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From LLMs to hallucinations, here’s a simple guide to common AI terms
The rise of AI has brought an avalanche of new terms and slang. Here is a glossary with definitions of some of the most important words and phrases you might encounter.
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At the HumanX conference, everyone was talking about Claude
Anthropic was the star of the show at San Francisco's AI-centric conference.
Effect of the Maxing Huoqiao granule on nonsevere community-acquired pneumonia: A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial
Pharmacol Res. 2026 Apr 9:108186. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2026.108186. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a major global public health challenge with substantial morbidity and mortality. Although preclinical studies suggest that Maxing Huoqiao (MXHQ) granule may have therapeutic potential for pneumonia, high-quality clinical evidence is still limited. We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial at two tertiary hospitals in China to evaluate the clinical efficacy of MXHQ as adjunctive therapy and to explore its potential mechanisms in adults with nonsevere CAP receiving standard moxifloxacin treatment. A total of 96 patients were enrolled and randomized (1:1:1) to receive standard-dose MXHQ, low-dose MXHQ, or placebo in addition to moxifloxacin for 7 days, with a 14-day follow-up. The primary endpoint was clinical cure, defined as composite recovery of major respiratory symptoms, lung rales, and fever; secondary endpoints included symptom relief, radiographic improvement, and safety. Compared with placebo, standard-dose MXHQ was associated with a higher day-14 clinical cure rate (30.78% vs. 68.97%; RR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.24-0.83; P < 0.01). Furthermore, the standard-dose intervention was correlated with a shorter time to relief and recovery of cough and sputum (P < 0.05), as well as improvements in symptom scores (P < 0.05) and promoting lesion absorption on chest CT (P < 0.05). Low-dose MXHQ showed no significant clinical benefit, whereas safety profiles were comparable across all groups. Transcriptomic analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, complemented by a Streptococcus pneumonia animal model, indicated that the clinical benefits of MXHQ are linked to the modulation of inflammation and innate immunity. These omics and in vivo observations suggest a potential mechanism underlying the protective effects of MXHQ against inflammatory injury and promotion of tissue repair, involving the regulation of anti-inflammatory mediators and tissue repair-related factors. (Chictr.org.cn, ID Number: ChiCTR2400082095).
PMID:41966499 | DOI:10.1016/j.phrs.2026.108186
TREM2-mediated microglial phagocytosis of inhibitory synapses contributes to prolonged FS-induced epileptogenesis
Cell Death Discovery, Published online: 11 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41420-026-03118-7
TREM2-mediated microglial phagocytosis of inhibitory synapses contributes to prolonged FS-induced epileptogenesis
Necrosis by sodium overload: a potential mechanism for renal diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction
Cell Death Discovery, Published online: 11 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41420-026-03111-0
Necrosis by sodium overload: a potential mechanism for renal diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction
Cardiovascular digital twins using a Windkessel physics informed neural network
npj Digital Medicine, Published online: 11 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41746-026-02610-9
Cardiovascular digital twins using a Windkessel physics informed neural network
Health Equity Analysis of Awareness and Use of GetCheckedOnline, British Columbia’s Digital Intervention for Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infection Testing in 5 Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities: Cross-Sectional Survey Study
