Latest news with #Velarde
GMA Network
26-05-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
UP biologists use mathematical model to detect early signs of metastasis in breast cancer patients
UP biologists use mathematical model to detect early signs of metastasis in breast cancer patients (Photo from Dr. Michael Velarde) Biologists from the University of the Philippines Diliman have developed a mathematical model that can detect lymphovascular invasion (LVI), an early indicator of metastasis, in breast cancer patients even before a surgical operation. 'If we can detect LVI earlier, doctors could personalize patient treatment and improve their outcomes. This could help avoid ineffective treatments and focus on strategies that work better for aggressive breast cancer,' said Michael Velarde, one of the authors of the study, in a news release by the UP College of Science. LVI is the condition when cancer cells invade the lymphatic and blood vessels which enables them to travel to other body parts. When cancer cells spread to other organs, the process is called metastasis. Tumor must first be surgically removed to detect possible LVI by examining the tissue surrounding it. The scientists determined whether LVI+ breast tumors contain a unique gene signature that could facilitate earlier detection. 'Here, we conducted an integrative analysis of the gene profile between LVI+ and LVI− primary breast tumors from various sources, including published data and our own research, using both microarray and RNA-seq data,' the study's abstract read. The study discovered that the majority of breast cancer patients in the sample also did not respond to anti-cancer drugs, such as doxorubicin and anthracyclines, given before the tumor removal operations. The scientists found that certain genes involved in breaking down anti-cancer drugs, called the UGT1 and CYP genes, are more abundant in patients with LVI. Hence, the drugs are becoming less effective because they are easily broken down. 'An elastic net regression model containing 13 of these uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferases and cytochrome P450 genes can predict LVI status with 92% accuracy,' the abstract read. 'This suggests a potential link to drug resistance, which was further confirmed by the finding that patients with LVI+ tumors had a significantly lower clinical response rate than individuals with LVI− tumors.' However, Velarde said that the regression model they used is still in its early stages of development. But the scientists plan to further validate their results by testing the gene signatures of large groups of cancer patients in the Philippines. 'Importantly, our approach can be implemented in the Philippines using locally available genomic technologies, making earlier detection and tailored treatment more accessible to Filipino patients,' said Velarde. Other biologists behind the study are Allen Joy Corachea, Regina Joyce Ferrer, Lance Patrick Ty, and Madeleine Morta. According to the UPD College of Science, the country has recorded over 33,000 new breast cancer patients in 2022. In the same year, more than 11,000 died, making it the second leading cancer-related death after lung cancer. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News
CNN
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump's top DC prosecutor pick on thin ice
Trump's top DC prosecutor pick on thin ice Ed Martin, President Donald Trump's controversial nominee to serve as US attorney for Washington, is on thin ice after North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis came out against the nomination, citing Martin's previous comments denigrating police officers who defended the US Capitol on January 6. 01:55 - Source: CNN Pilot of crashed plane describes what it was like being rescued from alligator-infested swamp Pablo Andrés Velarde, a pilot in Bolivia, emergency landed his plane after an engine failure but it was no paved tarmac that awaited the plane's wheels. Instead, Velarde and passengers found themselves stranded for days in marshland with alligators and snakes. The pilot described to CNN the harrowing rescue that ensued. 01:13 - Source: CNN Inside Terminal B as hundreds of flight delays hit major hub Newark International Airport was faced with pandemonium on Monday after hundreds of flights were delayed and more than 150 canceled following a FAA-ordered ground stop due to low cloud cover. CNN's Brynn Gingras was live from Terminal B where many international passengers were stranded for hours. 00:54 - Source: CNN Diddy Trial day one: Prospective jurors The jury selection in Sean "Diddy" Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial started today. CNN's Kara Scannell explains who the prospective jurors are and who has been dismissed. 00:57 - Source: CNN Confusion at packed New Jersey Motor Vehicle office as REAL ID deadline hits CNN's Danny E. Freeman visited Motor Vehicle offices in New Jersey where residents successfully, and unsuccessfully, tried to figure out the correct documents to get a REAL ID. Still others scrambled to figure out if their IDs were compliant with new TSA rules. 