Latest news with #MatthewLivelsberger
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Cybertruck Appears to Be More Deadly Than the Infamous Ford Pinto, According to a New Analysis
On New Years morning this year, US Army Master Sergeant Matthew Livelsberger rolled his rental cybertruck up near the front doors of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. Levelsberger then armed a device which would soon detonate a collection of gas canisters and explosive fireworks, blowing the windows out of the hotel and injuring seven bystanders. Never one to waste a tragedy, Musk soon took to X-formerly-Twitter to brag up that the "Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards" — a claim which inadvertently led to the revelation that Tesla tracks and can remotely lock vehicles. Now a year into the Cybertruck's lifespan, it turns out that explosions might be the only thing they make safer. A new analysis by independent automotive blog FuelArc suggests that fire fatalities are 17 times more likely in a Cybertruck than in the infamous Ford Pinto — the posterchild deadly cars if ever there was one. The site arrives at that conclusion by comparing the total units sold so far — 34,438 for the Cybertruck, compared to 3,173,491 for the ill-fated Pinto, discontinued in 1980 — and comparing reported fire fatalities for both. At the current rate of horrible fiery deaths, FuelArc projects the Cybertruck will have 14.52 fatalities per 100,000 units — far eclipsing the Pinto's 0.85. (In absolute terms, FuelArc found, 27 Pinto drivers died in fires, while five Cybertruck drivers have suffered the same fate, at least so far.) FuelArc notes that the numbers are an estimate at best, because Tesla doesn't release its sales data to the public. But that's not the only thing that hasn't been released. The Cybertruck — an almost 3 ton vehicle which is apparently allowed to drive itself — has never passed independent crash testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority, and has refused to release its in-house safety testing data, which means other drivers and pedestrians are in the dark as to its safety. The tacky EVs have been a source of controversy for just about everyone, owing to their apparent lack of crumple zones, hazardous self-driving software, batteries that catch fire, and a small problem where the things brick in the middle of the highway — and that's just a tiny sampling of the many issues reported with Musk's cyberpunk fantasy car. Case in point, they've been impounded whenever they've shown up in the UK, and EU safety organizations are hoping to ban the things from European streets. Regardless, civilians in North America are now at the mercy of tens of thousands of them – at least until it becomes too passé to take them out in public. More on Cybertrucks: Tesla Moves Workers Away From Cybertruck Production as Demand Slumps
Gulf Today
27-01-2025
- Health
- Gulf Today
We are in a mental health crisis, a ‘moonshot' is needed
Tribune News Service On New Year's Day, Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger reportedly blew himself up in a Tesla Cybertruck in an apparent suicide outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. Despite having a successful career as a Green Beret and being the father of a baby born just last year, Livelsberger reportedly suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. This is just one high-profile example of how depression and anxiety disorders, ineffectively treated, can have lethal consequences. Rates of PTSD combined with anxiety disorders or diagnoses of depression increased by 177% and 138% in only five years, from 2019 to 2023, according to the most recent edition of the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, a peer-reviewed journal of the Armed Forces. Skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety are also being seen in civilian adults and, alarmingly, in our nation's children. According to a recent behaviour risk survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 40% of children in ninth through 12th grade experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and 20.4% seriously considered attempting suicide. Compounding this crisis in mental health is our inability to treat depression and anxiety effectively in most people. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil, the first line of medical therapy for these mood disorders, induce symptom improvement in only half of those people taking them and place only a third into remission. Unintended side effects of SSRIs, including anxiety itself, suggest that SSRIs may actually cause some of the symptoms they are meant to reverse. In pregnant women, SSRIs cross the placenta and are absorbed into breast milk; they may affect fetal development and cause disorders of gut-brain interaction. In short, we need better therapies for depression and anxiety, and we need them as soon as possible. Disturbingly, however, the budget provided for mental health research by the National Institutes of Health, the nation's premier source of funding for medical research, actually decreased last year. Emerging research in mental health is showing how little we know and thus how much work needs to be done, including in how SSRIs work. SSRIs increase serotonin, which has been called the 'happy hormone' due to its anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects. Since Prozac made a splash in the 1980s, the general scientific consensus has been that SSRIs enter the bloodstream and help anxiety and depression by increasing serotonin directly in the brain. While serotonin is found in the brain, more than 90% of our bodies' serotonin actually is found in the gut. Furthermore, SSRIs are systemically absorbed, leading to an increase in serotonin levels in not only the brain but also the gut. This leads to a key question — when SSRIs help anxiety and depression, is that because they increase the serotonin in the brain, or because they increase the serotonin in the gut? In other words, might it be better to target anxiety and depression by focusing on the gut, thus increasing efficacy of the SSRIs and reducing their harmful side effects? I recently published a study in animals that shows that increasing serotonin specifically in the gastrointestinal tract improves anxiety and depression. This suggests that a medication that can increase serotonin in the gut, while not entering the bloodstream, may be a more effective treatment for anxiety and depression while also avoiding fetal exposure in women taking SSRIs. (Pregnant women should not stop taking SSRIs when their physicians think they are required, as maternal depression itself can have its own negative effects.) It is critical, however, that studies focusing on how the gut affects mental health be at the forefront of political and scientific policies. With a new presidential administration, there must be a key focus on prioritising mental health initiatives. The formation of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus has been a very positive start. An even more robust effort, similar to the White House initiative 'Cancer Moonshot,' would be required. This revolutionary initiative is building new collaborations and programs across all parts of the cancer community, including the federal government, private companies, health care providers, patient groups, philanthropies and the general public. Many facets of Cancer Moonshot could be implemented in the mental health sphere. These could include investments in widespread screening and preventative programs; access to quality, coordinated care; the implementation of navigation services to enable patients to more easily acquire services; and prioritized research funding directed toward new treatments and preventative measures. Importantly, all of these measures consider equity for all populations and also consider military members and children specifically.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Commentary: We are in a mental health crisis. A ‘moonshot' is needed