Background: Digital sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBIs) testing services are used to improve testing access, but might replicate existing social inequities. Previous research has shown that the digital STBBI testing service has improved access to testing in British Columbia (BC), Canada. As part of the program’s continuous evaluation, we examined awareness and use of the service in 5 urban, suburban, and rural communities where the program has expanded. Objective: This study aimed to determine if social location is associated with differences in awareness and use of the service in 5 communities outside Vancouver, BC. Methods: From July to September 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional survey recruiting (in-person and online) sexually active people aged 16 years or older in 5 urban, suburban, and rural communities where had sample collection sites available at the time. We examined differences in awareness and use by age, gender identity, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, education, and income using logistic regression models informed by the Health Equity Measurement Framework. Results: Of the 1658 participants (n=1058, 63.8% in-person and n=600, 36.2% online), 35.3% (586/1658) were aware of and 19.5% (324/1658) had used it. Awareness and use were lower in the first and last age quartiles compared to the second quartile (>38 years: awareness odds ratio [OR] 0.23, 95% CI 0.17‐0.32; use OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.12‐0.28;
Views of People With Psychosis About Algorithm-Based Relapse Prediction and Data Sharing: Qualitative Study
Background: Preventing relapses of psychosis is difficult and important. Digital remote monitoring (DRM) systems are being developed and tested to support this. Increasingly, these systems use algorithm-based relapse prediction. Hence, understanding stakeholder views about algorithmic prediction is crucial. Existing qualitative work has explored health professionals’ views, but very few studies have examined the perspectives of people with psychosis on this topic. Objective: This paper aimed to provide an in-depth examination of the views of people with psychosis regarding algorithmic relapse prediction within a DRM system that incorporates active symptom monitoring and passive sensing data. Methods: People with psychosis (n=58) were recruited from 6 geographically distinct areas of the United Kingdom. They participated in semistructured qualitative interviews exploring their views about using a DRM system that predicts psychosis relapse based on a machine learning algorithm. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. People with lived experience of psychosis were involved extensively in study design, analysis, and reporting. Results: Findings were described across 4 themes. First, was a prominent theme. Participants emphasized that transparency about algorithm sensitivity and specificity is crucial and discussed the risks of the relapse prediction algorithm producing false positives (flagging that someone was relapsing when they were not) and false negatives (missing actual relapses). In both cases, participants said that errors may be partially mitigated through a approach (theme 2), with DRM blended with human oversight, from clinicians or a dedicated digital monitoring team, and calibrated based on service user, carer, and clinician feedback. The third theme, noted the interplay between users’ trust in the DRM system and their relationship with the clinical team. This theme described participants’ fears about potential overreactions (hospitalization or excessive medication) or underreactions (no additional support) from the clinical team in response to algorithm-generated relapse predictions. It emphasized the importance of retaining choice around the use of relapse detection algorithms and the sharing of personal data. The final theme described participants’ views about the , including facilitating early intervention, triaging care according to need, minimizing human bias in assessment, and efficiency in saving staff time. Conclusions: People with psychosis acknowledged potential benefits of algorithm-assisted relapse prediction for receiving timely or efficient care, but with several caveats. Algorithm-generated relapse alerts need to be sufficiently accurate and must be interpreted, with understanding of their limitations, by a trustworthy human who is aware of the relevant context. Algorithm-based relapse predictions should only be used with valid consent, in a way that promotes and respects the autonomy and voice of service users and avoids increasing the use of excessive restriction.
