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New gene therapy being developed at University of Toronto could treat MS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

Canada has one of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the world — a chronic condition for which there is no cure. But a new research breakthrough at the University of Toronto has the potential to improve the lives of those living with the disease far beyond current medications.A research team led by neuroscientist Maryam Faiz has developed a “reprogramming technology” that converts cells involved in the progression of MS in the central nervous system (CNS) into cells that promote functional recovery.Faiz explains that there are three main types of cells in the CNS: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neurons.“Astrocytes and oligodendrocytes are part of a class of cells that can make more of themselves in the brain, and neurons are static,” she says.Oligodendrocytes produce myelin — the insulating coating that wraps around nerve cells and is really important for fast neuronal transmission or fast signalling within the brain. In some cases,...

Trump lawsuit against New York Times over 2018 series tossed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The New York Times over a 2018 investigative series into his family’s wealth and tax practices was dismissed by a state judge Wednesday.The lawsuit accused the Times and three of its investigative reporters of relentlessly seeking out his estranged niece, Mary Trump, as a source of information and convincing her to turn over confidential documents. The $100 million suit claims the reporters were aware of a settlement agreement barring her from disclosing the documents.Trump sued Mary Trump, the Times and the three reporters in 2021, claiming they were “motivated by a personal vendetta” against him. The Times and its reporters on Wednesday succeeded in getting a judge to dismiss the claims against them.“Plaintiff’s claims against The Times defendants, as an initial matter, fail as a matter of constitutional law,” Robert Reed of the New York State Supreme Court wrote. He said that legal news gathering is “at t...

B.C.’s Cache Creek becomes raging river as floodwaters rise: mayor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

Normally a babbling brook, Cache Creek in British Columbia’s Interior has become a raging river, with floodwaters flowing right through the community’s firehall, the mayor said.John Ranta said water levels are the highest he’s ever seen in the village located about 80 kilometres west of Kamloops.“With the amount of water coming down, it’s hard to describe, but putting a few sandbags up is not going to save anything,” he said in an interview.“The water is going to go where the water wants to go.”The flooding is worst in the village of Cache Creek, but other areas in the province are also on high alert.B.C.’s River Forecast Centre has issued two flood warnings, its highest-level bulletin, while several lower-level flood watches and high streamflow advisories covered much of the province’s northern, central and southern Interior on Wednesday.Snow at higher elevations is melting quickly, and with warm weather and rain in the fo...

Nigeria evacuates hundreds of citizens from hard-hit Sudan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Hundreds of Nigerians fleeing the fighting in Sudan were evacuated and brought back to the West African nation late Wednesday after days of delays that left many of them stranded in the desert and at the Egyptian border.More than 370 Nigerians, many of them students, arrived in the capital city of Abuja from Egypt at midnight aboard military and local planes. More than 2,000 remain either in Egypt or in Sudan and would be evacuated in the coming days, according to Sadiya Umar Farouq, the country’s minister for humanitarian affairs.The Sudan fighting, which broke out after months of escalating tension between the country’s military and a rival paramilitary group, has so far killed 550 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Several countries are racing to evacuate their citizens from the troubled nation though millions remain there amid a fragile ceasefire.Both the Nigerian military and a local airline had their aircraft at the Aswan Airport in Egypt since S...

Victims in Texas mass shielded baby; 9-year-old loved soccer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A mass shooting that killed five people, including a 9-year-old boy, at a home in a rural Texas community has left a trail of anguish and sorrow that extends to Honduras and includes two newly orphaned children. A manhunt for the gunman culminated in the arrest of 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza on five pending counts of murder Tuesday. His partner was arrested Wednesday on allegations she hindered police.Oropeza had been shooting rounds on his property in Cleveland, Texas, north of Houston, and the attack occurred after neighbors asked him to shoot farther away because the gunfire was keeping a baby awake, police say. Adult victims of the shooting ranged in age from 18 to 31. Two were slain while shielding a baby and a toddler from gunfire. All were originally from the Central American nation of Honduras. Here are details that have emerged about the lives of the victims:DANIEL ENRIQUE LASOThe 9-year-old boy attended Northside Elementary in Cleveland where stud...