On New Year's Day, Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger reportedly blew himself up in a Tesla Cybertruck in an apparent suicide outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. Despite having a successful career as a Green Beret and being the father of a baby born just last year, Livelsberger reportedly suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. This is just one high-profile example of how depression and anxiety disorders, ineffectively treated, can have lethal consequences. Rates of PTSD combined with anxiety disorders or diagnoses of depression increased by 177% and 138% in only five years, from 2019 to 2023, according to the most recent edition of the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, a peer-reviewed journal of the Armed Forces. Skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety are also being seen in civilian adults and, alarmingly, in our nation's children. According to a recent behavior risk survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 40% of children in ninth through 12th grade experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and 20.4% seriously considered attempting suicide. Compounding this crisis in mental health is our inability to treat depression and anxiety effectively in most people. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil, the first line of medical therapy for these mood disorders, induce symptom improvement in only half of those people taking them and place only a third into remission. Unintended side effects of SSRIs, including anxiety itself, suggest that SSRIs may actually cause some of the symptoms they are meant to reverse. In pregnant women, SSRIs cross the placenta and are absorbed into breast milk; they may affect fetal development and cause disorders of gut-brain interaction. In short, we need better therapies for depression and anxiety, and we need them as soon as possible. Disturbingly, however, the budget provided for mental health research by the National Institutes of Health, the nation's premier source of funding for medical research, actually decreased last year. Emerging research in mental health is showing how little we know and thus how much work needs to be done, including in how SSRIs work. SSRIs increase serotonin, which has been called the 'happy hormone' due to its anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects. Since Prozac made a splash in the 1980s, the general scientific consensus has been that SSRIs enter the bloodstream and help anxiety and depression by increasing serotonin directly in the brain. While serotonin is found in the brain, more than 90% of our bodies' serotonin actually is found in the gut. Furthermore, SSRIs are systemically absorbed, leading to an increase in serotonin levels in not only the brain but also the gut. This leads to a key question — when SSRIs help anxiety and depression, is that because they increase the serotonin in the brain, or because they increase the serotonin in the gut? In other words, might it be better to target anxiety and depression by focusing on the gut, thus increasing efficacy of the SSRIs and reducing their harmful side effects? I recently published a study in animals that shows that increasing serotonin specifically in the gastrointestinal tract improves anxiety and depression. This suggests that a medication that can increase serotonin in the gut, while not entering the bloodstream, may be a more effective treatment for anxiety and depression while also avoiding fetal exposure in women taking SSRIs. (Pregnant women should not stop taking SSRIs when their physicians think they are required, as maternal depression itself can have its own negative effects.) It is critical, however, that studies focusing on how the gut affects mental health be at the forefront of political and scientific policies. With a new presidential administration, there must be a key focus on prioritizing mental health initiatives. The formation of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus has been a very positive start. An even more robust effort, similar to the White House initiative 'Cancer Moonshot,' would be required. This revolutionary initiative is building new collaborations and programs across all parts of the cancer community, including the federal government, private companies, health care providers, patient groups, philanthropies and the general public. Many facets of Cancer Moonshot could be implemented in the mental health sphere. These could include investments in widespread screening and preventative programs; access to quality, coordinated care; the implementation of navigation services to enable patients to more easily acquire services; and prioritized research funding directed toward new treatments and preventative measures. Importantly, all of these measures consider equity for all populations and also consider military members and children specifically. As with the Cancer Moonshot initiative, these actions would require the collaboration of the government, private companies, nonprofits, academic institutions and patient groups. Let's make the case of Livelsberger a call to action for all who suffer from mental health conditions. On a policy level, we should encourage our local governments and the senators in the Mental Health Caucus to prioritize mental health education, research and access. On a personal level, we can support people we know who are struggling, take part in mental health awareness events or volunteer in a mental health organization. Most importantly, if you are struggling, seek the personal and professional help you need to take care of yourself. Prioritize mental health — our lives depend on it. ____ Kara Margolis is director of the NYU Pain Research Center, a professor in the Department of Molecular Pathobiology at the NYU College of Dentistry and in the Departments of Cell Biology and Pediatrics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She is also one of the Public Voices Fellows at New York University. _____
