What’s New in the Health Space?
Discover the latest and most intriguing stories from Yahoo News partners focusing on health.
‘You absolutely don’t need consent from someone who’s dead’
Explore the future of grief and loss with AI company You, Only Virtual. This groundbreaking company is creating chatbots modeled after deceased loved ones. Founder Justin Harrison shared with “Good Morning America” that he hopes this technology will eliminate the experience of grief altogether.
You, Only Virtual uses text messages, emails, and phone calls exchanged between an individual and their departed loved one to craft a chatbot. This chatbot generates original written or audio responses that mimic the voice of the deceased person, replicating the relationship and rapport they shared in life.
Founded in 2020, You, Only Virtual plans to introduce a video-chat feature later this year. They also aim to offer augmented reality options that allow for interaction with three-dimensional projections of the deceased.
Addressing privacy concerns related to using personal conversations without the consent of the deceased, Harrison stated, “You absolutely don’t need consent from someone who’s dead. My mom could’ve hated the idea, but this is what I wanted, and I’m alive.”
WHO Warns of Increased Dengue Fever Cases due to Global Warming
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning that instances of dengue fever may reach near-record levels this year. Global warming is playing a significant role in the multiplication of mosquitoes and the viruses they carry, leading to an increased prevalence of the disease, as reported by Reuters.
Earlier in the year, WHO stated that dengue fever is the fastest-spreading tropical disease, posing a pandemic threat. Approximately 50% of the global population is at risk of contracting dengue. While most cases are asymptomatic, some individuals may experience symptoms such as fever, nausea, rash, or achiness that last for two to seven days. In rare cases, severe dengue can occur, resulting in shock, internal bleeding, and even death.
Identifying the Gene Behind Asymptomatic COVID-19 Cases
A recent study has identified a gene that could explain why some individuals who test positive for COVID-19 never exhibit symptoms. Researchers recruited 29,947 volunteer bone-marrow donors for the study. These participants had high-quality genetic data available, making them an ideal group for the research, according to The Washington Post.
The study asked participants to use smartphones to track their own COVID-19 infections, symptoms, and test results over a nine-month period. Among those who tested positive but remained symptom-free, 20% carried a variant of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene called HLA-B*15:01. Individuals with two copies of this gene variant were over eight times more likely to remain asymptomatic compared to those with other HLA variants.
The discovery of this gene variant has the potential to drive innovation in vaccine development and treatment for COVID-19. Jill Hollenbach, an immunologist from the University of California at San Francisco and co-author of the study, expressed her optimism, stating, “Preventing COVID infection has proven to be more challenging than we expected. If we could design a vaccine that allows individuals to handle the infection so well that they don’t experience any symptoms, I would be very happy with that.”
‘Brain Fog’ from Long COVID May Age the Brain by a Decade
According to a study conducted by King’s College London, the cognitive effects of “brain fog” associated with long COVID can be equivalent to aging 10 years. Participants in the study underwent tests assessing memory, attention, reasoning, processing speed, and motor control. The researchers found that those who experienced COVID symptoms for 12 weeks or longer showed the greatest impact on test performance, comparable to the cognitive decline associated with aging a decade, as reported by PA Media.
In a follow-up testing conducted nearly two years after the participants’ initial infection, there was no significant improvement in test scores. Lead study author Dr. Nathan Cheetham commented, “Our findings suggest that the effects of the coronavirus on mental processes, such as memory and recall, are still detectable nearly two years after initial infection for those living with long-term COVID symptoms. However, it’s good news that COVID had no effect on performance for people who felt fully recovered, even if they experienced symptoms for months.”