01:23 - Source: CNN Alcatraz's decay poses reopening challenges President Donald Trump announced he wants to turn Alcatraz Island into a working prison, but can the infrastructure hold up? CNN's Veronica Miracle visited the prison's first cellblock to see how infrastructure decay could significantly hamper reopening the facility. 00:32 - Source: CNN Trump posts AI-generated image of himself as the pope days before conclave vote President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as the pope prompting swift backlash just days before the conclave is set to elect Pope Francis' successor. The Vatican has declined to comment on the matter. 01:00 - Source: CNN US stock market's rollercoaster ride since Trump took office President Donald Trump's first 100 days coincided with the stock market's third-worst start to any presidency in US history, only behind Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Yet by the 100-day mark of Trump's presidency, Wall Street has been shaken by historic levels of uncertainty and volatility. 00:51 - Source: CNN Rare volcanic eruption not seen in nearly 40 years Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano could be seen hurling lava upwards of 300 feet into the air during a series of 'rapid rebounds,' which scientists say hasn't been seen in nearly 40 years. 00:33 - Source: CNN Walmart shopper charged with attempted kidnapping Mahendra Patel walked into a Walmart in Acworth, Georgia looking for Tylenol but was later charged with trying to kidnap a two-year-old boy. Surveillance video obtained by the man's lawyer shows the incident. 01:11 - Source: CNN CNN anchors make Kentucky Derby predictions Every jockey, every owner and every trainer wants the chance to win the Kentucky Derby but only one of this year's 19 horses will do it. The bookies' favorite for this year's race is Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, at 3-1. No surprise, that name came up a lot when CNN anchors were asked whose got their pick. 00:57 - Source: CNN SpaceX's Starbase seeks Texas city status Starbase is an emerging community in Texas where SpaceX has long conducted its launches. On the brink of becoming an official city, CNN's Ed Lavandera examines how this transformation raises questions about Elon Musk's expanding influence and its implications for the local community and economy. 01:09 - Source: CNN CNN sports anchor explains how to bet on the Kentucky Derby Dubbed the 'Greatest Two Minutes in Sports' – a nod to its approximate run time – the Derby is the first race in US horse racing's coveted Triple Crown, which also includes the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. 01:20 - Source: CNN Prince Harry: 'I would love reconciliation with my family' In an explosive interview with the BBC, Prince Harry says his father, King Charles, no longer speaks to him, and that he would 'love reconciliation' with the royal family. He spoke the same day he lost a court case over the UK government's decision to strip him of his police protection. CNN's Max Foster explains. 01:12 - Source: CNN How rich is the Ivy League? The Trump Administration has frozen billions of dollars in federal funding to Ivy League schools. These same institutions have endowments bigger than the GDPs of some small countries. So why do these universities need money from the federal government and what's at stake if they lose it? 02:49 - Source: CNN Worldwide protests on May Day Thousands of people across the country and around the world are demonstrating in the streets to celebrate May Day for various political reasons. Video shows protests turn violent in Paris. 01:03 - Source: CNN Will Ford raise prices due to Trump's tariffs? President Donald Trump signed an executive order and proclamation to ease auto tariffs, but the 25 percent tariff on imported cars remains in place and a new 25% tariff on auto parts will go into effect soon. CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with Ford CEO Jim Farley about how Trump's tariffs could impact vehicle pricing. 00:42 - Source: CNN High schoolers potentially facing kidnapping charges after hazing incident At least 11 high school students in Syracuse, New York, have 48 hours to turn themselves in or face felony charges of kidnapping for their alleged involvement in victimizing at least five younger lacrosse players in an incident the district attorney says 'goes way beyond hazing.' 01:25 - Source: CNN 'Where's my camera?': Astronaut shares wondrous views from space NASA astronaut Don Pettit describes his love for photography and the images he took in his first press conference since returning from his fourth mission to space. 00:48 - Source: CNN LA port director says it faces steep drop in shipping Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka shares that the port expects a steep drop in shipping amid President Donald Trump's tariffs. 00:55 - Source: CNN Is the EU-US relationship on the rocks? In just over 100 days, President Trump has caused waves in the transatlantic relationship, one of the world's most consequential alliances. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said recently that the 'West as we know it no longer exists.' CNN's Niamh Kennedy reports. 01:51 - Source: CNN