Child Vaccination Status and Behavioral and Social Drivers of Vaccination Among Their Caregivers in the Philippines: Cross-Sectional Survey Study Comparison of Household, Mobile, and Online Modes
Background: The World Health Organization recommends that countries routinely collect data on the behavioral and social drivers (BeSD) of vaccination to inform public health interventions that increase vaccine uptake. There is a need to identify data collection methods that can rapidly and inexpensively collect representative data, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Objective: This study aimed to understand BeSD drivers of vaccination in the Philippines and assess the trade-offs between survey methods. We compared responses to household, mobile, and online surveys in terms of demographics, vaccination status, responses to BeSD questions, and cost. Methods: We conducted concurrent household, mobile (SMS text messaging and interactive voice response), and online surveys among caregivers of children 2 years of age and below in Regions V and XII of the Philippines, with sampling differing by survey method. We assessed, for each survey method, (1) respondent demographics (sex, age, region, and socioeconomic status) and (2) the weighted proportion of responses from caregivers of children who received at least one dose of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT)–containing vaccine. We estimated the weighted proportion of each BeSD survey response option and calculated the financial cost (monetary outlays) per survey response from an implementer’s perspective by summing the costs incurred in each survey method and dividing by the number of responses received. Results: We surveyed a total of 1201 household respondents, 2153 mobile respondents, and 398 online respondents from January to March 2025. We found that online and mobile survey respondents were more likely to be male and have completed high school than household survey respondents. The weighted proportion of respondents indicating that their child had received at least one dose of DPT vaccine was 91.8% (n=1090; 95% CI 90%‐93.3%) for the household survey, 90.3% (n=1853) for the mobile survey, and 85% (n=346) for the online survey. With regard to vaccine demand, more than 85% of respondents in each survey method indicated that vaccines are very important, very safe, supported by family, and that they knew where to bring a child for vaccination. More than 30% of mobile and online survey respondents indicated that it was not easy to pay for vaccination. The financial cost to conduct the survey per survey response was US $2.61 for the online survey, US $6.93 for the mobile survey, and US $29.38 for the household survey. Conclusions: In the Philippines, household, mobile, and online survey methods reached caregivers of children who were unvaccinated against DPT, and these proportions were similar across survey methods. BeSD responses indicated high vaccine demand and challenges in caregivers’ cost to access vaccination. Determining the most appropriate survey method depends on trade-offs between representativeness and costs. However, areas with strong connectivity and high mobile device ownership can consider mobile and online methods as a lower-cost alternative to rapidly collect BeSD data.
Stalking victim sues OpenAI, claims ChatGPT fueled her abuser’s delusions and ignored her warnings
OpenAI ignored three warnings that a ChatGPT user was dangerous — including its own mass-casualty flag — while he stalked and harassed his ex-girlfriend, a new lawsuit alleges.
The Download: an exclusive Jeff VanderMeer story and AI models too scary to release
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Constellations
—Constellations is a short story by Jeff VanderMeer, the author of the critically acclaimed, bestselling Southern Reach series.
A spacecraft has crash-landed on a hostile planet. The only survivors are three members of the exploration team and the ship’s AI mind.
Little exists on the planet except deserts of snow. But alien artifacts lie nearby, in the form of 13 domes, spread across the terrain. Linked by cables threaded through metal posts, the domes form a series of paths—the only hope for life support.
As the team treks across the frozen hellscape, they discover the remains of countless astronauts from unknown species who followed the same route before them. Is their trail a path to salvation, or a cosmic trap?
Read the rest of this short story in full.
This story is from the next issue of our print magazine, packed with stories all about nature. Subscribe now to read the full thing when it lands on Wednesday, April 22.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 OpenAI has joined Anthropic in curbing an AI release over security fears
Only select partners will get its new cybersecurity tool. (Axios)
+ Anthropic said only yesterday that its new AI is too dangerous for the public. (NBC News)
+ Top models may not be so public going forward. (Bloomberg $)
+ The US has summoned bank CEOs to discuss the risks. (FT $)
2 Florida is investigating OpenAI over an alleged role in a shooting
ChatGPT may have helped someone plan a mass shooting in Florida. (WSJ $)
+ OpenAI has backed a bill that would limit AI liability for deaths. (Wired $)
+ The family of a victim plans to sue the company. (Guardian)
+ AI’s role in delusions is dividing opinion. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Volkswagen is ditching EV production for more gasoline models
The carmaker will stop making its top electric vehicle in the US. (NYT $)
+ Instead, it will concentrate on developing a new SUV. (Ars Technica)
+ Western carmakers are retreating from electric vehicles. (Guardian)
4 Elon Musk’s xAI has sued Colorado over an AI anti-discrimination law
It’s the first state bill of its kind. (Bloomberg $)
+ xAI says it will force the firm to “promote the state’s ideological views.” (FT $)
5 A fifth of US employees say AI now does parts of their job
The survey found half of US adults used AI in the past week. (NBC News)
+ Missing data could shed light on AI’s job impact. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Google DeepMind’s CEO wants to automate drug design
He hopes to develop AI capable of curing all diseases. (The Economist)
+ A scientist is using AI to hunt for antibiotics. (MIT Technology Review)
7 China’s Unitree is launching a viral robot on the international market
R1, its cheapest humanoid, will go on sale outside China next week. (SCMP)
+ Gig workers are training humanoids at home. (MIT Technology Review)
8 An experiment on Artemis II astronauts could reshape space medicine
Chips containing their cells will model spaceflight’s effects. (WP $)
9 A pro-Iran meme machine is trolling Trump with AI Lego cartoons
The videos have racked up millions of views. (Wired $)
+ You can learn to love AI slop. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Short breaks could erase 10 years of social media brain damage
Studies show that a two-week detox could have a dramatic benefit. (WP $)
Quote of the day
“AI should advance mankind, not destroy it. We’re demanding answers on OpenAI’s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans, and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting.”
—Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier explains on X why he’s probing OpenAI.
One More Thing
TOM HUMBERSTONE
It’s time to retire the term “user”
People have been called “users” for a long time. Often, it’s the right word to describe people who use software. But “users” is also unspecific enough to refer to just about everyone. It can accommodate almost any big idea or long-term vision.
We use—and are used by—computers and platforms and companies. The label “user” suggests these interactions are deeply transactional, but they’re frequently quite personal. Is it time for a more human vocabulary? Read the full story.
—Taylor Majewski
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ This flawless levitation trick will leave you questioning the laws of physics.
+ The World Press Photo winners expose the beauty (and brutality) of our planet.
+ Over 3 million pink flamingos gathered to create a stunning pink horizon.
+ Behold the galaxy’s enormity in this comparison of its largest known star to Earth
Extracellular matrix-driven patient stratification and network modeling reveal distinct molecular grades with potential clinical implications
NPJ Syst Biol Appl. 2026 Apr 10. doi: 10.1038/s41540-026-00697-0. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
The extracellular matrix (ECM) critically shapes tumor fate and treatment outcome, serving as a potent prognostic factor. Yet, its compositional heterogeneity across tumors makes it difficult to assess its impact on tumor dynamics. To address this, we introduce an ECM-guided patient stratification pipeline through integration of multi-omic data in lung cancer patients. We obtained four patient groups, representing ECM-grades that showed distinct clinical features, mutation profiles, and cellular heterogeneity. Investigation of patient-specific ECM-induced intracellular signaling via network modeling revealed strong enrichment of pathways and transcriptional regulators related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stemness in higher ECM-grades. Drug proximity analysis on ECM-grade specific networks predicted olaparib as an ECM-grade dependent therapeutic while erlotinib to be ECM-insensitive which were validated experimentally on lung tumor cells with distinct mutational profiles in response to differing ECM microenvironments. Overall, our ECM-mediated stratification approach is a robust system for capturing ECM heterogeneity and identifying patient groups that can be selectively targeted by distinct therapeutic strategies.
PMID:41963365 | DOI:10.1038/s41540-026-00697-0
Extracellular matrix-driven patient stratification and network modeling reveal distinct molecular grades with potential clinical implications
NPJ Syst Biol Appl. 2026 Apr 10. doi: 10.1038/s41540-026-00697-0. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
The extracellular matrix (ECM) critically shapes tumor fate and treatment outcome, serving as a potent prognostic factor. Yet, its compositional heterogeneity across tumors makes it difficult to assess its impact on tumor dynamics. To address this, we introduce an ECM-guided patient stratification pipeline through integration of multi-omic data in lung cancer patients. We obtained four patient groups, representing ECM-grades that showed distinct clinical features, mutation profiles, and cellular heterogeneity. Investigation of patient-specific ECM-induced intracellular signaling via network modeling revealed strong enrichment of pathways and transcriptional regulators related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stemness in higher ECM-grades. Drug proximity analysis on ECM-grade specific networks predicted olaparib as an ECM-grade dependent therapeutic while erlotinib to be ECM-insensitive which were validated experimentally on lung tumor cells with distinct mutational profiles in response to differing ECM microenvironments. Overall, our ECM-mediated stratification approach is a robust system for capturing ECM heterogeneity and identifying patient groups that can be selectively targeted by distinct therapeutic strategies.