Chicago police: 4 people shot at Parkway Gardens, 1 critical

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Four people were shot Wednesday evening at an apartment complex at Parkway Gardens in Chicago, police said.Police said four people were hit by gunfire from an unknown offender around 6:17 p.m. in the 6300 block of South Calumet Avenue.According to police, all four people are males, ages 16, 22, 39 and 42.The 16-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he is in critical condition after being shot in the chest.The 22-year-old suffered a graze wound to the leg, while the 39-year-old was shot in the thigh, and the 42-year-old was shot in the calf. All three self-transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where they are all reportedly in good condition.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe incident is under investigation by Area 1 Detectives.

Rockford high schoolers sign letters of intent to teach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Many high schools have "Signing Days" for their athletes who commit to compete at the next level.One stateline high school held a signing event on Tuesday for students who are pursuing teaching careers.12 Harlem High School seniors signed their letters of intent as they embark on their own journey into education. They have the support of their teachers at Harlem."Some of these kids I've known, honestly, since they were elementary age, and to see them grow and become something that they want to be and change the world is just a blessing to me, and I'm thankful to be part of their journey," said Staci Hubley-Taylor, family consumer science and Education Pathway teacher at Harlem. Child given new teddy bear with late mom’s heartbeat after accidental donation Tuesday's event was Harlem's first ever "Teacher Signing Event." Students in the Education Pathway Program take human development and early education classes, working with an onsite preschool where they te...

Nelly to headline Illinois State Fair's final night, fifth grandstand concert announced

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) -- The Illinois State Fair announced yet another act to perform at the Illinois Lottery Grandstand stage in August.Fair officials welcome Grammy award-winning rap superstar Nelly to close out the fair's concert lineup on Sunday, August 20. Joining Nelly on the Grandstand stage is Grammy award-winning artist Ashanti and Grammy-nominated rapper Ja Rule, they said. Chicago & House Music: A relationship over four decades in the making Nelly is described by state fair officials as a diamond-selling and multi-platinum rapper, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actor. He has continually raised the bar for the entertainment industry since emerging on the music scene in 2000 with his distinctive vocals and larger-than-life personality, officials said.In 2021, Nelly’s country album "Heartland" made Billboard’s Top Ten Country Album charts. St. Louis native is currently preparing to release a new album titled "Heartland Part 2" with a new single coming soon.The fa...

Hays County grand jury clears 2 officers in connection to Dec. 2022 deadly shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A grand jury did not return an indictment for two officers involved in a December 2022 deadly shooting, Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins said in a news release. The grand jury determined the shooting was justified.Shortly after midnight, Dec. 25, 2022, San Marcos police officers were dispatched to an apartment complex at 490 Barnes Drive in reference to a disturbance, the release said.Officers were told 36-year-old Kyle Lobo was at the home, drinking and armed with a handgun, the release said. Responding officers also wore body cameras that recorded the incident that occurred as they arrived on the scene.Officers first saw Lobo in an outdoor breezeway and saw he had a firearm on his waist, the release said. When Lobo saw officers, he went upstairs with his young daughter in his arms. According to the release, multiple officers followed Lobo and repeatedly requested he allow them to disarm him and told him to not reach for the weapon.T...

With parents caught in middle of war in Ukraine, UT's Zeynalova leans on the spirit of her people for inspiration

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Longhorns women's tennis coach Howard Joffe doesn't know how Sabina Zeynalova does it.An excellent student and half of a Longhorns doubles team that qualified for the NCAA tournament this season, the sophomore has more than enough on her plate being a Division I student-athlete.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersOn top of those demands and everything else, Zeynalova is worried sick about her parents in her native Ukraine, who are "under attack right now," while the war with Russia ravages her home country. While it's something that makes tennis seem so insignificant, like something that's literally just a game, Zeynalova said the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people has inspired her to keep doing what she loves."Ukrainians have a long history of fighting for their freedom and their values, and I think that's one of the things that keeps me going a...