillon.
The evacuation, he added, was carried out in strict secrecy, with “the overriding concern, as a religious organisation, of not endangering human lives”, as Israeli military pressed operations in the territory’s largest urban hub.
The depot contained about 180 cubic metres of finds from Gaza’s five main archaeological sites, including the fourth-century Saint Hilarion monastery, listed as a Unesco world heritage site. All of these sites have been damaged, EBAF said, expressing concern for “unique” mosaics left exposed despite their fragility.
Poquillon said Gaza has “an extremely ancient heritage, very precious for the region, showing the succession and coexistence of peoples, cultures and religions”.
One of Gaza’s two museums has been destroyed and the other heavily damaged since the war started nearly two years ago.
Researchers told AFP that, aside from scattered ruins highly vulnerable to bombardment, the EBAF storehouse was the only significant repository of artefacts left in the Palestinian territory.
The rediscovery of Gaza’s past began after the 1993 Oslo accords.
Two years later, the newly created Gaza antiquities service opened its first archaeological dig in cooperation with EBAF, unearthing remnants of the ancient Greek port of Anthedon and a Roman necropolis.
Excavations stalled after Hamas seized power in 2007 and Israel imposed a blockade, resuming years later with support from the British Council and French NGO Première Urgence Internationale (PUI).
With Israel now contemplating a full takeover of Gaza and ceasefire talks stalled, archaeologists say prospects for renewed excavations are remote.
Unesco, which has already identified damage to 94 heritage sites in Gaza using satellite images, including the 13th-century Pasha’s Palace, has not yet been able to take a full inventory.
“We saved a large part, but in a rescue you always lose things, and you always face painful choices,” said René Elter, an archaeologist affiliated with EBAF and scientific coordinator for PUI.
The depot, he said, was especially valuable because collections had been classified systematically.
“Many items have been broken or lost, but they had been photographed or drawn, so the scientific information is preserved,” Elter said. “Perhaps that will be the only trace that remains of Gaza’s archaeology – in books, publications, libraries.”