PMID:41963365 | DOI:10.1038/s41540-026-00697-0
Baseline cellular state dictates the molecular impact of KRAS mutant variants in pancreatic cancer cells
bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Mar 12:2026.03.10.710185. doi: 10.64898/2026.03.10.710185.
ABSTRACT
KRAS is mutated in over 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC), where hotspot alterations in codons 12, 13, and 61 drive tumor initiation and progression. Although distinct biochemical properties have been described for individual KRAS mutants, whether they generate unique allele-specific signaling programs in PDAC cells remains unresolved. Here, we systematically interrogated the molecular consequences of seven common KRAS mutant variants in reconstituted isogenic, KRAS-deficient PDAC cell lines by integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic profiling. We found that baseline cellular state, rather than allele identity, was the predominant driver of molecular variation. Comparisons with established KRAS reference signatures revealed significant but moderate overlap at the mRNA level and less so at the proteome level. Pathway analyses highlighted interferon response and mitochondrial translation as recurrently altered across alleles, while phosphoproteomic data confirmed robust ERK1/2 activity and suppression of DYRK kinase substrates by mutant KRAS expression. Importantly, no robust allele-specific molecular programs were identified. Together, our study establishes a comprehensive multi-omics resource for KRAS signaling in PDAC and demonstrates that cellular context exerts a stronger influence than allele identity in shaping molecular profiles, with implications for interpreting putative allele-specific signaling dependencies and therapeutic vulnerabilities.
PMID:41959224 | PMC:PMC13060958 | DOI:10.64898/2026.03.10.710185
Opinion: What public health can learn from the MAHA movement
I didn’t expect to find myself face to face with leaders and activists from the “Make America Healthy Again” movement in respectful dialogue, or to consider inviting one into a public health classroom. But that’s exactly where I found myself this spring.
At a national public health meeting in March, I attended a session that brought together public health professionals, physicians, and MAHA leaders for a rare, good-faith conversation. I went out of curiosity. I left with a level of clarity I hadn’t expected — and a few unexpected connections.
© John Moore/Getty Images
Author Correction: Multi-omic profiling reveals age-related immune dynamics in healthy adults
Nature, Published online: 10 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10484-w
Author Correction: Multi-omic profiling reveals age-related immune dynamics in healthy adults
Berry-derived gold nanoparticles induce integrated ROS-mediated apoptosis, immune modulation, and transcriptomic remodeling in 4T1 triple-negative cancer cells
Cell Death Discovery, Published online: 10 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41420-026-03023-z
Berry-derived gold nanoparticles induce integrated ROS-mediated apoptosis, immune modulation, and transcriptomic remodeling in 4T1 triple-negative cancer cells
Pursuit of biomarkers of brain diseases: beyond cohort comparisons
npj Digital Medicine, Published online: 10 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41746-026-02614-5
Pursuit of biomarkers of brain diseases: beyond cohort comparisons
The landscape of artificial intelligence-enabled medical devices in the EU and the US intended for intensive care units
npj Digital Medicine, Published online: 10 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41746-026-02609-2
The landscape of artificial intelligence-enabled medical devices in the EU and the US intended for intensive care units
Predicting bilingual aphasia treatment outcomes using digital twins: a double-blind randomized controlled trial
npj Digital Medicine, Published online: 10 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41746-026-02583-9
Predicting bilingual aphasia treatment outcomes using digital twins: a double-blind randomized controlled trial