CBS News
05-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Bolivia plane crash survivors recall 36-hour ordeal in swamp: "The alligators and snakes watched us all night"
It was after their tiny plane crashed into the Bolivian jungle earlier this week that their ordeal really began. After smashing into the ground, the aircraft flipped over into a lagoon infested with anacondas and alligators, plunging the pilot and four passengers - including a 6-year-old boy - into a harrowing 36 hours spent clinging to the plane's wreckage before being rescued Friday in the northeast of this Andean nation. The doctor who treated the five survivors told The Associated Press on Saturday all were conscious and in stable condition, with only the young boy's 37-year-old aunt still hospitalized for an infected gash to her head. The rest were discharged and recovering from dehydration, minor chemical burns, infected cuts, bruises and insect bites all over their bodies. Bolivia's civil defense vice ministry released dramatic video and images of the group being rescued on Friday. "We couldn't believe it, that they weren't attacked and left for dead," Dr. Luis Soruco, director of the hospital where the survivors were delivered in Bolivia's tropical Beni province, said by phone after sending the pilot and two of the women home with a strong course of antibiotics. Five people were rescued after their plane went down over an alligator-infested swamp in Bolivia. Bolivian Civil Defense Vice Ministry The pilot, 27-year-old Pablo Andrés Velarde, emerged Friday to tell the story that has transfixed many Bolivians - a rare piece of uplifting news for a nation badly in need of it after years of a spiraling economic and political crisis. "The mosquitoes wouldn't let us sleep," Velarde told reporters from his hospital cot in the provincial capital of Trinidad, where Dr. Soruco said he was in surprisingly good health and spirits. "The alligators and snakes watched us all night, but they didn't come close." Shocked that the caimans, a species of the alligator family native to Central and South America, didn't lunge at them, Velarde speculated it was the stench of jet fuel spilling from the wreckage that had kept the predatory reptiles at bay, although there's no scientific proof that's an effective alligator repellent. Velarde said that the five of them survived by eating ground cassava flour that one of the women had brought as a snack. They had nothing to drink - the lagoon water was filled with gasoline. The small plane had set off Wednesday from the Bolivian village of Baures, bound for the bigger town of Trinidad farther south, where Patricia Coria Guary had a medical check-up scheduled for her 6-year-old nephew at the pediatric hospital, Dr. Soruco said. Two other women, neighbors from Baures ages 32 and 54, joined them. Such flights are a common form of transportation in this remote Amazonian region carved with rivers. Heavy rains wash away unpaved roads this time of year. Five people - three women, a child and the 29-year-old pilot – were rescued after surviving 36 hours in an alligator-infested swamp. Bolivian Civil Defense Vice Ministry But just 27 minutes - almost halfway - into the flight, the plane's lone engine cut out. Velarde said he reported their imminent crash over a portable radio to a colleague. He recalled in interviews with local media that he scanned the vast emerald green canopy below him and aimed for a clearing near a lagoon. "There was no ranch or road along the route," he said. "It was just swamp." Instead of skidding across the shore as planned, the plane smashed into the ground and flipped upside down - injuring everyone on board and leaving Coria Guary with an especially deep cut to her forehead - before splashing into the water. "The landing was very rough," Velarde said. As the plane flooded, the five of them managed to clamber on top of the fuselage, where they stayed for two terrifying nights surrounded by caimans and anacondas and attacked by swarms of mosquitoes and other insects. They waved shirts and sheets to no avail and screamed each time they heard the thud of propellers or revving of a boat engine. On Friday, at the sound of approaching motorboats, "we started shining our cell phone flashlights and shouting," Velarde said. A group of fishermen noticed, and helped them into their canoe. They called the authorities and delivered them to an army helicopter some hours later. "We couldn't have handled it one more night," Velarde said. Bolivia's civil defense vice minister hailed the rescue operation. "We're proud of the work our rescue team does. Their dedication and professionalism have allowed the lives of the crew of the stranded aircraft to be saved," Minister Edmundo Novillo said in a statement. "This success is an example of the capability and efficiency of our Armed and Civil Defense Forces in emergency situations."
