Ground Truths

Ground Truths is a Substack focused on the intersection of biomedicine and technology, providing in-depth analysis on COVID-19, autoimmune diseases, vaccine development, genetic research, the integration of AI in healthcare, and the future implications of biotechnological advances.

COVID-19 Research and Vaccines Autoimmune Diseases and Treatments Genetic Research and Lifespan Extension Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Biotechnological Advances Cardiovascular Health Diagnostic Errors in Medicine

The hottest Substack posts of Ground Truths

And their main takeaways

The Microplastic Concerns Elevate—To the Brain

10279 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🏥 Health Politics Public Health Environmental health Toxicology Nutrition Health Impact
  1. Microplastics are accumulating in the brain and other organs, with much higher levels found in people with dementia. This is raising alarms about their possible effects on health.
  2. Studies have shown that microplastics can affect blood flow in the brain, leading to issues like blood clots. This suggests they could contribute to neurological problems.
  3. To reduce exposure to microplastics, people can avoid plastic packaging and heating plastic items. There's also a need for broader action to cut down plastic production overall.

When Doctors With A.I. Are Outperformed by A.I. Alone

9229 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Artificial Intelligence Diagnostics Patient Care Healthcare Technology
  1. A.I. is often outperforming doctors in diagnosing medical conditions, even when doctors use A.I. as a tool. This means A.I. can sometimes make better decisions without human involvement.
  2. Doctors might not always trust A.I. and often stick to their own judgment even if A.I. gives correct information, leading to less accurate diagnoses.
  3. Instead of having doctors and A.I. work on every case together, we should find specific tasks for each. A.I. can handle simple cases, allowing doctors to focus on more complex problems where their experience is vital.

How Our Gut Microbiome Can Drive Sugar Cravings

14565 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Microbiome Nutrition Psychology Diabetes Physiology
  1. Our gut bacteria can influence our cravings for sugar. Specific bacteria in our gut send signals to our brain that can make us want more sweets.
  2. The molecule Ffar4 in our gut plays a big role in how much we like sugar. When this is less active, we might crave sugar more.
  3. A certain type of gut bacteria, called Bacteroides vulgatus, is linked to an increased desire for sugar. Understanding this can help us figure out how to control cravings better.

The Updated Red Meat Story

13516 implied HN points • 19 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Nutrition Diet Microbiome Cognition Epidemiology
  1. Eating a lot of red meat can be linked to health issues like heart problems and cancer. Plant-based diets are usually better for overall health.
  2. Studies show that eating more plant-based foods can help balance the risks from red meat. Even small changes can make a difference in gut health.
  3. Replacing red meat with healthier options like nuts or legumes may reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Our Sleep, Brain Aging, and Waste Clearance

17890 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Health Effects
  1. Sleep is crucial for keeping our brains clean and healthy by helping to remove waste. During deep sleep, our brains operate like a dishwasher, flushing out harmful proteins and toxins.
  2. The brain has a system called the glymphatic pathway that works best when we sleep. This system helps drain waste and keeps our brain functioning well as we age.
  3. Poor sleep is linked to brain aging and diseases like Alzheimer's. As we get older, our ability to clear waste from the brain declines, making quality sleep even more important.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Your Lab Tests

15921 implied HN points • 14 Dec 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Lab Tests Data Analysis
  1. Your individual lab results, like the Complete Blood Count (CBC), can vary a lot between people but stay stable for you over time. This means your personal health data can give more accurate insights than just average values used for everyone.
  2. Personalized reference values from CBC tests can help predict health risks better than conventional methods. They show clearer connections to potential diseases and can indicate specific health issues.
  3. Using advanced technology like AI to analyze these personal health metrics could help doctors spot risks early. This approach can enhance patient care by identifying high-risk individuals for proactive health management.

