A clinically validated framework for auditing AI chatbot behavior in mental health interactions - Nature

Scientists have found microplastics in virtually every part of the human body. Yet many questions remain about what exactly these infinitesimal flecks of synthetic polymers do to human health, and how they might cause disease. A new paper looking at the chemical reactions between water and disintegrating plastic offers a potential hypothesis for how microplastics might make us sick. Plastics were long thought to be chemically inert, meaning they don’t react easily with other compounds. It’s the reason they are often used for packaging, and why they so stubbornly resist biodegradation. But a Columbia University research team has found that when water molecules come into contact with plastic surfaces, a key chemical reaction does in fact take place. The meeting of water and plastic creates a third class of molecules called reactive oxygen species. ROS are a type of free radical, a broad term for one class of unstable, high-energy molecules. ROS are known to damage cells and promote inflammation. They “tend to damage nearby materials and molecules,” said Wei Min, a professor of chemistry and biomedical engineering at Columbia and co-author of the study.

Guojie Qiao1 na1, Jinhao Jia2,3 na1, Yihong Di2,3, Zeyang Bai2,3, Limeng Xiong2,3, Jiaming Fu2,3, Yuhan Zhang2,3, Xiaozhe Geng2,3, Yuxi Wang2,3, Chunqing Gao2,3, Hao Hu4, Min Guo4, Jie Ma4, Mingming Hu4, Xiaojuan Zhang5, Guangjun Wang4 & … Jian Sun We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply.

Founder and CEO Alison Donnally says three family tragedies inspired her unique business idea. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alison Donnally, the founder and CEO of JoeyCo. It has been edited for length and clarity. Prior to starting JoeyCo, I worked in strategy and business development within healthcare. That started me down a path of ideating better solutions for elderly patients. But personal tragedies within my own family are what really confirmed for me that a business like JoeyCo was needed. Many older people want to retain their independence. I've had a lot of family history with this pattern of aging independently, living alone, and everything working out fine, until suddenly it doesn't. I've seen firsthand the safety of that situation changing very quickly. So, I started JoeyCo in 2024 and created a new category of business, one that blends housing and healthcare. Three of my family members experienced mental and physical health declines while living aloneMy husband's grandmother was isolated in a nursing home during COVID. Before this, she was social and deeply engaged in her community and civic life.

Bioengineer.org news storyFor people living with HIV, modern antiretroviral therapy can suppress the virus to levels below what standard laboratory tests can detect. Yet some patients on long-term treatment experience a curious phenomenon: a single test result showing a small, transient amount of virus in the blood, followed by an immediate return to undetectable levels. These events, known as viral blips, have puzzled clinicians and researchers for years, raising questions about whether they represent harmless statistical noise, brief bursts of viral production from hidden reservoirs, or early warnings of impending treatment failure. A new nationwide Swedish study, published in BMC Infectious Diseases, offers one of the most comprehensive answers to date. Drawing on the Swedish national InfCareHIV cohort, researchers analyzed data from 4,210 treatment-naïve adults who began antiretroviral therapy from 1 January 2007 onward, with follow-up data extracted through 30 September 2020. The median observation time was 5.5 years, with some individuals followed for as long as 13.7 years.