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
'The alligators watched us all night': Survivors of Bolivian jungle plane crash rescued after 36-hour ordeal
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — It was after their tiny plane crashed into the Bolivian jungle earlier this week that their ordeal really began. After smashing into the ground, the aircraft flipped over into a lagoon infested with anacondas and alligators, plunging the pilot and four passengers — including a 6-year-old boy — into a harrowing 36 hours spent clinging to the plane's wreckage before being rescued Friday in the northeast of this Andean nation. The doctor who treated the five survivors told The Associated Press on Saturday all were conscious and in stable condition, with only the young boy's 37-year-old aunt still hospitalized for an infected gash to her head. The rest were discharged and recovering from dehydration, minor chemical burns, infected cuts, bruises and insect bites all over their bodies. 'We couldn't believe it, that they weren't attacked and left for dead,' Dr. Luis Soruco, director of the hospital where the survivors were delivered in Bolivia's tropical Beni province, said by phone after sending the pilot and two of the women home with a strong course of antibiotics. The pilot, 27-year-old Pablo Andrés Velarde, emerged Friday to tell the story that has transfixed many Bolivians — a rare piece of uplifting news for a nation badly in need of it after years of a spiraling economic and political crisis. 'The mosquitoes wouldn't let us sleep," Velarde told reporters from his hospital cot in the provincial capital of Trinidad, where Dr. Soruco said he was in surprisingly good health and spirits. 'The alligators and snakes watched us all night, but they didn't come close.' Shocked that the caimans (pronounced KAY-men), a species of the alligator family native to Central and South America, didn't lunge at them, Velarde speculated it was the stench of jet fuel spilling from the wreckage that had kept the predatory reptiles at bay, although there's no scientific proof that's an effective alligator repellent. Velarde said that the five of them survived by eating ground cassava flour that one of the women had brought as a snack. They had nothing to drink — the lagoon water was filled with gasoline. The small plane had set off Wednesday from the Bolivian village of Baures, bound for the bigger town of Trinidad farther south, where Patricia Coria Guary had a medical check-up scheduled for her 6-year-old nephew at the pediatric hospital, Dr. Soruco said. Two other women, neighbors from Baures ages 32 and 54, joined them. Such flights are a common form of transportation in this remote Amazonian region carved with rivers. Heavy rains wash away unpaved roads this time of year. But just 27 minutes — almost halfway — into the flight, the plane's lone engine cut out. Velarde said he reported their imminent crash over a portable radio to a colleague. He recalled in interviews with local media that he scanned the vast emerald green canopy below him and aimed for a clearing near a lagoon. 'There was no ranch or road along the route,' he said. 'It was just swamp.' Instead of skidding across the shore as planned, the plane smashed into the ground and flipped upside down — injuring everyone on board and leaving Coria Guary with an especially deep cut to her forehead — before splashing into the water. 'The landing was very rough,' Velarde said. As the plane flooded, the five of them managed to clamber on top of the fuselage, where they stayed for two terrifying nights surrounded by caimans and anacondas and attacked by swarms of mosquitoes and other insects. They waved shirts and sheets to no avail and screamed each time they heard the thud of propellers or revving of a boat engine. On Friday, at the sound of approaching motorboats, 'we started shining our cell phone flashlights and shouting,' Velarde said. A group of fishermen noticed, and helped them into their canoe. They called the authorities and delivered them to an army helicopter some hours later. 'We couldn't have handled it one more night," Velarde said.
Arab Times
04-05-2025
- Health
- Arab Times
Alligators, snakes, biting insects: Small plane crash survivors recall 36-hour ordeal
LA PAZ, Bolivia, May 4, (AP): It was after their tiny plane crashed into the Bolivian jungle earlier this week that their ordeal really began. After smashing into the ground, the aircraft flipped over into a lagoon infested with anacondas and alligators, plunging the pilot and four passengers - including a 6-year-old boy - into a harrowing 36 hours spent clinging to the plane's wreckage before being rescued Friday in the northeast of this Andean nation. The doctor who treated the five survivors told The Associated Press on Saturday all were conscious and in stable condition, with only the young boy's 37-year-old aunt still hospitalized for an infected gash to her head. The rest were discharged and recovering from dehydration, minor chemical burns, infected cuts, bruises and insect bites all over their bodies. "We couldn't believe it, that they weren't attacked and left for dead,' Dr. Luis Soruco, director of the hospital where the survivors were delivered in Bolivia's tropical Beni province, said by phone after sending the pilot and two of the women home with a strong course of antibiotics. The pilot, 27-year-old Pablo Andrés Velarde, emerged Friday to tell the story that has transfixed many Bolivians - a rare piece of uplifting news for a nation badly in need of it after years of a spiraling economic and political crisis. "The mosquitoes wouldn't let us sleep," Velarde told reporters from his hospital cot in the provincial capital of Trinidad, where Dr. Soruco said he was in surprisingly good health and spirits. "The alligators and snakes watched us all night, but they didn't come close.' Shocked that the caimans (pronounced KAY-men), a species of the alligator family native to Central and South America, didn't lunge at them, Velarde speculated it was the stench of jet fuel spilling from the wreckage that had kept the predatory reptiles at bay, although there's no scientific proof that's an effective alligator repellent. Velarde said that the five of them survived by eating ground cassava flour that one of the women had brought as a snack. They had nothing to drink - the lagoon water was filled with gasoline. The small plane had set off Wednesday from the Bolivian village of Baures, bound for the bigger town of Trinidad farther south, where Patricia Coria Guary had a medical check-up scheduled for her 6-year-old nephew at the pediatric hospital, Dr. Soruco said. Two other women, neighbors from Baures ages 32 and 54, joined them.