Guardians of the Brain

9404 implied HN points • 08 Dec 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Neuroscience Immunology Chronic Illness Clinical Research
  1. The brain has a vital connection with the immune system, challenging the old belief that the brain is cut off from it. New studies show that brain immune cells can help prevent and treat diseases.
  2. Recent research has discovered ways to program T cells to respond to brain issues, which may aid in treating brain tumors and autoimmune diseases. This could lead to better therapies by specifically targeting brain conditions.
  3. There is a newly understood communication path between the body and brain that controls inflammation and immune responses. Understanding this connection can improve treatments for autoimmune diseases and conditions like Long Covid.

Learning the Language of Life with A.I.

6211 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Genetics
  1. AlphaFold2 has greatly advanced science by predicting protein structures. It's one of the most significant achievements in life sciences and has inspired many new AI models.
  2. There's a surge of new AI models focused on life sciences, including predictions of DNA and protein interactions. These advancements are happening quickly and are democratizing scientific research.
  3. The use of AI in biology is just beginning, and it holds exciting potential for future discoveries. It could help us understand complex biological functions better and develop new therapies.

Cancer Science in On a Tear

7436 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Cancer Research Medical Science Therapeutics Biotechnology Genomics
  1. Recent research has made great progress in understanding cancer, revealing that many cancer cells may come from multiple clones. This helps explain how cancer develops and spreads.
  2. Studies are showing how powerful visual mapping of tumors can be, especially for identifying how different immune responses affect the growth of cancers like breast and ovarian cancer.
  3. New insights into circular DNA in cancer cells are revealing its role in tumor growth and resistance to treatments. There is even potential for new therapies targeting this DNA to combat cancer.

The Dawn of Spatial Medicine

5773 implied HN points • 26 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Medicine Research Therapy Biotechnology Health Technology
  1. Spatial medicine is a new field that combines biology and healthcare, focusing on using spatial data to improve patient treatment. This means doctors can analyze cells and tissues in detail to better understand diseases.
  2. Recent research showed that a new treatment using JAK inhibitors was effective for patients with toxic epidermal necrolysis, a serious skin condition. This treatment worked quickly and with no side effects, showcasing the potential of spatial medicine.
  3. The integration of AI and deep learning plays a key role in spatial medicine, helping to analyze complex data and improve patient outcomes. This advancement could lead to more personalized and effective treatments in the future.

Covid, 4 years on

15003 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Public Health
  1. The global excess mortality due to Covid has reached about 30 million lost lives, impacting life expectancy in 204 countries. Long Covid continues to affect tens of millions worldwide.
  2. Vaccination rates and political affiliation have shown stark differences in Covid death rates, with data indicating the protective benefits of boosters for older individuals.
  3. New variants of SARS-CoV-2, like BA.2.87.1, are being monitored for mutations, with the current consensus suggesting it is less immune-evasive. Vaccines have shown major protection against cardiovascular outcomes.

Lighting up Long Covid

15222 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Long Covid Vaccination Clinical Trials
  1. A new study on Long Covid analyzed 6,600 proteins to identify potential biomarkers like complement activation.
  2. Vaccination offers substantial protection against Long Covid, especially in those not at risk of severe illness.
  3. Recent reports highlight potential neurologic damage from Covid and call for more research on effective treatments.

Long Covid and Cognitive Deficits

10104 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Long Covid Brain function Covid impact Medical Research
  1. Two new studies show cognitive deficits after Covid in large populations, with impacts on memory, executive function, and reasoning.
  2. The cognitive decline from Long Covid can range from 3 to 9 IQ points, showing significant impact even after symptoms resolve.
  3. Research indicates that cognitive decline from Covid can persist for up to 3 years, emphasizing the long-term effects of the virus on brain function.

Towards Solving the Long Covid Puzzle

10191 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Research Treatment Biomarkers Infections Vaccination
  1. Recent studies shed light on the disrupted blood-brain barrier in Long Covid, with implications for brain fog and inflammation.
  2. Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections increase the risk of Long Covid, with viral loads indicating active replication.
  3. Interferon-gamma biomarker shows promise in diagnosing and treating Long Covid, potentially aiding in clinical trials.

The BA.2.86 variant and the new booster

14434 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccines Immunity Variants Boosters Long Covid
  1. First human data for the new XBB.1.5 booster vaccine show good levels of neutralizing antibodies against BA.2.86 and other variants.
  2. Multiple lab studies have characterized the immune response to the BA.2.86 variant.
  3. Wastewater data and hospitalizations suggest a new wave of COVID-19 cases, highlighting the need for booster shots to provide enhanced protection against severe COVID and Long Covid.

An Exciting New Approach to Autoimmune Diseases

11985 implied HN points • 17 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness
  1. Tolerogenic vaccines aim to suppress the immune response, offering a new approach to autoimmune diseases.
  2. Current treatments block the immune system with drugs, lacking specificity and leaving patients vulnerable to infections and side effects.
  3. Leveraging the liver's unique tolerogenic environment shows potential in inducing immune tolerance as a treatment for autoimmune conditions.

Toward the eradication of medical diagnostic errors

6255 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Artificial Intelligence
  1. Diagnostic errors in medicine are a serious problem, leading to harm or disability for many patients.
  2. Artificial intelligence (AI) shows promise in improving diagnostic accuracy by supporting clinicians and reducing workload.
  3. Using advanced AI models like GPT-4 can enhance diagnostic accuracy and provide valuable second opinions in medical practice.

When the Breakthrough Obesity G-Agonist Drugs Exceed Expectations

7742 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Obesity Medical Research Cardiovascular Health Diabetes
  1. The expanding GLP-1 drug family shows potential for treating obesity with new triple agonist drugs.
  2. Clinical trials with G-agonists reveal reductions in major cardiovascular events and heart failure symptoms.
  3. GLP-1 drugs have shown promise in treating early type 1 diabetes, cognitive function, alcohol use disorder, and more.

Polygenic Risk Scores: Ready for Prime Time?

3980 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Genetics Risk Assessment Prevention Data Analysis
  1. Polygenic risk scores can provide valuable information on high genetic risk for diseases like heart disease and cancer, beyond traditional clinical risk factors.
  2. The use of polygenic risk scores is advancing thanks to efforts like the eMERGE consortium, incorporating multi-ancestry data and rigorous validation.
  3. Actionable polygenic risk scores have the potential to reduce health disparities and enhance preventive strategies in medical practice.

My review of THE COMING WAVE

7567 implied HN points • 09 Sep 23
🕹 Technology AI Genomics Future of AI Large Language Models
  1. AI is on the brink of transforming our lives with the majority of interactions being with AIs, not people.
  2. The book 'THE COMING WAVE' by Mustafa Suleyman discusses the future of AI integrating life science and digital applications.
  3. The book offers a balanced perspective on AI's potential, historical context, and the challenges and opportunities it presents.

The TED A.I. Conference

4942 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Ethics Chip Manufacturing Regulation Future outlook
  1. TED held its first dedicated A.I. meeting this year, featuring discussions on large language models and controversies surrounding them.
  2. The conference debated between accelerating A.I. development and approaching it with caution for safety concerns.
  3. Experts discussed Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its potential impact on various aspects of human activity.

Long-Term Long Covid

1181 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Long Covid Diabetes Atherosclerosis
  1. New reports show long-lasting effects of COVID-19 on health at the 2-year mark.
  2. Severe COVID-19 cases lead to worse outcomes and long-term impact compared to mild cases.
  3. Long COVID remains a significant concern, with uncertain long-term health implications like autoimmune diseases and atherosclerosis.

Unleashing Our Immune Response to Quash Cancer

3 HN points • 10 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Immunotherapy Vaccines
  1. Cancer cells have various tricks to evade targeted therapies like changing their driver mutation and cell identity, stealing the mitochondria from T cells, and spreading predominantly during sleep.
  2. Immune response strategies like immune checkpoint inhibitors, therapeutic cancer vaccines, antibody-drug conjugates, and oncolytic viruses are being developed to combat cancer.
  3. Combining different immunotherapy strategies and approaches like engineering T cells show promise in overcoming the challenges of treating cancer and improving patient outcomes.